New data shows Gauteng drawing households back in changing migration cycle

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New data highlights a more fluid cycle of internal migration, with Gauteng regaining appeal as households weigh affordability, job opportunities and access to essential services.

The Wise Move 2026 South African Migration Report, “Movement, Momentum, and Migration”, draws on insights from more than 30,000 anonymised household moves, offering a detailed view of how relocation patterns between provinces, cities and key corridors are evolving in response to changing economic conditions nationwide.

“At household level, every move is personal. But at national level, migration becomes a powerful economic signal,” says Chante Venter, co-founder and chief executive officer of Wise Move. “When you look at relocation at scale, it becomes a measurable record of how South African households adapt: Where opportunity is concentrating, where costs are rising, and how people respond to changing regional conditions.”

Move volumes rose year on year, while the overall structure stayed stable

Wise Move recorded a clear increase in completed moves between 2024 and 2025:

• 2024: 14,830 total moves analysed, 4,489 interprovincial moves (30.42%)
• 2025: 17,265 total moves analysed, 5,258 interprovincial moves (30.72%)

While the number of moves increased, the share of relocations happening across provincial borders remained consistent at about one-third of all moves recorded, indicating that South Africa’s overall mobility structure is stable, even as the direction of movement shifts between provinces.

Local moves still dominate

While certain interprovincial corridors are strengthening, the report shows that nearly seven out of every 10 relocations still occur within provincial borders, confirming that local relocation remains the backbone of South African household mobility.

However, activity is heavily concentrated in major economic centres, particularly Gauteng and the Western Cape.

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The biggest shift: Gauteng’s return pull strengthens

The most striking changes in 2025 happened on the corridors flowing into Gauteng. While overall completed moves grew by 16%, movement from the Western Cape to Gauteng jumped by 58.6%, and KwaZulu-Natal to Gauteng by 54.0%.

Taking platform growth into account, these two leading inbound corridors to Gauteng grew far beyond the platform average, by 42.6 and 38.0 percentage points respectively. Growth in the opposite direction remained stable, pointing to a stronger pull into Gauteng rather than a balanced two-way exchange.

What this means for consumers

Venter says the shift reflects households making more deliberate, economically driven decisions about where to live. In many cases, the trade-off is no longer lifestyle alone, but whether a location offers better access to work, lower cost pressure, and a stronger chance of maintaining or improving household stability.

Each move also activates a broader service economy: from moving and logistics providers to labour and regional demand, meaning mobility trends have knock-on effects for local businesses and employment.