The number of South African refugees landing in the United States increased by 2,610% in less than a year

The latest refugee resettlement data from the United States revealed a rapid increase in the number of South Africans taking up the offer.

The refugee resettlement programme for Afrikaners and other minorities in South Africa who are victims of unjust racial discrimination was launched last year.

Within the first month of the programme’s launch, the U.S. State Department said it had received over 8,000 initial inquiries.

The first group of Afrikaner refugees arrived at Dulles International Airport on 12 May 2025. Since then, the programme has accelerated.

The latest report on refugee resettlement for the 2026 fiscal year, from 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2026, revealed this acceleration.

It showed that in November 2025, 122 South African refugees arrived in the United States. This increased to 595 in December 2025 and 931 in January 2026.

It jumped to 1,507 in February 2026 and stayed at that level for the next few months, except in May 2026, when it dropped to 599.

In July 2026, the number of South African refugees resettling in the United States jumped to 2,528. The next month, it increased to 2,646.

The largest monthly total on record was in September 2026, when the number of South Africans arriving in the United States through the refugee programme reached 3,388.

The report further showed that over the last financial year, 16,289 South African refugees arrived in the United States.

Apart from 3 refugees from Afghanistan who arrived in November 2025, all the others who resettled were from South Africa.

Simply put, all refugees to the United States in 2026 came from South Africa. There was no other nationality.

The chart below shows the number of South African refugees who arrived in the United States over the last year.