Migration and moving home: Findings from the GCRO's Quality of Life survey 7 (2023/24)

This Data Brief presents results from the GCRO's Quality of Life 7 survey (2023/24) on variables that relate to migration and moving home in Gauteng.

HEADLINE FINDINGS

• Of the 13 795 respondents interviewed in the Quality of Life Survey 7 (2023/24) (all of whom are adults), 45% were born outside of Gauteng (Figure 1).
• Over one third of all respondents (36%) were born elsewhere in South Africa and moved to Gauteng at some point in their lives. The single largest proportion of migrants was born in Limpopo province (11%) (Figure 2).
• Ten percent of Gauteng’s adult residents were born in countries outside South Africa (Figure 1).
• Most migrants from other provinces or other countries have been living in the Gauteng province for more than a decade (Figure 3).
• Respondents that were born in other countries were more likely than those born in South Africa to own a business or to work in the informal economy (Figure 5).
• When asked whether they would migrate tomorrow if they could, 70% of Gauteng residents said that they would not leave the province, 17% said they would move to another province in South Africa, and 12% said they would move to another country (Figure 9). The desire to migrate increases with household income and decreases with age. Migrants were more likely to say that they would like to move, presumably to return to their provinces and countries of origin in most cases.