South Africa Factory Output Falls More than Expected

2026-04-09 11:28 By Luisa Carvalho 1 min. read

Manufacturing activity in South Africa slipped by 2.8% year-on-year in February 2026, following a downwardly revised 0.1% fall in January and worse than the expected 0.3% decrease.

This marks the fourth consecutive month of downturn in industrial activity and the most pronounced since April 2025, mainly on account of food & beverages (-4.5%); wood and wood products, paper, publishing and printing (-9.7%) and basic iron and steel, non-ferrous metal products, metal products and machinery (-3.6%).

On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, output fell by 2.2%, after an upwardly revised 1.9% rise in the previous month.

Manufacturing production decreased by 2% in the three months ended February 2026 compared with the previous three months.



News Stream
South Africa Factory Output Falls More than Expected
Manufacturing activity in South Africa slipped by 2.8% year-on-year in February 2026, following a downwardly revised 0.1% fall in January and worse than the expected 0.3% decrease. This marks the fourth consecutive month of downturn in industrial activity and the most pronounced since April 2025, mainly on account of food & beverages (-4.5%); wood and wood products, paper, publishing and printing (-9.7%) and basic iron and steel, non-ferrous metal products, metal products and machinery (-3.6%). On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, output fell by 2.2%, after an upwardly revised 1.9% rise in the previous month. Manufacturing production decreased by 2% in the three months ended February 2026 compared with the previous three months.
2026-04-09
South Africa Factory Sector Shrinks for 3rd Month
Manufacturing activity in South Africa decreased by 0.7% year-on-year in January 2026, after an upwardly revised 1.5% fall in December, marking the third consecutive month of declines. The main negative contributors were the wood and wood products, paper, publishing, and printing division (-11.0%, -1.3 percentage points) and the basic iron and steel, non-ferrous metal products, metal products, and machinery division (-5.7%, -1.2 pp). On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, output rose by 1.5%, after an upwardly revised 1.3% decline in the previous month.
2026-03-12
South Africa Factory Activity Shrinks for 2nd Month
Manufacturing activity in South Africa fell by 1.4% year-on-year in December 2025, marking a two-month downturn following an upwardly revised 2% decline in November. Food and beverages (-4.6%, -1.4 percentage points), wood and wood products, paper, publishing, and printing (-5.2%, -0.6 points), and basic iron and steel, non-ferrous metal products, metal products, and machinery (-2.3%, -0.4 points) were the largest contributors to the decline. On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, output decreased by 1.2%, after an upwardly revised 2.1% slump in the previous month. In 2025, total manufacturing production shrank by 1.3% compared with 2024.
2026-02-12