United Kingdom 209,000 (2012) United States 82,054 (2011) Canada 38,305 (2006) | Australia 145,683 (2011) New Zealand 54,279 (2013) Qatar 5,000 (2014) | |
The South African diaspora consists of South African emigrants and their descendants living outside South Africa. The largest concentrations of South African emigrants are to be found in the United Kingdom, followed by Australia, the United States, New Zealand, Canada and Ireland. At the time of the 2001 UK Census, some 141,405 South-African born people were present in the UK. In Australia, there were 145,683 South African-born people residing in the country at the moment of the 2011 Census, having an increase compared with those 78,444 recorded by the 2001 Census. The 2000 United States Census identified 68,290 South African-born people.
There is also a small South African community in South America, mainly in Argentina.
According to a survey conducted in 2006, the most common reason for South Africans leaving their home country is for employment and financial opportunities, followed by concerns about crime and safety.