Zimbabwean diaspora

Zimbabwean Australian rugby player, David Pocock

Zimbabweans form a significant community in Australia with their numbers having grown to over 34,787 Zimbabwe-born as of 2018. When including their Australian and foreign born members, the government estimates at least 60,000 people being equally divided between black and white Zimbabweans[24][25] The community is now well established, with some of the highest incomes in the country,[26] as well as with community institutions such as Zimbabwean language schools.[27] One in three of Australia's Shona and Ndebele-speakers live in Sydney with other concentrations of Zimbabweans in Perth, Melbourne and Queensland. Indeed, some 78 per cent of Zimbabwean Aussie adults hold a tertiary degree, making them the best educated group in the country[24][28][29]

Along with their fellow South African immigrants, the Zimbabwean Australian community has become something of an invisible model minority in Australia, in part because they are represented as having a high degree of integration within the Australian society as well as economic and academic success.[22] Furthermore, Zimbabweans in Australia on average have a high level of education attainment, as well as higher than average incomes, which can be partially attributed to Zimbabwe's high education rates as well as the growing popularity of Australian universities as an affordable alternative for foreign students.[22]

Unlike their counterparts from Asia, they have not formed distinct enclaves within the major cities of Australia and the degree of assimilation is higher than most recent migrants to Australia, due to better cultural, historical, and linguistic similarities with Australia. Despite this, the community is still strongly attached to its homeland while being increasing integrated into Australian society, with many travelling back and forth.[22]

There are estimated to be between 40,000 and 100,000 Zimbabweans in Botswana as of 2009.[30] Zimbabweans are the most numerous nationality among registered foreign workers in Botswana.[31] More than half of Zimbabwean migrant workers are employed in agricultural and mining occupations, while others work in construction, real estate, finance, retail, education, health and manufacturing. As a result, a disproportionate number of Zimbabweans form part of Botswanas skilled workers, boosting the country's economy at the expense of Zimbabwe itself.[32] Others, especially the more- irregular migrants, are engaged as maids, herders or in cross-border trading.[33]

According to the 2016 census, there were 30,035 Canadians with Zimbabwean background, 15,650 of whom were born in Zimbabwe.[15] Canada became an important destination for Zimbabweans as early as 1965, but especially so since 2000. Being anglophone and relatively well educated, they've readily adapted to Canadian society. The Zimbabwean community in Canada is concentrated in Toronto; Calgary; Edmonton; Southern Ontario, Ottawa, Montreal, Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia in British Columbia. Their numbers have been slowly but steadily increasing since 2000.[15]

In the Republic of Ireland, there were approximately 5,348 Irish Zimbabweans, third among African countries behind Nigeria and South Africa. A minority of these may have ties to Ireland through family ancestry.[10] Approximately 310 people, gained Irish citizenship between the censuses of 2011 and 2016. Due to proximity and historical ties, there is quite a lot of movement between people settled in Ireland and those in the UK.

Zimbabwean New Zealanders or Zimbabwean Kiwis are New Zealand citizens who are fully or partially of Zimbabwean descent or Zimbabwe-born people who reside in New Zealand. They include migrants to New Zealand of people from Zimbabwe, as well as their descendants. Today, over 5,614 people in New Zealand have Zimbabwean ancestry in 2016, making them one of the diaspora's smaller communities.[34] New Zealand's Zimbabwean population is the biggest in Auckland. Many Zimbabwean New Zealanders are of White Zimbabwean origin, with a soon to be plurality of Shona people. Zimbabwean Kiwis are overwhelmingly concentrated on the North Island, particularly Wellington, Auckland and Hamilton. They form the second largest African community after South Africans and are predominantly English speaking and well educated, thus integrating well into Kiwi society.[35]

Charlene, Princess of Monaco was born in Zimbabwe and raised there and in South Africa

Trevor Ncube, 2017

There are estimated to be between eight hundred thousand and three million Zimbabweans in South Africa as of 2018. Migration between the two countries has been a feature throughout the 20th century, traditionally with mostly white South Africans moving north and black Zimbabwean workers temporarily heading south. Beginning in the 1980s, the tide began to turn in favor of South Africa and with large scale emigration a feature since 2000. Today, Zimbabweans in South Africa have faced a tougher time there than in other countries, with many working class and poorer migrants facing xenophobic violence and crime in the country. Additionally, while it is easier to settle in South Africa than in previous years, the government still makes naturalising as a South African citizen very difficult.

Ironically, The Zimbabwean immigrant is the most similar to native South Africans of all major foreign immigrants in the country, and they easily adapt to their new place of residence, due to similarities in environment, culture, lifestyle, language and their relatively higher education levels. Indeed, most immigrants that arrived prior to Zimbabwe's economic crisis in the 2000s, would often assimilate readily in South African society.[15]

Zimbabwean immigration has accompanied the ups and downs suffered by the country in recent decades in terms of political and economic instability.

