Where South Africans move
1M South Africans live abroad — #69 largest source of emigrants worldwide
Considering a move from South Africa? — See top destinations, regional flows, and how it's changed since 1990.
Where emigrants go
The top 3 countries receive 62% of all emigrants
↑↓ — change vs 2020
| Country | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 245446 |
| Australia | 213447 |
| United States | 161507 |
| New Zealand | 101970 |
| Canada | 52600 |
| Netherlands | 31024 |
| Mozambique | 21022 |
| Zimbabwe | 20346 |
| Ireland | 18857 |
| Israel | 14535 |
| Portugal | 14232 |
| Eswatini | 12870 |
| Namibia | 9422 |
| Greece | 7484 |
| Angola | 6487 |
| Italy | 6245 |
| Botswana | 6052 |
| Lesotho | 5964 |
| Malawi | 5907 |
| Belgium | 5259 |
| Cyprus | 5240 |
| China | 5129 |
| Zambia | 5022 |
| Austria | 3710 |
| India | 3709 |
| Denmark | 2999 |
| Brazil | 1941 |
| Norway | 1936 |
| Japan | 1415 |
| Finland | 1203 |
| Guinea | 1161 |
| Malta | 909 |
| Isle of Man | 833 |
| Poland | 783 |
| Luxembourg | 761 |
| Libya | 729 |
| Mali | 725 |
| Hungary | 712 |
| Tanzania | 687 |
| Mauritius | 632 |
| Bulgaria | 461 |
| Chile | 455 |
| Argentina | 441 |
| Peru | 406 |
| Mexico | 355 |
| Egypt | 304 |
| Bermuda | 293 |
| Sri Lanka | 265 |
| Seychelles | 262 |
| Croatia | 180 |
| Slovakia | 167 |
| Iceland | 157 |
| Bahamas | 116 |
| Eritrea | 95 |
| Slovenia | 94 |
| Kenya | 91 |
| Saint Helena | 86 |
| Panama | 84 |
| Costa Rica | 81 |
| Sierra Leone | 72 |
| Venezuela | 63 |
| Estonia | 60 |
| Central African Republic | 57 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 47 |
| Cayman Islands | 45 |
| Liechtenstein | 32 |
| Faroe Islands | 26 |
| Lithuania | 26 |
| Latvia | 21 |
| Bolivia | 20 |
| Gabon | 12 |
| Dominican Republic | 11 |
| Saint Lucia | 3 |
By destination region
Europe is the leading destination region at 34%
343.6K
315.4K
214.4K
98K
19.8K
10.5K
4.1K
Interesting facts
Notable statistics about emigration from South Africa.
Netherlands is the fastest-growing major destination
Emigration to the Netherlands has increased by 127% since 2015, rising from 13.7K to 31K in 9 years.
The share of emigrants going to Africa has declined since 1990
The share of emigrants going to Africa has shifted from 24.6% to 9.7% since 1990.
How emigration changed over time
Total emigrant population by year
| Year | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 295392 |
| 1995 | 357986 |
| 2000 | 494645 |
| 2005 | 613772 |
| 2010 | 704402 |
| 2015 | 782819 |
| 2020 | 898203 |
| 2024 | 1005800 |
Top destinations over time
Emigration to the 5 largest destination countries
| Year | United Kingdom | Australia | United States | New Zealand | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 63164 | 46167 | 36551 | 7375 | 23897 |
| 1995 | 92386 | 59022 | 35154 | 10863 | 28514 |
| 2000 | 133401 | 80607 | 68904 | 24072 | 33976 |
| 2005 | 164846 | 114035 | 94837 | 39560 | 37929 |
| 2010 | 198360 | 156200 | 89542 | 49660 | 42621 |
| 2015 | 216440 | 177482 | 102856 | 62541 | 47223 |
| 2020 | 232701 | 199994 | 129545 | 82625 | 50957 |
| 2024 | 245446 | 213447 | 161507 | 101970 | 52600 |
Fastest-changing destinations
How emigration to each country has changed since the selected year
South Africa as an emigration source
Share of immigrants in each country who originate from South Africa