{"id":97013,"date":"2026-04-09T13:06:53","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T13:06:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/reverse-immigration-south-africans-returning-home"},"modified":"2026-04-09T13:14:51","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T13:14:51","slug":"reverse-immigration-south-africans-returning-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/reverse-immigration-south-africans-returning-home","title":{"rendered":"Reverse Immigration: South Africans Returning Home"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #ff6600\"><strong>Africa-Press &#8211; South-Africa. <\/strong><\/span>A growing number of South Africans living abroad are reassessing whether staying overseas still makes sense, with early signs of a gradual return home.<\/p>\n<p>This is according to Sean Kelly from Parity Wealth Managers, who says the shift marks a change in how South Africans approach emigration.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s still around 900,000 South Africans living abroad in places like the UK, Australia and the US,\u201d Kelly said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut what\u2019s changing now is that far more people from that base are starting to reassess whether staying abroad still makes sense financially and from a lifestyle point of view.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><b>Cost of living drives decisions<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Kelly said the traditional model of leaving South Africa for better opportunities is evolving.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe new model often builds opportunity globally, but lives where life works better financially.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He said one of the biggest drivers behind the shift is purchasing power.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a lot cheaper to live in South Africa than some of these costly markets.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Kelly pointed to global price comparisons, noting that everyday expenses stretch further locally.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can afford better housing and more space in South Africa&#8230; your money effectively goes twice as far.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Healthcare is also a factor.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSouth Africa offers high-quality private medical care, and even with medical aid, it\u2019s often significantly more affordable than private healthcare in the UK or US.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><b>Lifestyle trade-offs abroad<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The lifestyle adjustment overseas is another key consideration.<\/p>\n<p>One example highlighted the stark difference in domestic support between Cape Town and Berlin, where families often move from daily help to only a few hours a week.<\/p>\n<p>Kelly said many South Africans only realise these trade-offs after leaving.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey realise how good they had it in South Africa.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><b>Who is coming back?<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The return trend is not limited to one group.<\/p>\n<p>Kelly said young professionals, families and retirees are all part of the shift.<\/p>\n<p>Young professionals are increasingly able to work remotely.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBetween 30% to 40% of professionals in developed markets now do some form of remote or hybrid work,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>This flexibility allows them to earn globally while living locally.<\/p>\n<p>For families, the cost of raising children is a major factor.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSchooling is 30% to 40% cheaper in South Africa than in places like the UK and New Zealand.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Retirees are also returning to maximise their savings.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019ve built up a nest egg in pounds or dollars, and they can enjoy a significantly higher standard of living here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><b>A gradual return, not a flood<\/b><\/p>\n<p>While the numbers are not yet overwhelming, Kelly said the direction is clear.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s not a mass return yet&#8230; but definitely a change in direction.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For many South Africans abroad, the decision is becoming increasingly practical.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo I stay in a high-cost environment, or do I move somewhere where my money works harder for me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p><b>Related articles<\/b><br \/>\n<b>Recruiters say South Africans abroad are quietly returning home, with foreign salaries in tow<\/b><\/p>\n<p>A growing number of expats are returning while working remotely for overseas employers, bringing skills and income back to South Africa.<\/p>\n<p><b>Local is lekker: South Africans abroad are flocking back home<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Data shows a notable influx of returnees, with lifestyle, family and schooling driving decisions to come back.<\/p>\n<p><b>Emigration is slowing, and expats are returning for the SA lifestyle<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Experts say more South Africans abroad are returning, citing lifestyle, climate and family ties as key reasons.<\/p>\n<p>F<\/p>\n<p><strong>For More News And Analysis About <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">South-Africa<\/span> Follow <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Africa-Press &#8211; South-Africa. A growing number of South Africans living abroad are reassessing whether staying overseas still makes sense, with early signs of a gradual return home. This is according to Sean Kelly from Parity Wealth Managers, who says the shift marks a change in how South Africans approach emigration. \u201cThere\u2019s still around 900,000 South [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":97012,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3,12],"tags":[275],"class_list":["post-97013","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-community","category-policy","tag-south-africa-2"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.1 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Reverse Immigration: South Africans Returning Home - South Africa<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A growing number of South Africans living abroad are reassessing whether staying overseas still makes sense, with early ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/reverse-immigration-south-africans-returning-home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Reverse Immigration: South Africans Returning Home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A growing number of South Africans living abroad are reassessing whether staying overseas still makes sense, with early ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/reverse-immigration-south-africans-returning-home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"South Africa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-09T13:06:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-09T13:14:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/sites\/31\/2026\/04\/sm_1775727815.747625.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/reverse-immigration-south-africans-returning-home#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/reverse-immigration-south-africans-returning-home\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Reverse Immigration: South Africans Returning Home\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-09T13:06:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-09T13:14:51+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/reverse-immigration-south-africans-returning-home\"},\"wordCount\":573,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/reverse-immigration-south-africans-returning-home#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/sites\/31\/2026\/04\/sm_1775727815.747625.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"South-Africa\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"community\",\"policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/reverse-immigration-south-africans-returning-home#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/reverse-immigration-south-africans-returning-home\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/reverse-immigration-south-africans-returning-home\",\"name\":\"Reverse Immigration: South Africans Returning Home - 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