Progress in the Collection and Utilization of International Migration Data in the 2020 round of Population Censuses: The Case for South Africa

Ntsieni I. Itani, Statistics South Africa

South Africa has shown to be a receiver of most migrants from the African continent. However, a comprehensive picture of different types of immigrants is limited due to the lack of an integrated migration statistics system across government departments. Global Compact for Migration (GCM) emphasises the need for countries to collect and utilise accurate and disaggregated migration data as a basis for evidence-based policy formulation and implementation. To adequately do this, South Africa has collected migration data from Census 1996-2022 and also included migration questions in household surveys. This is essential in planning for the welfare of the migrant population. The results from Census 2022 indicates that there were an estimated 2 418 197 international migrants in South Africa, however the percentage share of immigrants to the total population decreased from 4,2% to 3,9% between 2011 Census and 2022 Census. Better job opportunities and living conditions are cited as the main reasons for migration. This indicates that individuals are seeking economic opportunities and improved quality of life in their decision to migrate, thus suggesting that migration can be attributed to socio-economic opportunities, such as reduced poverty and unemployment rates.

Keywords: International Migration, Census data, Migrant Populations and Refugees, Internal Migration and Urbanization

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