South Africa vs Upper middle income: Net migration
South Africa
146,370
in 2025
Upper middle income
576,949
in 2025
South Africa rank
9th
Upper middle income rank
9th
Net migration over time
- South Africa
- Upper middle income
How they compare
Upper middle income currently reports 576,949 against 146,370 in South Africa, a difference of 430,579.
That makes Upper middle income's figure about 3.9 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 9 times across 66 shared years of data; in 1960 it was South Africa ahead.
South Africa ranks 9th and Upper middle income ranks 9th of 217 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Upper middle income | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 68,955 | -177,362 | 246,317 | South Africa |
| 1970s | 46,061 | -688,274 | 734,335 | South Africa |
| 1980s | 264,458 | -482,947 | 747,405 | South Africa |
| 1990s | -52,295 | -1.95 million | 1.90 million | South Africa |
| 2000s | 15,644 | -1.67 million | 1.69 million | South Africa |
| 2010s | 165,719 | -99,965 | 265,685 | South Africa |
| 2020s | 267,166 | -1.04 million | 1.31 million | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher net migration, South Africa or Upper middle income?
- Upper middle income, at 576,949 against 146,370 in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in net migration between South Africa and Upper middle income?
- 430,579, with Upper middle income ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Upper middle income?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do South Africa and Upper middle income rank globally for net migration?
- South Africa ranks 9th and Upper middle income ranks 9th of 217 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division, published as Net migration. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Net migration is the net total of migrants during the period, that is, the number of immigrants minus the number of emigrants, including both citizens and noncitizens.