Wise Move, South Africa’s leading tech-enabled moving platform, has released its inaugural 2025 Migration Report, offering new insight into the residential and economic mobility patterns shaping the country. The report is based on proprietary data from over 15,000 moves completed during 2024 via the Wise Move platform.
Chante Venter, co-founder & CEO at Wise Move, commented, “Behind every relocation lies a wider economic ripple that reaches far beyond the four walls of a new house. Each new resident influences property markets, local businesses, and even infrastructure development. In many ways, these moves offer a window into broader trends: Where are jobs emerging? Which areas are gaining popularity, and why? How are neighbourhoods adapting to meet the needs of new arrivals?”
She continues, “We wanted to understand how these movements influence not just where people live, but how they shape communities, drive growth, and create new opportunities. The 2025 Wise Move Migration Report sets out to explore the patterns behind the moves and discover what they reveal about South Africa’s shifting economic landscape.”
Key insights from the 2025 Migration Report:
- While Gauteng saw a high volume of internal migration, it faced the largest net loss of residents (-20.1%) for 2024. In contrast, the Western Cape emerged as the biggest winner in inter-provincial migration. With 32.4% of all inter-provincial moves headed to the Cape, it has also retained its talent — contributing only 15.1% to out-migration to a different province.
- As expected, there’s a constant flow of people between Gauteng and the Western Cape. In total, people moving from Johannesburg and Pretoria to the Western Cape accounted for a combined 48% of all inter-provincial moves. On the other hand, people are also relocating from Cape Town back to Gauteng’s key hubs and many to Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape — these routes account for 25% of out-migration in the Western Cape.
- 48.6% of all moves occurred between metro areas, underlining South Africa’s continued urbanisation.
- 12.9% of moves were from metros to smaller towns, confirming the continued trend of “semi-gration.
- The Eastern Cape experienced the third-highest volume of outbound migration, with a net loss of 521 moves.
- 3-bedroom houses were among the most moved-into properties, particularly in Gauteng and Western Cape metros.
- Moving costs increased by up to 99% for large homes when distance was factored in, a significant expense driver.
The report also highlights increased demand for digital relocation services, with Saturdays emerging as the most popular moving day.
Wise Move’s platform connects customers with vetted movers nationwide, streamlining the relocation process through automated quoting, service matching, and route optimisation.
The 2025 Migration Report offers critical insight for property developers, estate agents, economists, and government planners looking to understand the shifting dynamics of internal migration in South Africa.
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Our platform is designed to change the way movers access jobs, opening doors to work that is convenient for your delivery routes and that matches your capabilities. Every job you take on Wise Move will help you build your reputation through user reviews that spread the word about your good work, helping you become an established professional in your field. Discover a new standard of customer with our revolutionary online platform.
DOWNLOAD THE FULL REPORT HERE: https://www.wisemove.co.za/migration-report-2025
