White South Africans


White South Africans are South Africans of European descent. In linguistic, cultural, and historical terms, they are generally divided into the Afrikaans-speaking descendants of the Dutch East India Company's original colonists, known as Afrikaners, and the Anglophone descendants of predominantly British colonists of South Africa. White South Africans are by far the largest population of White Africans. White was a legally defined racial classification during apartheid.
White settlement in South Africa began with Dutch colonisation in 1652, followed by British colonisation in the 19th century, which led to tensions and further expansion inland by Boer settlers. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, waves of immigrants from Europe and continued to grow the white population, which peaked in the mid-1990s. Under apartheid, strict racial classifications enforced a legal and economic order that privileged the white minority. Post-apartheid reforms such as Black Economic Empowerment had the goal of redistributing business opportunities and market access to previously disadvantaged groups, prompting reports of newfound economic vulnerability among some white South Africans as material advantages and disadvantages were beginning to be brought to light. Since the 1990s, a large number of white South Africans have emigrated, due to concerns over crime and employment prospects, with a number returning in subsequent years. The white population in South Africa peaked between 1989 and 1995 at around 5.2 to 5.6 million due to high birth rates and immigration, then declined until the mid-2000s before experiencing a modest increase from 2006 to 2013.
As of the 2022 census, white South Africans make up 7.3% of the population, predominantly speak Afrikaans or English, mostly identify as Christian, and are unevenly distributed with the highest concentrations in Western Cape and Gauteng provinces. Former South African leaders have made controversial statements about Afrikaners’ identity and race relations, while apartheid enforced white minority rule and granted “honorary white” status to certain Asian immigrants and some African Americans. In South Africa, the legacy of apartheid continues to shape racial and economic dynamics.
The majority of Afrikaans-speaking and English-speaking White South Africans trace their ancestry to the 17th and 18th-century Dutch colonists or the [1820 Settlers|1820 British colonists]. Other colonists included Huguenots who emigrated from France, and Walloons who emigrated from present-day Belgium. The remainder of the White South African population consists of later immigrants from Lebanon, and Europe such as Greeks and Norwegians. Portuguese immigrants arrived after the collapse of the Portuguese colonial administrations in Angola and Mozambique, although many also originate from Madeira.

History

Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias was the first European to explore Southern Africa in 1488.
The history of white settlement in South Africa started in 1652 with the settlement of the Cape of Good Hope by the Dutch East India Company under Jan van Riebeeck. Despite the preponderance of officials and colonists from the Netherlands, there were also a number of French Huguenots fleeing religious persecution at home and German soldiers or sailors returning from service in Asia. The Cape Colony remained under Dutch rule for two more centuries, after which it was annexed by the United Kingdom around 1806. At that time, South Africa was home to about 26,000 people of European ancestry, a relative majority of whom were still of Dutch origin. However, the Dutch settlers grew into conflict with the British government over the abolition of the Cape Colony slave trade and limits on colonial expansion into African lands. In order to prevent a frontier war, the British Parliament decided to send British settlers to start farms on the eastern frontier. Beginning in 1818 thousands of British settlers arrived in the growing Cape Colony, intending to join the local workforce or settle directly on the frontier. Ironically most of the farms failed due to the difficult terrain, forcing the British settlers to encroach on African land in order to practise pastoralism. About a fifth of the Cape's original Dutch-speaking white population migrated eastwards during the Great Trek in the 1830s and established their own autonomous Boer republics further inland. Nevertheless, the population of white ancestry continued increasing in the Cape as a result of settlement, and by 1865 had reached 181,592 people. Between 1880 and 1910, there was an influx of Jews and immigrants from Lebanon and Syria arriving in South Africa. Recent immigrants from the Levant region of Western Asia were originally classified as Asian, and thus "non-white", but, in order to have the right to purchase land, they successfully argued that they were "white". The main reason being that they were Caucasian and from the lands in which Christianity and Judaism originated, and that the race laws did not target Jews, who were also a Semitic people. Therefore, arguing that if the laws targeted other people from the Levant, it should also affect the Jews.
The first nationwide census in South Africa was held in 1911 and indicated a white population of 1,276,242. By 1936, there were an estimated 2,003,857 white South Africans, and by 1946 the number had reached 2,372,690. The country began receiving tens of thousands of European immigrants, namely from Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Greece, and the territories of the Portuguese Empire during the mid- to late twentieth century. South Africa's white population increased to over 3,408,000 by 1965, reached 4,050,000 in 1973, and peaked at 5,244,000 in 1994–95.
The number of white South Africans resident in their home country began gradually declining between 1990 and the mid-2000s as a result of increased emigration.

