The South African economy grew by 0.5% qoq in Q1 2026, up from a 0.4% rise in Q4 and slightly above forecasts of 0.3%, despite turbulence late in the period from the Iran war. This marked the sixth straight quarter of expansion and the strongest performance since Q2 2025, as nine of the ten industries registered growth. The finance, real estate and business services sector was the main contributor, rising 0.9%, followed by agriculture (+3.9%), trade (+0.7%) and transport (0.7%). Manufacturing, however, was the biggest drag, falling by 0.8%. From the demand side, net external demand contributed significantly (+0.9 percentage points), as exports rose 0.5% while imports fell 2.6%. Meanwhile, household consumption edged up 0.1% and government spending rose 0.6%, while fixed investment declined 1.1%. Changes in inventories subtracted 0.3 percentage points. On an annual basis, the GDP rose by 1.9% in Q1, accelerating from a 0.8% advance in Q4 and slightly above estimates of a 1.8% growth. source: Statistics South Africa

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in South Africa expanded 0.50 percent in the first quarter of 2026 over the previous quarter. GDP Growth Rate in South Africa averaged 0.59 percent from 1993 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 13.80 percent in the third quarter of 2020 and a record low of -16.80 percent in the second quarter of 2020. This page provides - South Africa GDP Growth Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news. South Africa GDP Growth Rate - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on June of 2026.

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in South Africa expanded 0.50 percent in the first quarter of 2026 over the previous quarter. GDP Growth Rate in South Africa is expected to be 0.70 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the South Africa GDP Growth Rate is projected to trend around 0.50 percent in 2027 and 1.20 percent in 2028, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-03-10 09:30 AM
GDP Growth Rate QoQ
Q4 0.4% 0.3% 0.3% 0.7%
2026-06-09 09:00 AM
GDP Growth Rate QoQ
Q1 0.5% 0.4% 0.3% 0.2%
2026-09-08 09:30 AM
GDP Growth Rate QoQ
Q2 0.5% 0.7%


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
GDP Growth Rate YoY 1.90 0.80 percent Mar 2026
GDP Constant Prices 4772091.00 4746211.00 ZAR Million Mar 2026
GDP from Agriculture 141820.00 136524.08 ZAR Million Mar 2026
GDP from Construction 98223.00 97984.00 ZAR Million Mar 2026
GDP from Manufacturing 512313.00 516565.00 ZAR Million Mar 2026
GDP from Mining 209866.00 208475.00 ZAR Million Mar 2026
GDP from Public Administration 377562.00 376312.00 ZAR Million Mar 2026
GDP from Services 1183046.00 1172082.00 ZAR Million Mar 2026
GDP from Transport 384491.00 381949.00 ZAR Million Mar 2026
GDP from Utilities 93302.00 92954.00 ZAR Million Mar 2026
GDP Growth Rate 0.50 0.40 percent Mar 2026


South Africa GDP Growth Rate
South Africa is the most developed country in Africa and was the largest until 2014, when it was overtaken by Nigeria. The largest sector of the economy is services which accounts for around 73 percent of GDP. Within services, the most important are finance, real estate and business services (21.6 percent); government services (17 percent); wholesale, retail and motor trade, catering and accommodation (15 percent); and transport, storage and communication (9.3 percent). Manufacturing accounts for 13.9 percent; mining and quarrying for around 8.3 percent and agriculture for only 2.6 percent.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
0.50 0.40 13.80 -16.80 1993 - 2026 percent Quarterly

News Stream
South Africa Economy Expands More than Anticipated
The South African economy grew by 0.5% qoq in Q1 2026, up from a 0.4% rise in Q4 and slightly above forecasts of 0.3%, despite turbulence late in the period from the Iran war. This marked the sixth straight quarter of expansion and the strongest performance since Q2 2025, as nine of the ten industries registered growth. The finance, real estate and business services sector was the main contributor, rising 0.9%, followed by agriculture (+3.9%), trade (+0.7%) and transport (0.7%). Manufacturing, however, was the biggest drag, falling by 0.8%. From the demand side, net external demand contributed significantly (+0.9 percentage points), as exports rose 0.5% while imports fell 2.6%. Meanwhile, household consumption edged up 0.1% and government spending rose 0.6%, while fixed investment declined 1.1%. Changes in inventories subtracted 0.3 percentage points. On an annual basis, the GDP rose by 1.9% in Q1, accelerating from a 0.8% advance in Q4 and slightly above estimates of a 1.8% growth.
2026-06-09
South African Economy Sees Modest Growth in Q4
The South African economy rose by 0.4% quarter-on-quarter in Q4 2025, following a downwardly revised 0.3% growth in Q3 and slightly above analysts' forecasts of 0.3%. This marked the fifth straight quarter of expansion, with growth recorded in five of the ten industries. The finance sector led the gains, rising 1.4% and contributing 0.3 percentage points to GDP. Trade increased 0.9% and personal services grew 0.4%. In contrast, manufacturing was the largest drag, falling 0.6%. From the demand side, household consumption (+1.2%), government spending (+0.5%) and fixed investment (1.3%) helped sustain positive momentum. However, inventories (-0.5 points) and net exports (-0.3 points) weighed on GDP, with exports down 0.6% and imports up 0.5%. On an annual basis, the economy grew 0.8% in Q4, down from a 2.1% increase in Q3 and below forecasts of 1.8%. For the full year 2025, GDP rose 1.1%, the strongest growth since 2022, following a revised increase of 0.5% in 2024.
2026-03-10
South African Economy Expands for 4th Quarter
The South African economy advanced by 0.5% quarter-on-quarter in Q3 2025, following an upwardly revised 0.9% growth in the prior period and marking the fourth consecutive quarter of expansion. Nine out of ten industries registered growth, with trade (+1% vs +1.4% in Q2) contributing the most, alongside mining (+2.3% vs +3.5%), agriculture (+1.1% vs +2.5%) and finance, real estate and business services (+0.3% vs +0.7%). Conversely, the utilities sector contracted (-2.5% vs 0.2%). From the demand perspective, household consumption (+0.7% vs +1%), government spending (+0.3% vs +0.9%) and fixed investment (+1.6% vs -1.6%) kept growth supported. On the other hand, changes in inventories subtracted 0.1 percentage point. Net trade also contributed negatively to expenditure on GDP, as the 0.7% rise in exports was outpaced by a 2.2% increase in imports. On a yearly basis, the GDP expanded by 2.1% in Q3, the fastest expansion since Q3 2022, accelerating from the upwardly revised 0.9% in Q2.
2025-12-02