However, Zimbabweans still face significant challenges in South Africa, with working class and poorer migrants disproportionately suffering from discrimination and xenophobic violence. Indeed, the most vulnerable of migrants tend to suffer from wage exploitation and anti-migrant violence, with female migrants facing the additional risk of rape and sexual exploitation. As a result, many Zimbabweans have soured on South Africa, frustrated with the governments poor handling of crime and xenophobia, as well as its indifference to the plight of Zimbabwe and Zimbabweans. Most educated workers who can afford to, now believe it is better to emigrate to other countries such as the United Kingdom; Australia; Canada; New Zealand and Ireland, which offer greater economic opportunities, less discrimination and crime than remain in South Africa.[15]

Despite this, numerous academics, students, athletes, journalists, artists and professionals stand out within the Zimbabwean community in South Africa.

Thandiwe Newton is an English actress of Zimbabwean ancestry

Zimbabwean Britons are British people of Zimbabwean descent. There are approximately 500,000 Britons of Zimbabwean origin or descent. Most live in the Greater London and South East England.[36] London has the largest population of people of Zimbabwean descent in the United Kingdom. Other notable areas with Zimbabweans include Berkshire, and Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Milton Keynes and Birmingham.[37]

Zimbabwean immigrants and their children tend to adapt quickly to British society due to the long ties between the two countries, their all but identical education systems[38] and high levels of education and English fluency compared to most immigrants to the UK.[39] In addition many Zimbabweans have family or ancestral ties to the UK or have studied and spent time there, making it easier for them to settle in Britain than other immigrants. Indeed, many professionals, particularly those in the medical field, were directly recruited by British employers to the UK, beginning in the 1990s.

Studies have pointed to the higher rate of English use among Zimbabweans, their willingness to marry non-Zimbabweans, and their eagerness to become naturalised citizens as factors that contribute to their rapid assimilation, as well as their interactions with the greater British-born community.[20] In addition, Zimbabwe has historically been a melting pot of many cultures and languages, making assimilating to a multicultural Britain easier. A minority of Zimbabweans on the other hand, particularly those who arrived as asylum seekers or with less resources, tended to struggle upon arriving in the UK and would find themselves overrepresented in high demand but less prestigious sectors such as nursing, elder and childcare.[39]

Zimbabwean Americans are Americans of Zimbabwean ancestry or birth. The American Community Survey of 2017 estimated the Zimbabwean American population to number 30,000, a figure that notably increased from a decade earlier. Similar to neighbouring South Africa, Zimbabwe was traditionally a destination of immigrants from Europe and Africa beginning in the late 19th century and lasting until the mid to late 20th century. As a result, few Zimbabweans lived in the US prior to the late 1970s, with most preferring South Africa, the UK and Australia instead.[40]

There are various conflicting figures on the exact number of Zimbabweans in the US. The RAND Corporation estimated in 2000 that there were 100,000 in the state of New York alone.[41] In contrast, a 2008 estimate from the Association of Zimbabweans Based Abroad put the population of Zimbabweans in the whole US at just 45,000.[42] They make up just a small part of the Zimbabwean diaspora compared to the larger communities in South Africa and the United Kingdom.[42] Many Zimbabweans who emigrate, particularly those with British, Malawian, Portuguese, Greek, and Mozambiquean ancestry hold or are eligible for dual citizenship, which makes determining their exact numbers difficult.[40] Despite this, the vast majority of Zimbabweans identify both with their nationality and country of origin.

The history of Zimbabwean emigration to the United States is very recent. Before 1980, the few Zimbabweans that left the country migrated to other the United Kingdom or South Africa. The emergence of serious economic and political problems beginning in the 1990s, led to a significant wave of emigration, which included large numbers of well-educated professionals, particularly in the medical field and students who began to seek out the US as an alternative destination.[43]

Most Zimbabweans find it relatively easy to adapt to life in large cities in the United States, thanks to their English usage, cosmopolitan lifestyle and a multicultural society that makes it easier to adapt to American life.[44] In addition, the high value that is given to higher education has led many Zimbabwean students to migrate to the United States to continue their university studies there. Most Zimbabweans established themselves in New York City, the Washington, D.C., area, Southern California and Texas. Other notable centers of the Zimbabwean American population are New Jersey; Greater Philadelphia; the Bay Area; Atlanta; Massachusetts and Indiana. Sharing a similar history, culture and lifestyle, many Zimbabweans and South Africans have formed close bonds in the US and tend to live in similar communities with many forming associations and sharing family ties.[40] Indeed, South Africans and Zimbabweans are among the most skilled and professionally employed immigrants in the US today, with nearly 60 per cent of them holding a bachelor's degree or higher based on a 2005 study. Despite this there are evident economic disparities between long settled citizens and recent arrivals with few ties to North America.[44]

More recently, a small but educated class of Zimbabweans, particularly those in finance, hospitality and international trade have been trending emigration toward such far-flung cities such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai and, to a lesser extent, Japan and, Malaysia.[45] Joining them are a small number of students seeking a cheaper alternative to Western universities as well as corrupt ZANU-PF officials with properties in the region.[46] Few have plans to settle long term and lead a privileged lifestyle that resembles that of western expats more than other it does migrants. The nation continues to experience high emigration and a significant disparity in income between wealthier emigrants concentrated in the West and stretched or struggling Zimbabweans at home or in South Africa.[47]

Asian cities such as Singapore have become increasingly popular destinations with the ruling government elite, who own several properties in the region, as part of Zimbabwe's Look East economic policy and as a means of avoiding targeted EU sanctions