Japan vs South Africa: Net migration

Japan

140,579

in 2025

South Africa

146,370

in 2025

Japan rank

10th

South Africa rank

9th

Net migration over time

Japan
South Africa

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 146,370 against 140,579 in Japan, a difference of 5,791.

The two have swapped places 8 times across 66 shared years of data; in 1960 it was South Africa ahead.

Globally, Japan ranks 10th and South Africa ranks 9th of 215 countries.

Individual pages

Net migration in Japan
Net migration in South Africa
Full country ranking

About this data

Indicator: Net migration
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 264 places, 17,424 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed: 06 August 2026

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.