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- 40% drop in South Africans returning home in past decade
- Fewer than 28,000 citizens returned to SA in 2022
- Western Cape has overtaken Gauteng as province of choice
The number of South Africans returning to live in the country has dropped by nearly 40% in the past decade.
According to Statistics SA’s latest migration report, just under 28,000 citizens returned to South Africa in 2022. This is almost 18,000 less than 11 years ago, which is when the previous census was conducted.
Returning South Africans choice of province has also shifted, with 35% choosing the Western Cape in 2022. A decade previously, only 23% chose the Western Cape whereas almost 39% chose Gauteng.
The number of South Africans living in foreign countries has steadily been increasing, Stats SA data shows. In 2000, there were about 500,000 South Africans living abroad. In 2020, this had climbed to just over 900,000.
The UK is home to the largest number of South African ex-pats, with 247,336 living there. Second-most popular destination is Australia (199,690), followed by the US (117,321), Canada and New Zealand.
— 3 May, 2024Subscribe to the weekly newsletter for more charts like this
