Pan-African
How migrant populations changed in seven African countries
In 2024, people counted as international migrants made up 4.1% of South Africa’s population and 3.6% of Rwanda’s. Kenya was at 1.8%, above its 1990 estimate of 1.3% and below its 2015 estimate of 2.4%.
Sources checked
The latest values compare international migrants as a share of each country’s population.
South Africa and Rwanda had the highest shares in this group
South Africa’s estimate was 5.6% in 2015 and 4.1% in 2024. Rwanda’s was 4.4% and 3.6%, respectively. Both shares fell over that period. A falling share can reflect a change in the migrant population, growth in the overall population or both. Source 1
The direction differed across countries
Egypt’s share rose from 0.5% in 2015 to 1.0% in 2024. Ethiopia moved from 0.8% to 0.9% across the same reference dates. Nigeria was at 0.6% in both years at the published precision. Morocco was at 0.3% in both. Source 1
A stock counts residents at a point in time
The indicator includes people who arrived in earlier years and continue to live in the destination country. A flow would count movements over a specified interval. To compare arrivals and departures within one year, use separate migration-flow records. Source 3
Population size changes the meaning of a share
The same percentage can represent very different numbers of people across countries. The underlying UN data also classify people by origin, which is needed to isolate migration within Africa. The chart includes all origins represented in the source. Source 3