South Africa Net Migration (2025)
South Africa's Net Migration: 146,370 persons (net inflows) in 2025, -20,602 YoY. World Bank (SM.POP.NETM), 1990–2025.
South Africa (2025)
146,370
persons (net inflows)
-20,602 YoY
YoY Change
-20,602
persons (net inflows)
Trend
down
Series length
35
years of data
Data
| Year | persons (net inflows) | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 146,370 | -20,602 |
| 2024 | 166,972 | -61,250 |
| 2023 | 228,222 | -5,062 |
| 2022 | 233,284 | -224,962 |
| 2021 | 458,246 | +88,345 |
| 2020 | 369,901 | +38,777 |
| 2019 | 331,124 | +12,864 |
| 2018 | 318,260 | -24,886 |
| 2017 | 343,146 | +1,222,381 |
| 2016 | -879,235 | -1,520,385 |
| 2015 | 641,150 | +368,453 |
| 2014 | 272,697 | +40,467 |
| 2013 | 232,230 | -31,861 |
| 2012 | 264,091 | +198,925 |
| 2011 | 65,166 | -3,397 |
| 2010 | 68,563 | +27,035 |
| 2009 | 41,528 | +4,659 |
| 2008 | 36,869 | +530 |
| 2007 | 36,339 | +3,180 |
| 2006 | 33,159 | n/a |
About this Dataset
South Africa recorded 146,370 persons (net inflows) in 2025. The most recent year-on-year change was -20,602. The historical series (1990–2025) shows a peak of 641,150 in 2015 and a trough of -879,235 in 2016.
Data sourced from World Bank Open Data API. Values use World Bank standardised methodology ensuring cross-country comparability.
The chart above shows the full historical trend; the table below lists annual values with year-on-year changes.
Frequently Asked Questions
This indicator tracks south africa net migration in South Africa, published by World Bank. Data covers 1990–2025 at annual frequency using harmonised methodology.
The most recent observation covers 2025. World Bank typically publishes this series with a lag of several months after the reference period. Updated annual.
The series peaked at 641,150 persons (net inflows) in 2015 and reached its lowest recorded value of -879,235 in 2016. The latest reading of 146,370 in 2025 represents a year-on-year change of -20,602.