The number of foreigners who have decided to make South Africa their home has grown significantly in the last few years. This is according to the latest World Migration report published by the International Organisation for Migration.
According to the report migrants made up 2.8% of the country’s population in 2005 – this had risen to 7.2% in 2019. This means that there are about four million migrants living in South Africa, which makes it the fourteenth-most-populous country in the world by migrant population. The United States is first, with about 50 million migrants living in that country.
Qatar is the country with the highest proportion of migrants, as compared to its total population. Nearly 80% of people living in the Middle Eastern state are migrants.
Zimbabweans make up the single biggest group of migrants in South Africa, accounting for about 700 000 people. Mozambique is the second-biggest source country for migrants to South Africa at 375 000.
The number of migrants around the world has been increasing steadily for many years. It is estimated that migrants account for about 3.5% of the global population, compared to 2.8% in 2000.