The UK, Australia and the USA have the largest populations of South African diaspora.
Emigration patterns are notoriously difficult to track, and third-party sources like the United Nation’s (UN’s) “migrant stock” data are said to offer the most reliable estimates.
Statistics SA does publish a Migration Profile Report, while Aussie Home Affairs, US Homeland Security and the UK’s Office For National Statistics publish their own counts.
We’ve crunched the numbers for you below…
United Kingdom
The UK remains the country with the largest South African-born community in this set.
- According to the UN, midway through 2024, about 245 446 South Africans were living in the UK.
- The latest Migration Profile Report from Stats SA puts that number at 247 336.
- A recent UK Annual Population Survey estimates that around 298 000 people living in the United Kingdom are South African-born.
Australia
Australia ranks second as the most popular destination for emigrating Saffas.
- UN data showed that approximately 213 447 South Africans were living in Australia in 2024.
- According to Stats SA, that number is slightly lower at 199 690.
- Australia’s Department of Home Affairs reported that at the end of June 2023, 214 790 SA-born people were living Down Under.
USA
The United States comes in third as the country with the most South African residents outside of the RSA.
- According to the UN, the 2024 figure stood at around 161 507 South African-born residents residing in the US.
- Stats SA has a significantly lower figure at 117 321.
- The latest data from the US Census Bureau shows that 123 461 people living in the United States were born in Mzansi.
Why do South Africans pick these countries?
The data suggests that Saffas are drawn to countries with established migrant communities, strong job markets and familiar language/cultural environments (New Zealand and Canada close out the top five on the destinations list).
While the UK remains the largest host country for SA expats, the United States is seeing the fastest growth among them.
According to the US Department of Homeland Security, 3 535 South Africans obtained US residency in 2022.
The US has also made local headlines recently as a growing destination for so-called “Afrikaner refugees.” This followed the rollout of a controversial resettlement programme introduced by the Trump administration earlier this year.
