Africa has a long history of harbouring Europeans, Asians and even South Americans. Prior to, and after the era of colonialism in Africa, White Africans commonly called European Africans have been entrenched in the continent. The Dutch, British, Portuguese, German, French, and to a lesser extent, Italian, Spanish, Greek, Jewish, or Irish descent can be found in many parts of Africa. Here are Top 10 African Countries With Highest White Population as of 2017.
1. South Africa – White Population: 4,602,400 (8.7%)
South Africa is the epicentre of White Population in Africa. White South Africans are by far the largest European-descended population group in Africa. South Africa’s white population is divided into 61% Afrikaans-speakers, 36% English-speakers, and 3% who speak another language, such as Portuguese and Dutch. The greatest concentration of white South Africans appears in Gauteng (which includes Johannesburg and Pretoria) and the Western Cape (which includes Cape Town).
2. Angola – White Population: 200,000 (1.2%)
The predominantly white population in Angola is Portuguese; however, they are a minority ethnic group, making up 1% of the country’s population. White Angolans or Angolans of European descent are Angolan people whose ancestry lies within the continent of Europe, particularly Portugal.
3. Namibia – White Population: 154,000 (8%)
Namibia attracted many German immigrants when it was under German rule. The vast majority of White Namibians live in major cities and towns in central or southern Namibia. Windhoek has by far the largest white population, and whites are a majority in the coastal city of Swakopmund. According to the Namibian government, white Namibians made up 8% of the Namibian population as of 2003, this is equivalent to 154,000. Most white Namibians are Afrikaners, while some are descended from German, Portuguese, or English immigrants.
4. Madagascar – White Population: 120,000 (0.57%)
Madagascar is home to a significant community of French people, of whom the vast majorities are born in Madagascar and are descended from former settlers and colonists from France who settled in Madagascar during the 19th and 20th centuries. They constitute a minority ethnic group of Madagascar. There are also reports of English Population in Madagascar, albeit very few in numbers.
5. Botswana – White Population: 63,834 (3%)
Botswana has White people whose ancestry lies within the continent of Europe, especially the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. Presently, White Africans are a minority ethnic group in Botswana, accounting for 3% of the country’s population. The White population usually speak Afrikaans as well as other European languages, most notably English.
6. Mozambique – White Population: 45,000 (1.15%)
Mozambique is home to Mozambican-born descendants of Portuguese settlers. Portuguese is the official language and lingua franca of Mozambique. Their dialect called Mozambican Portuguese is closer to Standard European Portuguese. The first permanent Portuguese communities in the region were established in the 16th century.
7. Swaziland – White Population: 41,000 (3%)
The Portuguese have proved to be great voyagers of the African continent as Swaziland also received Portuguese settlers and black refugees from Mozambique. The majority of Swaziland’s population is ethnically Swazi, mixed with a small number of Zulu and White Africans, mostly people of British and Afrikaner descent.
8. Zambia – White Population: 40,000
Just before its independence in 1964, Zambia had approximately 70,000 Europeans (mostly British) in Northern Rhodesia, making up roughly 2.3% of the 3 million inhabitants at the time. Zambia had a distinct situation compared to other African countries. It included segregation, similar to South Africa, Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and South-West Africa (Namibia); but as the Europeans constituted a smaller fraction of the population they did not dominate politics.
9. Kenya – White Population: 32,000
Descendants of British and Anglo-Irish colonials are well present in Kenya. Though few in numbers, they are very prominent relatively. It is reported that there were 60,000 white settlers living in Kenya in 1965. Today, they are estimated to be just over 30,000. Distinguished Britons born in Kenya include road racing cyclist Chris Froome and evolutionary scientist Richard Dawkins.
10. Zimbabwe – White Population: 30,000
Formerly known as Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), a small number of people of European ethnicity first settled there in the late nineteenth century. During its colonialism, Zimbabwe was intended to become a “white man’s country” – to be settled and ruled by permanent European colonists. Until Zimbabwean independence in 1980, white Rhodesians presided over the nation politically, socially, and economically. They numbered some 240,000 by late 1979. The consequence of independence, the country’s white people lost most of their former privileges. Nevertheless, some white people chose to stay in the new Zimbabwe. Over the past decades, many of the white farming community have left.
