African workers fear job competition from immigrants, survey reveals
Economic hardship drives continental shift toward restrictive immigration policies.
That tension, between personal tolerance and political resistance, sits at the heart of a sweeping new survey of nearly 51,000 people across 38 African countries, conducted by Afrobarometer, a pan-African nonpartisan research network, during 2024 and 2025. The findings land at a moment of acute strain on the continent, particularly in South Africa, where anti-immigrant violence has intensified this year and fractured relations with Nigeria and Ghana.
The numbers tell two stories at once. When Africans are asked about their neighbors, they are broadly welcoming: 87% say they would accept someone of a different ethnicity living nearby, 84% a different religion, 81% a different political party, and 77% a different nationality. Tolerance dips to 69% when the neighbor in question is a refugee. But shift the question from personal comfort to government policy, and the numbers move sharply. About 64% of respondents believe their governments should reduce the number of foreign job seekers admitted, or ban them entirely. For refugees, that figure rises to 70%. Only 15% favored letting in more foreign workers.
What drives the gap? Economic pessimism, above all else.
Just 45% of those surveyed believe immigrants contribute positively to their national economies, while 44% see a negative impact. The regional breakdown is stark. In West Africa, 55% of citizens view immigrants as economically beneficial, the only region where a majority holds that view. East Africa registers 47%, Southern Africa 39%, Central Africa 36%, and North Africa just 23%. Country-level disparities cut even deeper. Citizens of Ivory Coast (69%), São Tomé and Príncipe (68%), Cabo Verde (65%), and Benin (64%) are most likely to see foreign nationals as economic contributors. In South Africa, only 17% hold that view, compared to 21% in Morocco and 23% each in Gabon and Mauritania.
Afrobarometer found that demographic factors, including gender, age, education, urban or rural residence, and employment status, show little variation in negative attitudes across the continent. The clearest predictor is lived poverty. People experiencing high levels of material hardship are significantly more likely to view immigrants as an economic drag than those who are better off, suggesting that insecurity, not identity, is the primary engine of opposition.
Meanwhile, the political consequences of that insecurity are playing out in real time. Anti-immigrant violence in South Africa has escalated sharply this year, prompting Nigeria’s parliament to suspend official visits to the country and order legislators to boycott South African-hosted legislative activities. In July, the African Union’s executive council declined to place violence against African migrants in South Africa on the agenda of the bloc’s October summit. The South African government has stated it condemns all forms of xenophobia while committing to crack down on illegal immigration.
A separate migration statistics report released earlier this year offered a counterpoint to the public mood. South Africa’s migrant population generated household income of R433 billion in the 2022/23 financial year, largely through salaries. Nonmigrant households recorded total income of R2.486 trillion over the same period, figures that together underscore the scale of foreign nationals’ economic footprint in the country.
The survey also documented a decade-long erosion in tolerance. Since the 2021/2023 round of polling, acceptance of immigrants, as well as of people of different ethnicities, religions, political affiliations, and homosexuals, has fallen by 2 to 3 percentage points, reaching the lowest levels Afrobarometer has recorded in ten years. The trend mirrors patterns elsewhere. Rising antimigrant sentiment has reshaped politics across the globe, most recently in Germany, where the Alternative for Germany party won an election earlier this month.
Whether economic conditions improve or worsen in the years ahead may determine whether those numbers stabilize, or keep falling.
Q&A
What is the primary factor driving African opposition to immigration policy?
Economic pessimism and lived poverty. People experiencing high levels of material hardship are significantly more likely to view immigrants as an economic drag, suggesting insecurity rather than identity is the primary engine of opposition.
How do personal attitudes toward immigrants differ from policy preferences?
Africans show broad personal tolerance: 87% would accept neighbors of different nationalities. However, when asked about government policy, 64% believe governments should reduce foreign job seekers or ban them entirely, and only 15% favor admitting more foreign workers.
Which African regions show the most and least support for immigrants as economic contributors?
West Africa shows the highest support at 55%, the only region where a majority holds that view. North Africa shows the lowest at 23%, with Southern Africa at 39% and Central Africa at 36%.
What does the migration statistics report reveal about South Africa's migrant population?
South Africa's migrant population generated household income of R433 billion in the 2022-23 financial year, largely through salaries, demonstrating a significant economic footprint despite public skepticism about immigrant contributions.