144,666 (by ancestry, 2021)[1] (0.6% of the Australian population)[1] 189,207 (by birth, 2021)[1]
Regions with significant populations
New South Wales
39,548
Queensland
35,226
Western Australia
33,310
Victoria
26,082
South Australia
6,288
Languages
South African English
Australian English
Afrikaans
Related ethnic groups
Afrikaners
Zulu
South African Australians (Afrikaans: Suid-Afrikaanse Australiërs) are citizens or residents of Australia who are of South African descent.
According to the 2021 Australian census, 189,207 Australian residents were born in South Africa, making up 0.7% of the country's population. In addition, 144,666 people born in Australia claim South African ancestry, making up 0.6% of the total population. A strong majority of South African Australians are Australian citizens, with 76% possessing Australian citizenship. In the same 2021 census, 144,666 Australian residents claimed "South African" ancestry while another 6,153 stated their ancestry as "Afrikaner" and 501 as "Zulu".[2]
According to the 2016 Australian census, most South African-born Australians were native English-speakers (118,147) while a large minority spoke Afrikaans at home (38,415).[3] By 2021, the number of Australian residents who spoke Afrikaans at home increased to 49,375. Afrikaners are particularly concentrated in greater Perth. While 0.2% of Australian residents in 2021 spoke Afrikaans at home, 0.6% of the residents of greater Perth (11,870) did.[4] Other official languages of South Africa spoken in Australia are Ndebele (1676), Zulu (652), Tswana (559), and Xhosa (152).[5]
People with South African ancestry as a percentage of the population in Sydney divided geographically by postal area, 2011
Immigration from South Africa to Australia, particularly by professionals, accelerated in the 1990s. More than half of the South African Australians arrived following the election of Nelson Mandela in 1994.[6] A behaviour stigmatised by white South Africans who remained in their homeland as "Packing for Perth" ("PFP") was also a humorous dig and reference to supporters of the Progressive Federal Party – a political party formed in 1977 that drew support mainly from liberal English-speaking white people.[7]
As per 2021 census, 60% of Australians who are born in South Africa, claimed English, Dutch, German and Scottish ancestry, while only 40% claimed "South African" as an ancestry.
The number of permanent settlers arriving in Australia from South Africa since 1991 (monthly)
^ abcCommunity profile 2021 abs.gov.au
^"Cultural Diversity: Census". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
^"South Africa-born Community Information Summary" (PDF). Australian Government. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
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Global Information
New South Wales
Queensland
Western Australia
Victoria
South Australia
