Suid-Afrikaanse Australiërs | |
|---|---|
  | |
 | |
| Total population | |
| 144,666 (by ancestry,2021)[1] (0.6% of theAustralian population)[1] 214,790 (by birth, 2022)[2] | |
| 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 otherLanguages of South Africa | |
| Religion | |
| Majority:Reformed Christianity Minority:Anglicanism, otherProtestantism,Catholicism, andJudaism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| 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 (Afrikaans:Suid-Afrikaanse Australiërs) are citizens or residents of Australia who are of South African descent.
According to the2021 Australian census, 189,207 Australian residents were born inSouth 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 ofNelson Mandela in 1994.[8] A behaviour stigmatised bywhite South Africans who remained in their homeland as "Packing forPerth" ("PFP") was also a humorous dig and reference to supporters of theProgressive 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 inSouth Africa, claimedEnglish,Dutch,German andScottish ancestry, while only 40% claimed "South African" as an ancestry.
