Rising xenophobic sentiment and violence prevented Census 2022 from arriving at an accurate estimate of the number of international migrants in SA.

But Stats SA’s analysis of the proportions of top labour-sending countries is probably much closer to the truth and confirms two things that we already knew. First, the collapse of the Zimbabwean economy has been the number one driver of international migration to SA over the past two decades. Second, four countries — Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Lesotho and Malawi — accounted for 76.7% of all international migrants in SA...

Subscribe now to unlock this article.

Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).

There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.

Cancel anytime.

Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.