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), 1976–2025.
South Africa (2025)
146,370
persons (net inflows)
-20,602 YoY
YoY Change
-20,602
persons (net inflows)
Trend
down
Series length
50
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 | +1,873 |
About this Dataset
South Africa recorded 146,370 persons (net inflows) in 2025. The latest change was -20,602. Across 1976–2025 the series ranges from -879,235 in 2016 to 641,150 in 2015.
This page tracks net migration (immigrants minus emigrants) in South Africa from 1990 to present. Positive values indicate net inflow.
Data sourced from World Bank via Open Data API. Values use World Bank standardised methodology intended for cross-country comparison.
Frequently Asked Questions
This page tracks net migration (immigrants minus emigrants) in South Africa from 1990 to present. Positive values indicate net inflow. It is published by World Bank and updated annually.
The most recent observation covers 2025. World Bank typically publishes this series with a lag of several months after the reference period. The series runs 1976–2025 (50 observations).
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 change of -20,602.