The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that Mozambique recorded at least 33,700 migration movements to South Africa in 2025, representing a 16% decline compared with the 40,000 movements monitored in 2024.
According to Lusa, the figures are contained in the latest report, Migration Along the Eastern and Southern Africa Route, in which the United Nations agency notes that Mozambique remains one of Southern Africa’s main migration corridors.
According to the report, more than half of the migration movements from Mozambique to South Africa involved men, who accounted for 56% of the total, while children represented 3%.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) also states that the migration flows were almost evenly split between Mozambican nationals, who accounted for 46%, and Malawian nationals, who represented 47%. Smaller numbers of migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Ethiopia were also identified, using Mozambique as a transit route to South Africa.
According to the organization, the main drivers of migration were short-term local movements, including temporary travel for personal or business reasons, which accounted for 86% of the monitored flows. Around 73% of the movements were linked to economic factors, such as employment, job seeking, poverty, debt or lack of livelihoods.
The report also indicates that 40% of migration movements were motivated by family-related reasons, while displacement caused by natural disasters accounted for just 1%.
In the opposite direction, Mozambique recorded at least 24,300 inbound migration movements in 2025, the majority involving men, who represented 68% of the total. These flows originated mainly from Malawi (46%) and South Africa (42%) and were primarily associated with temporary travel, family reunification and seasonal migration.
The IOM further reports that 54% of the tracked flows into Mozambique involved Mozambican nationals, followed by Malawian nationals (28%) and South African nationals (16%). Smaller shares were recorded for citizens of Zambia and Zimbabwe, both accounting for 1%.
Among the main challenges identified along migration routes into Mozambique, the organization highlights the deportation of undocumented migrants, particularly young adults returning from South Africa. This situation increased protection risks, especially at border crossings such as Ressano Garcia, where some migrants arrived without sufficient resources to continue their journey.
The IOM notes that these cases created immediate needs for shelter, food and basic assistance for migrants stranded in border areas. In response, the UN agency says it coordinated with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Government of Mozambique to reunite 163 unaccompanied Mozambican children who had been in Zimbabwe with their families.
The figures were released after the National Migration Service (SENAMI) announced in June that migration movements in Mozambique increased by 18% during the first five months of 2026, reaching more than 2.4 million travellers. During the same period, the number of repatriated citizens rose by 53.4% to 698.
Source: Diário Económico