Apartheid era

Under the Population Registration Act of 1950, each inhabitant of South Africa was classified into one of several different race groups, of which White was one. The Office for Race Classification defined a white person as one who "in appearance obviously is, or who is generally accepted as a white person, but does not include a person who, although in appearance obviously a white person, is generally accepted as a coloured person." Many criteria, both physical and social were used when the board decided to classify someone as white or coloured. The Act was repealed on 17 June 1991.

Post-apartheid era

Black Economic Empowerment legislation further empowers blacks as the government considers ownership, employment, training and social responsibility initiatives, which empower black South Africans, as important criteria when awarding tenders; private enterprises also must adhere to this legislation. Some reports indicate a growing number of whites in poverty compared to the pre-apartheid years and attribute this to such laws – a 2006 article in The Guardian stated that over 350,000 Afrikaners may be classified as poor, and alluded to research claiming that up to 150,000 were struggling for survival.
As a consequence of Apartheid policies, Whites are still widely regarded as being one of 4 defined race groups in South Africa. These groups still tend to have strong racial identities, and to identify themselves, and others, as members of these race groups and the classification continues to persist in government policy due to attempts at redress like Black Economic Empowerment and Employment Equity.

Diaspora and emigration

Since the 1990s, there has been a significant emigration of whites from South Africa. Between 1995 and 2005, more than one million South Africans emigrated, citing violence as the main reason, as well as the lack of employment opportunities for whites.

Current trends

In recent decades, there has been a steady proportional decline in South Africa's white community, due to higher birthrates among other South African ethnic groups, as well as a high rate of emigration. In 1977, there were 4.3 million whites, constituting 16.4% of the population at the time. As of 2008, it was estimated that at least 800,000 white South Africans had emigrated since 1995.
Like many other communities strongly affiliated with the West and Europe's colonial legacy in Africa, white South Africans were in the past often economically better off than their black African neighbours and have surrendered political dominance to majority rule. There were also some white Africans in South Africa who lived in poverty—especially during the 1930s and increasingly since the end of minority rule. Current estimates of white poverty in South Africa run as high as 12%, though fact-checking website Africa Check described these figures as "grossly inflated" and suggested that a more accurate estimate was that "only a tiny fraction of the white population – as few as 7,754 households – are affected."
The new phenomenon of white poverty is mostly blamed on the government's affirmative action employment legislation, which reserves 80% of new jobs for black people and favours companies owned by black people. In 2010, Reuters stated that 450,000 whites live below the poverty line according to Solidarity and civil organisations, with some research saying that up to 150,000 are struggling for survival. However, the proportion of white South Africans living in poverty is still much lower than for other groups in the country, since approximately 50% of the general population fall below the upper-bound poverty line.
A further concern has been crime. Some white South Africans living in affluent white suburbs, such as Sandton, have been affected by the 2008 13.5% rise in house robberies and associated crime. In a study, Johan Burger, senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies, said that criminals were specifically targeting wealthier suburbs. Burger explained that several affluent suburbs are surrounded by poorer residential areas and that inhabitants in the latter often target inhabitants in the former. The report also found that residents in wealthy suburbs in Gauteng were not only at more risk of being targeted but also faced an inflated chance of being murdered during the robbery.
The 2008 financial crisis slowed the high rates of white people emigrating overseas and has led to increasing numbers of white emigrants returning to live in South Africa. Charles Luyckx, CEO of Elliot International and a board member of the Professional Movers Association, stated in December 2008 that emigration numbers had dropped by 10% in the six months prior. Meanwhile, "people imports" had increased by 50%.
In May 2014, Homecoming Revolution estimated that around 340,000 white South Africans had returned to South Africa in the preceding decade.
Furthermore, immigration from Europe has also supplemented the white population. The 2011 census found that 63,479 white people living in South Africa were born in Europe; of these, 28,653 had moved to South Africa since 2001.
At the end of apartheid in 1994, 85% of South Africa's arable land was owned by whites. The land reform program introduced after the end of apartheid intended that, within 20 years, 30% of white-owned commercial farm land should be transferred to black owners. Thus, in 2011, the farmers' association, Agri South Africa, coordinated efforts to resettle farmers throughout the African continent. The initiative offered millions of hectares from 22 African countries that hoped to spur development of efficient commercial farming. The 30 percent target was not close to being met by the 2014 deadline. According to a 2017 government audit, 72% of the nation's private farmland is owned by white people. In February 2018, the Parliament of South Africa passed a motion to review the property ownership clause of the constitution, to allow for the expropriation of land, in the public interest, without compensation, which was supported within South Africa's ruling African National Congress on the grounds that the land was originally seized by whites without just compensation. In August 2018, the South African government began the process of taking two white-owned farmlands. Western Cape ANC secretary Faiez Jacobs referred to the property clause amendment as a "stick" to force dialogue about the transfer of land ownership, with the hope of accomplishing the transfer "in a way that is orderly and doesn't create a 'them' and 'us' ."
In 2025, 59 white South Africans arrived in the United States after U.S. president Donald Trump granted them refugee status.

