South African Australians

South African Australians
Suid-Afrikaanse Australiërs
Total population
	144,666 (by ancestry, 2021); (0.6% of the Australian population); 214,790 (by birth, 2022)
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, and other Languages of South Africa
Religion
	Majority: Reformed Christianity; Minority: Anglicanism, other Protestantism, Catholicism, and Judaism
Related ethnic groups
	Afrikaners; Zulu; White South African;

South African Australians (Afrikaans: Suid-Afrikaanse Australiërs) are citizens or residents of Australia who are of South African descent.

Quick facts Suid-Afrikaanse Australiërs, Total population ...

More information Year, Pop. ...

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".^[7]

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.^[8] 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.^[9] 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.

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Year	Pop.	±%
1996	61,810	—
2001	86,820	+40.5%
2006	119,490	+37.6%
2011	161,590	+35.2%
2016	180,480	+11.7%
2020	200,240	+10.9%
2022	206,730	+3.2%
2023	214,790	+3.9%
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6]

South African Australians

Notable people

See also

References

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