Behind the numbers, a story of movement, memory, and meaning on a restless continent.
When most people think of African migration, what typically comes to mind are the familiar, often tragic, images: overcrowded boats drifting across the Mediterranean, desperate journeys through the Sahara, refugee camps bursting at the seams. These snapshots — dramatic and emotive — dominate headlines and shape perceptions. However, they only tell part of the story.
Beneath the surface is a quieter, more complex narrative unfolding , one that isn’t captured by viral videos or dramatic rescue missions, but by cold, complex data. The latest 2024 figures from the World Bank offer a lens into Africa’s migration dynamics, mapping not just where people are going, but what they’re fleeing, and what they’re hoping to find. This isn’t merely about migration as a crisis; it’s about migration as a barometer of a nation’s strength, stability, and vision for the future.
The numbers paint a divided continent. Thirteen African countries experienced positive net migration last year, indicating that more people arrived than departed. In contrast, 41 countries saw more exits than entries.
These shifts are not random, they are deeply shaped by conflict, governance, opportunity, economic strain, and even climate pressure, resulting as a map of movement that reflects both where people are fleeing and where they still see a future worth fighting for.
Take Chad, for instance, a landlocked country often overshadowed in geopolitical conversations. In 2024, it recorded the highest net migration gain on the continent, with over 204,000 new arrivals.
Most of these are refugees fleeing the civil war in neighbouring Sudan, where over half a million people were forced to flee following the escalation of armed conflict. Chad, despite its own fragility, has become an unexpected shelter in the storm. It’s a reminder that even the most precarious states can become lifelines when regional crises erupt.
Furthermore, South Africa, long seen as the economic powerhouse of the continent, registered the second-highest net gain, with nearly 167,000 people arriving in 2024. Despite growing social tensions and economic challenges at home, it continues to act as a magnet, not just for its neighbours like Zimbabwe and Mozambique, but increasingly for migrants from across the continent seeking work, education, and a semblance of stability.
In contrast, Sudan topped the list of countries with negative net migration, losing more than 544,000 people in one year alone. The magnitude of this displacement mirrors the severity of the crisis gripping the country. But Sudan is not an outlier.
Uganda, Zimbabwe, Mali, and Nigeria — each facing their own blend of political upheaval, economic strain, and insecurity — also reported significant population losses. For some, this loss is measured in the number of labourers crossing borders. For others, it’s a slow leak of human capital: doctors, engineers, teachers — the very people needed to rebuild broken systems.
However, what is especially striking about Africa’s migration landscape in 2024 is the significant proportion of movement that’s intra-African. While Europe and North America remain destinations for many, the bulk of migration on the continent is happening within its own borders: from conflict zones to calmer neighbours, from rural hardship to urban opportunity, from stagnation to possibility.
This internal mobility is both a challenge and an opportunity. It strains infrastructure and public services in receiving countries, many of which are already under pressure. Yet, it also highlights the continent’s interconnectedness, a regional resilience born out of necessity and proximity.
Migration is often portrayed as a symptom of failure from the government’s inability to meet the needs of their people. But it can also be a sign of agency. People are not just running away; they are moving toward something. A better school for their children. A safer street. A job that pays. A border that feels more like a gateway than a wall.
So, where are Africans going, and why? what does the balance, or imbalance, of these movements say about the countries they leave behind, and the ones they move toward?
Who’s Gaining, Who’s Losing
Thirteen African countries recorded positive net migration in 2024. Chad, South Africa, and Egypt top the list. Others, like Ethiopia, Somalia, Côte d’Ivoire, and South Sudan, saw smaller but notable inflows. For many, these gains are less about prosperity and more about proximity to crisis.
Chad’s gain is almost entirely due to Sudan’s civil war, which has driven hundreds of thousands across the border. South Sudan and Ethiopia also benefited from regional spillover. Meanwhile, Côte d’Ivoire continues to act as a labour hub in West Africa, attracting migrants from neighbouring countries wracked by political instability or economic malaise.
However, migration inflows also reflect domestic realities. Egypt’s +123,884 net migration figure in 2024 is partly due to its role as a transit state for both sub-Saharan Africans and Middle Easterners. It also remains a centre of attraction for regional professionals and students, despite a worsening economic crisis.
