 | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| At least 300,000[citation needed] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Zimbabwe 24,888 Unreliable[1] | |
 South Africa | 64,261 (2002)[2] |
 Australia | 12,086 (2006)[note 1] |
| Languages | |
| English (majority), Afrikaans, Greek, Portuguese, others (minority)[citation needed] | |
| Religion | |
| Predominantly Christianity[citation needed] | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| White South Africans, White Namibians, Afrikaners, Coloureds, other White Africans, Jews in Africa | |
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1891 | 1,500 | — |
| 1895 | 5,000 | +233.3% |
| 1900 | 12,000 | +140.0% |
| 1904 | 12,596 | +5.0% |
| 1911 | 23,606 | +87.4% |
| 1914 | 28,000 | +18.6% |
| 1920 | 32,620 | +16.5% |
| 1924 | 39,174 | +20.1% |
| 1930 | 47,910 | +22.3% |
| 1935 | 55,419 | +15.7% |
| 1940 | 65,000 | +17.3% |
| 1945 | 82,000 | +26.2% |
| 1950 | 125,000 | +52.4% |
| 1953 | 157,000 | +25.6% |
| 1960 | 218,000 | +38.9% |
| 1965 | 208,000 | −4.6% |
| 1970 | 237,000 | +13.9% |
| 1975 | 300,000 | +26.6% |
| 1979 | 242,000 | −19.3% |
| 1985 | 100,000 | −58.7% |
| 1990 | 80,000 | −20.0% |
| 1995 | 70,000 | −12.5% |
| 2002 | 46,743 | −33.2% |
| 2012 | 28,732 | −38.5% |
| 2017 | 16,998 | −40.8% |
| 2022 | 24,888[4] | +46.4% |
White Zimbabweans, also known as White Rhodesians or simply Rhodesians, are a Southern African people of European descent. In linguistic, cultural, and historical terms, these people of European ethnic origin are mostly English-speaking descendants of British settlers. A small minority are either Afrikaans-speaking descendants of Afrikaners from South Africa or those descended from Greek, Portuguese, Italian, and Jewish immigrants.[2]
In a 1922 referendum, the community rejected joining the Union of South Africa, electing instead to establish responsible government. In the 1964 Rhodesian independence referendum, the community voted overwhelmingly in favour of independence from Britain, leading to Rhodesia's Unilateral Declaration of Independence under Prime Minister, Ian Smith. The community was embroiled in the Rhodesian Bush War (1964-1979), as the Smith government sought to maintain white minority rule. White men were conscripted into the Rhodesian Security Forces and the British South Africa Police. White civilians were targeted in some attacks such as Air Rhodesia Flight 825 and Air Rhodesia Flight 827.[5][6][7] The community faced fresh economic challenges during the UDI period as Britain imposed economic sanctions and Mozambique closed its border in 1976, blocking Rhodesia's access to the Indian Ocean and world commerce.[8][9] Rhodesia was excluded from major sporting events, meaning that its white athletes were unable to participate in the 1968, 1972 and 1976 Olympic Games.[10][11][12]
A small number of British migrants had reached the British colony of Southern Rhodesia, later Zimbabwe, as settlers during the late-nineteenth century. A steady migration of European peoples continued for the next 75 years. The white population of Southern Rhodesia, or Rhodesia as it was known from 1965, reached a peak of about 300,000 in 1975–76, representing around 8% of the population.[13]
Emigration after the country gained internationally recognised independence as Zimbabwe in 1980 resulted in a declining white population: estimated at 220,000 in 1980; 70,000 in 2000;[14] and 30,000 in 2012.[15][16] However, by 2023, the white population had increased following the government easing restrictions regarding white ownership of farmland. Many formerly dispossessed white farmers have formed joint ventures with black landowners.[17] There are currently three ministers in the Zimbabwean Government who are white, Kirsty Coventry, Joshua Sacco and Vangelis Haritatos, while in 2023, David Coltart was elected as Mayor of Bulawayo, becoming the first white mayor since 1981.
- ^ "Zimbabwe 2022 Population and Housing Census Report, vol. 1" (PDF). ZimStat. Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency. p. 122. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 October 2024.
- ^ a b Crush, Jonathan. Zimbabwe's Exodus: Crisis, Migration, Survival. pp. 5, 25.
- ^ a b David Lucas; Monica Jamali; Barbara Edgar (2011). "Zimbabwe's Exodus to Australia" (PDF). 34th AFSAAP Conference, The Australian National University. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 January 2015.
- ^ https://www.zimstat.co.zw/wp-content/uploads/Demography/Census/2022_PHC_Report_27012023_Final.pdf
- ^ All 59 Die on Rhodesia Airliner Shot Down by Missile The New York Times. 13 February 1979
- ^ Strong Action Hinted By Rhodesian Forces For Attack on Airliner The New York Times. 16 February 1979
- ^ 12 White Teachers and Children Killed by Guerrillas in Rhodesia The New York Times. 25 June 1978
- ^ Rhodesia managing despite sanctions The New York Times. 31 January 1966
- ^ Britain and Rhodesia The New York Times. 8 March 1976
- ^ U.N. Action on Rhodesia Bars Participation in Olympic Games The New York Times. 8 June 1968
- ^ Rhodesia Is Outraged The New York Times. 24 August 1972
- ^ Olympics Exclude Rhodesia The New York Times. 23 May 1975
- ^ Brownwell, Josiah (2011). The Collapse of Rhodesia: Population Demographics and the Politics of Race. London: I.B. Tauris. pp. 3, 51. ISBN 978-1-84885-475-8.
- ^ The New Americans: A Guide to Immigration Since 1965. 2007. p. 309.
- ^ "Zimbabwe's only white minster [sic] says insults against whites continue at top government level". Fox News. 26 March 2015. Archived from the original on 5 March 2013.
- ^ United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. "Refworld - Zimbabwe: Dual citizenship". Refworld.
- ^ Farmer, Ben; Thornycroft, Peta (4 September 2023). "Hundreds of white farmers return to Zimbabwe in boost for agriculture". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
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