Demographics

According to the 2022 South African census, white South Africans make 7.3% of South Africa's population. The province with the highest percentage of white population is Western Cape at 16.4%, while the white population is below 5% in Limpopo, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal and North West.
The Statistics South Africa Census 2011 showed that there were about 4,586,838 white people in South Africa, amounting to 8.9% of the country's population. This was a 6.8% increase since the 2001 census. According to the Census 2011, Afrikaans was the first language of 61% of White South Africans, while English was the first language of 36%. The majority of white South Africans identify themselves as primarily South African, regardless of their first language or ancestry.

Religion

Approximately 87% of white South Africans are Christian, 9% are irreligious, and 1% are Jewish. The largest Christian denomination is the Dutch Reformed Church, with 23% of the white population being members. Other significant denominations are the Methodist Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Anglican Church.

Migrations

Meanwhile, many white South Africans have also emigrated to Western countries over the past two decades, mainly to English-speaking countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. However, the 2008 financial crisis slowed the rate of emigration and in May 2014, the Homecoming Revolution estimated that around 340,000 white South Africans had returned in the preceding decade.

Distribution

According to Statistics South Africa, white South Africans comprised 7.7% of the total population of South Africa in 2022. Their proportional share in municipalities may be higher than census figures indicate, given an undercount in the 2001 census.
The following table shows the distribution of white people by province, according to the 2011 census:
ProvinceWhite pop. White pop. White pop. % province % province % province change 2001–2011change 2011–2022% total whites % total whites
Eastern Cape305,837310,450403,0614.94.75.6-0.2 +0.9 6.88.9
Free State238,789239,026235,9158.88.78.0-0.1 -0.7 5.25.2
Gauteng1,768,0411,913,8841,509,80018.815.610.0-3.2 -5.6 41.733.5
KwaZulu-Natal482,115428,842513,3775.04.24.1-0.8 -0.1 9.311.4
Limpopo132,420139,359167,5242.72.62.5-0.1 -0.1 3.03.7
Mpumalanga197,079303,595185,7315.97.53.6+1.6 -3.9 6.64.1
North West233,935255,385171,8877.87.34.5-0.5 -2.8 5.63.8
Northern Cape102,51981,24699,15010.37.17.3-3.2 +0.2 1.82.2
Western Cape832,902915,0531,217,80718.415.716.0-2.7 +0.3 19.927.0
Total4,293,6404,586,8384,504,2529.68.97.3-0.7 -1.6 100.0100.0

2022 census accuracy controversy

After the publication of the 2022 census results, it was reported that the undercount rate was 31%. The high undercount rate was reported as an issue of concern as it raised questions about the accuracy of the number of white, Indian, foreign-born and homeless people recorded in the census.

