South Africans in the United Kingdom


South Africans in the United Kingdom include citizens and residents of the United Kingdom with origins in South Africa.

Demographics

The 2001 UK census recorded 140,201 South African-born people living in the UK. According to the 2011 UK census, 186,355 South African-born people were resident in England, 4,668 in Wales, 10,607 in Scotland and 1,847 in Northern Ireland. The Office for National Statistics estimates that, in 2019, 252,000 UK residents were born in South Africa.
Unlike the Republic of South Africa itself, the majority of the South African diaspora living in the United Kingdom are White South Africans. 84 per cent of South African-born residents of England and Wales at the time of the 2011 census identified as White, with 44 per cent identifying as White British. 6 per cent identified as Black, 5 per cent as Asian and 4 per cent as mixed ethnicity.
The majority of these people are concentrated in largely affluent areas of London, the anecdotal evidence being that many are business people working in the City of London. There is, for instance, a South African-born cluster in the Canary Wharf area. In fact, London has the second-largest number of South African expatriates in the Western world. University towns such as: Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh and Bristol also show significant clusters of South African-born students. Many young people with British family ties have come over the years to work in the UK, including the public services.

Notable South Africans in the United Kingdom

Individuals who have migrated from South Africa to the UK

South African born British people have contributed heavily in sports, especially in Commonwealth sports such as Cricket and Rugby. 17 South African born players have played for the England national cricket team and over a dozen have played for both the England and Scotland national Rugby Union teams collectively. They have also contributed heavily in television and to at least 10 Olympic medals.
NameOccupation
Alex BellScotland Footballer with 1 cap in 1912
Allan LambEngland Cricketer between 1982-1992
Andrew SurmanEngland U-21 Footballer with 4 caps and 1 goal between 2007-2008
Andrew StraussEngland Cricketer between 2003-2012
Antony SherBritish Actor
Basil D'OliveiraEngland Cricketer between 1966-1972
Beth TweddleBritish Gymnast, three time world champion and Olympic bronze medalist
Bill PerryEngland Footballer with 3 caps and 2 goals between 1955-1956
Brad BarrittEngland and British and Irish Lion Rugby Union Player with 26 appearances between 2012-2015
Bob HolnessBritish Quiz Show Host
Brian SteinEngland Footballer with 1 cap in 1984
Cameron NorrieBritish Tennis Player and former world number 66
Caspar LeeBritish Youtuber and Vlogger with 7.5 million+ subscribers
Chris SmithEngland Cricketer between 1983-1986
Colin ViljoenEngland Footballer with 2 caps in 1975
Craig KieswetterEngland Cricketer between 2010-2013
Doreen MantleBritish Actress
Elize du ToitBritish Actress
Frances Rivett-CarnacBritish sailor, Olympic gold medalist
Frank OsborneEngland Footballer with 4 caps and 3 goals between 1922-1926
Gordon HodgsonEngland Footballer with 3 caps and 1 goal between 1930-1931, 241 goals for Liverpool FC
Ian GreigEngland Cricketer in 1982
Jade DernbachEngland Cricketer between 2011-2014
Jason RoyEngland Cricketer from 2014
John HewieScotland Footballer with 19 caps and 2 goals between 1956-1960
Jonathan TrottEngland Cricketer between 2007-2015
J. R. R. TolkienBritish Author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and World War 1 veteran
Justin RoseEnglish Golfer, Major winner, Olympic champion and former world number one
Justine WaddellBritish Actress
Keaton JenningsEngland Cricketer from 2016
Keri-anne PayneBritish Swimmer, two time world champion and Olympic silver medalist
Kevin PietersenEngland Cricketer between 2004-2014
Kyle EdmundBritish Tennis Player and world number 14
Lillian BoardBritish middle distance runner and Olympic silver medalist
Mark ShuttleworthBritish Millionaire
Michael LumbEngland Cricketer between 2010-2014
Mike CattEngland Rugby Union player, 2003 World Cup winner
Matt PriorEngland Cricketer between 2004-2014
Neil BroadBritish tennis player, former British number one and Olympic silver medalist
Natalie StewardBritish swimmer, Olympic silver and bronze medalist
Nicky Hambleton-JonesBritish Television Presenter
Peter HainBritish Politician
Reg OsborneEngland Footballer with 1 cap in 1927
Robin SmithEngland Cricketer between 1988-1996
Ronald HarwoodBritish Playwright
Rupert ObholzerBritish rower and Olympic bronze medalist
Sid JamesBritish Actor
Stuart AbbottEngland Rugby Union player, 2003 World Cup winner
Stuart MeakerEngland Cricketer between 2011-2012
Teignmouth MelvillBritish polo player, Olympic gold medalist
Tom CurranEngland Cricketer from 2017
Tony GreigEngland Cricketer between 1972-1977
William RawsonEngland Footballer with 2 appearances between 1875-1877
Zola BuddBritish distance runner and Olympian

British people of South African ancestry