At the other end of the spectrum, 41 African countries lost more people than they gained. Sudan’s outflow was the most dramatic, but others — including Uganda (-117,924), Zimbabwe (-60,528), Mali (-46,880), Morocco (-46,802), and Nigeria (-35,202) — also recorded sharp losses. These are countries either in conflict, economic turmoil, or transition, and sometimes all three at once.
In North Africa, Morocco and Algeria continue to see young people leaving in large numbers, often risking dangerous crossings to Europe due to lack of jobs, political disillusionment, and limited mobility. West African countries like Mali and Burkina Faso, reeling from coups and jihadist insurgencies, are also losing people rapidly.
Then there’s Nigeria; the continent’s demographic giant, where the “japa” wave of professional emigration continues to swell. The number might seem small relative to Nigeria’s size, but the profile of migrants who are mostly skilled, urban, and educated has outsized implications. The country isn’t just losing people; it’s losing capacity.
A Silent Exodus
Some of the most concerning migration losses are those happening under the radar — slow, consistent, and largely ignored. Countries like Burundi (-27,074), the Central African Republic (-15,357), and Eritrea (-12,696) are not in the headlines daily, but the steady outflow of their citizens speaks to long-standing governance failures, repression, or economic despair.
Even countries that were once seen as relatively stable, such as Kenya, Ghana, and Botswana, experienced net migration losses in 2024. This suggests that economic hardship, unemployment, and rising living costs are eroding national confidence. When people with options start to leave, it raises deeper questions about who is staying — and why.
Migration as Development Mirror
Net migration is not just a demographic metric. It is a development mirror reflecting the policies that work, the crises that linger, and the futures people believe in. A positive balance doesn’t always mean a country is thriving, just as a negative balance isn’t necessarily a death sentence. Overall, these figures reveal which states are perceived as navigable, livable, or at least survivable.
They also tell us who shoulders the cost of crises . Chad and South Sudan, with already overstretched services, now host tens of thousands of new residents. Countries like Egypt and Ethiopia must balance inflows with inflation and political tension, and in South Africa, the politics of migration — often laced with xenophobia — will only intensify ahead of elections.
The Way Forward: Beyond Borders
The African Union’s vision of free movement under Agenda 2063 still feels distant. Visa restrictions remain common. Labour mobility is constrained by bureaucracy, and regional economic blocs often struggle with inconsistent implementation.
Yet, the need for a continental framework is urgent. Migration, if well-managed, can be a driver of economic growth, cultural exchange, and social resilience. If poorly handled, it can deepen exclusion, stoke conflict, and fuel resentment.
The challenge for Africa is not to stop migration — that would be neither possible nor desirable. It is to understand it, govern it, and plan for it.
Migration is not just about people crossing borders. It’s about people crossing thresholds; of hope, of fear, of possibility. In 2024, millions of Africans made that crossing and in the paths they’ve taken, the continent’s future is being quietly redrawn.
References
Pope, A. (2024, January 15). Why migration is a model for sustainable development for all. World Economic Forum. Retrieved July 2, 2025, from World Economic Forum site https://www.weforum.org/stories/2024/01/migration-model-sustainable-development/
International Rescue Committee. (2025). Crisis in Sudan: What is happening and how to help. Retrieved July 2, 2025, from the International Rescue Committee website https://www.rescue.org/article/crisis-sudan-what-happening-and-how-help
International Organization for Migration (2024). Net migration data for African countries, 2024. https://worldmigrationreport.iom.int/what-we-do/world-migration-report-2024-chapter-3/africa
International Organization for Migration. (2020). Research on complex migratory flows in Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia: A comparative analysis. https://www.iom.int/files/live/sites/iom/files/Country/docs/Reseach-on-complex-migratory-flows-in-Egypt-Morocco-and-Tunisia.pdf
Ejechi, V. (2025, June 12). Beyond the data: Buhari era recorded Nigeria’s worst migration loss since 1999. TheCable. https://www.thecable.ng/beyond-the-data-buhari-era-recorded-nigerias-worst-migration-loss-since-1999/
Writer: Victor Ejechi
Editor: Beatrice Nwoko
Featured Art: Diaspora Africa
Editorial Oversight: Amaka Obioji, Chimee Adịọha