Politics

Former South African President Jacob Zuma commented in 2009 on Afrikaners being "the only white tribe in a black continent or outside of Europe which is truly African", and said that "of all the white groups that are in South Africa, it is only the Afrikaners that are truly South Africans in the true sense of the word." These remarks have led to the Centre for Constitutional Rights laying a complaint with the Human Rights Commission against Zuma. According to the CCR's spokesman, Zuma's remarks constituted "unfair discrimination against non-Afrikaans-speaking, white South Africans....."
In 2015, a complaint was investigated for hate speech against Jacob Zuma who said "You must remember that a man called Jan van Riebeeck arrived here on 6 April 1652, and that was the start of the trouble in this country."
Former South African President Thabo Mbeki stated in one of his speeches to the nation that: "South Africa belongs to everyone who lives in it. Black and White."
Prior to 1994, a white minority held complete political power under a system of racial segregation called apartheid. During apartheid, immigrants from Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan were considered honorary whites in the country, as the government had maintained diplomatic relations with these countries. These were granted the same privileges as white people, at least for purposes of residence. Some African Americans such as Max Yergan were granted an "honorary white" status as well.

Statistics

Historical population

Statistics for the white population in South Africa vary greatly. Most sources show that the white population peaked in the period between 1989 and 1995 at around 5.2 to 5.6 million. Up to that point, the white population largely increased due to high birth rates and immigration. Subsequently, between the mid-1990s and the mid-2000s, the white population decreased overall. However, from 2006 to 2013, the white population increased.
YearWhite population% of total populationSource
17011,265–Cape Colony
179514,292-Cape Colony
19041,116,80521.6%1904 Census
19111,270,000 22.7% 1911 Census
19603,088,492 19.3% 1960 Census
19613,117,000 19.1% Stats SA: Mid-year population estimates, 1961
19623,170,000 19.0% Stats SA: Mid-year population estimates, 1962
19633,238,000 19.0% Stats SA: Mid-year population estimates, 1963
19643,323,000 19.0% Stats SA: Mid-year population estimates, 1964
19653,398,000 19.0% Stats SA: Mid-year population estimates, 1965
19663,481,000 19.0% Stats SA: Mid-year population estimates, 1966
19673,563,000 19.0% Stats SA: Mid-year population estimates, 1967
19683,639,000 19.0% Stats SA: Mid-year population estimates, 1968
19693,728,000 19.0% Stats SA: Mid-year population estimates, 1969
19703,792,848 17.1% 1970 Census
19713,920,000 17.0% Stats SA: Mid-year population estimates, 1971
19724,005,000 16.9% Stats SA: Mid-year population estimates, 1972
19734,082,000 16.8% Stats SA: Mid-year population estimates, 1973
19744,160,000 16.7% Stats SA: Mid-year population estimates, 1974
19754,256,000 16.8% Stats SA: Mid-year population estimates, 1975
19764,337,000 18.2% Stats SA: Mid-year population estimates, 1976
19774,396,000 17.9% Stats SA: Mid-year population estimates, 1977
19784,442,000 18.5% Stats SA: Mid-year population estimates, 1978
19794,485,000 18.4% Stats SA: Mid-year population estimates, 1979
19804,522,000 18.1% 1980 Census
19814,603,000 18.0% Stats SA: Mid-year population estimates, 1981
19824,674,000 18.3% Stats SA: Mid-year population estimates, 1982
19834,748,000 18.2% Stats SA: Mid-year population estimates, 1983
19844,809,000 17.7% Stats SA: Mid-year population estimates, 1984
19854,867,000 17.5% 1985 Census
19864,900,000 17.3% Stats SA: Mid-year population estimates, 1986
19915,068,300 13.4% 1991 Census
19925,121,000 13.2% Stats SA: Mid-year population estimates, 1992
19935,156,000 13.0% Stats SA: Mid-year population estimates, 1993
19945,191,000 12.8% Stats SA: Mid-year population estimates, 1994
19955,224,000 12.7% Stats SA: Mid-year population estimates, 1995
19964,434,697 10.9% South African National Census of 1996
19974,462,200 10.8% Stats SA: Mid-year population estimates, 1997
19984,500,400 10.7% Stats SA: Mid-year population estimates, 1998
19994,538,727 10.5% Stats SA: Mid-year population estimates, 1999
20004,521,664 10.4% Stats SA: Mid-year population estimates, 2000
20014,293,640 9.6% South African National Census of 2001
20024,555,289 10.0% Stats SA: Mid-year population estimates, 2002
20034,244,346 9.1% Stats SA: Mid-year population estimates, 2003
20044,434,294 9.5% Stats SA: Mid-year population estimates, 2004
20054,379,800 9.3% Stats SA: Mid-year population estimates, 2005
20064,365,300 9.2% Stats SA: Mid-year population estimates, 2006
20074,352,100 9.1% Stats SA: Mid-year population estimates, 2007
20084,499,200 9.2% Stats SA: Mid-year population estimates, 2008
20094,472,100 9.1% Stats SA: Mid-year population estimates, 2009
20104,584,700 9.2% Stats SA: Mid-year population estimates, 2010
20114,586,838 8.9% South African National Census of 2011
20134,602,400 8.7% Stats SA: Mid-year population estimates, 2013
20144,554,800 8.4% Stats SA: Mid-year population estimates, 2014
20154,534,000 8.3% Stats SA: Mid-year population estimates, 2015
20164,515,800 8.1% Stats SA: Mid-year population estimates, 2016
20174,493,500 8.0% Stats SA: Mid-year population estimates, 2017
20184,520,100 7.8% Stats SA: Mid-year population estimates, 2018
20194,652,006 7.9% Stats SA:
20204,679,770 7.8% Stats SA:
20214,662,459 7.8% Stats SA:
20224,639,268 7.7% Stats SA:
20234,504,349 7.3% South African National Census of 2022
20244,539,212 7.2% Stats SA: Mid-year population estimates, 2024

Fertility rates

Contraception among white South Africans is stable or slightly falling: 80% used contraception in 1990, and 79% used it in 1998.
YearTotal fertility rateSource
19603.5 SARPN
19703.1 SARPN
19802.4 SARPN
19891.9 UN.org
19902.1 SARPN
19961.9 SARPN
19981.9 SARPN
20011.8 hst.org.za
20061.8 hst.org.za
20111.7 Census 2011

Life expectancy

The average life expectancy at birth for males and females
YearAverage life expectancyMale life expectancyFemale life expectancy
198070.366.873.8
198571??
199773.57077
200971??

Income

Average annual household income by population group of the household head.
Population groupAverage income Average income Average income
WhiteR 444 446 R 365 134 R 193 820
Indian/AsianR 271 621 R 251 541 R 102 606
ColouredR 172 765 R 112 172 R 51 440
AfricanR 92 983 R 60 613 R 22 522
TotalR 138 168 R 103 204 R 48 385

Discrimination

Democratic Alliance MP Gwen Ngwenya states that racism aimed at white people in South Africa is often overlooked compared to racism aimed at black people, noting that racism aimed at white people elicits little reaction from the populace.
In 2001, former South African president Nelson Mandela criticized the growing racial intolerance of black South Africans in their attitudes toward South Africans of other racial groups.
After a black person was allegedly killed by two white people, businesses and properties owned by white people and other minorities in Coligny were targeted for destruction by members of the black community.
According to Sharlene Swartz, a research specialist of the Human Sciences Research Council, discourses expressing violent resentment towards white populations in South Africa are widespread, citing as an example student protests during which the inscription "Fuck White People" appeared on t-shirts and walls.

Health

6% of white South Africans have HIV.

Notable White South Africans

Science and technology

Military

Royalty and aristocracy

Arts and media

Business

Politics

Sport

Other