South Africa’s seasonally adjusted Absa Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rose to 48.7 in January 2026 from 40.5 in December, which was the weakest reading since April 2020. Although signaling a fourth consecutive month of contraction in manufacturing, the pace of decline eased notably. The improvement was primarily driven by a rebound in business activity, with the relevant sub-index rising above 50 to 51.4 from 46.1 in December. At 45.4, new sales orders continued to contract but at a reduced rate. Meanwhile, export conditions deteriorated sharply in January, with exports falling to their lowest level since the Covid-19 pandemic. The inventories index increased by 11.1 points to 47.2, from 36.1 in December, albeit still below 50 points. The employment index recovered modestly to 43.9 from 39.9 but remained the weakest sub-index. Business confidence edged down slightly to 66.4 but stayed well above the 2025 average, indicating expectations of improvement over the next six months. source: Bureau for Economic Research (BER)

Manufacturing PMI in South Africa increased to 48.70 points in January from 40.50 points in December of 2025. Manufacturing PMI in South Africa averaged 50.64 points from 1999 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 59.99 points in April of 2021 and a record low of 30.88 points in April of 2020. This page provides the latest reported value for - South Africa Manufacturing PMI - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Manufacturing PMI in South Africa increased to 48.70 points in January from 40.50 points in December of 2025. Manufacturing PMI in South Africa is expected to be 48.80 points by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the South Africa Manufacturing PMI is projected to trend around 52.00 points in 2027, according to our econometric models.



Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Bankruptcies 100.00 126.00 Companies Dec 2025
Business Confidence 44.00 39.00 points Dec 2025
Capacity Utilization 77.80 78.30 percent Sep 2025
Car Registrations 37190.00 35579.00 Units Jan 2026
Changes in Inventories 25742.00 18711.00 ZAR Million Sep 2025
SACCI Business Confidence 132.30 123.80 points Nov 2025
Composite Leading Indicator 101.22 101.11 points Jan 2026
Corruption Index 41.00 41.00 Points Dec 2025
Corruption Rank 81.00 82.00 Dec 2025
Electricity Production 17477.00 18325.00 Gigawatt-hour Dec 2025
Gold Production YoY 1.10 -6.00 percent Dec 2025
Manufacturing Production YoY -1.40 -2.00 percent Dec 2025
Manufacturing Production MoM -1.20 -2.10 percent Dec 2025
Leading Business Cycle Indicator MoM 1.40 0.40 percent Nov 2025
Mining Production YoY 2.50 -2.40 percent Dec 2025
Total New Vehicle Sales 50070.00 48980.00 Units Jan 2026


South Africa Manufacturing PMI
The Absa Manufacturing PMI is a monthly survey of purchasing managers in South Africa's manufacturing sector. The index provides leading indications of business conditions in the sector. A reading above 50 percent indicates that the manufacturing economy is generally expanding; below 50 percent indicates that it is generally declining.

News Stream
South Africa Factory Activity Downturn Eases: Absa
South Africa’s seasonally adjusted Absa Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rose to 48.7 in January 2026 from 40.5 in December, which was the weakest reading since April 2020. Although signaling a fourth consecutive month of contraction in manufacturing, the pace of decline eased notably. The improvement was primarily driven by a rebound in business activity, with the relevant sub-index rising above 50 to 51.4 from 46.1 in December. At 45.4, new sales orders continued to contract but at a reduced rate. Meanwhile, export conditions deteriorated sharply in January, with exports falling to their lowest level since the Covid-19 pandemic. The inventories index increased by 11.1 points to 47.2, from 36.1 in December, albeit still below 50 points. The employment index recovered modestly to 43.9 from 39.9 but remained the weakest sub-index. Business confidence edged down slightly to 66.4 but stayed well above the 2025 average, indicating expectations of improvement over the next six months.
2026-02-02
South Africa Factory Activity Contracts Faster in December
South Africa’s seasonally adjusted Absa Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) fell further to 40.5 in December 2025 from 42 in November. The latest reading signaled a third straight month of contraction in the country’s manufacturing sector, which was the steepest since April 2020, amid sharp declines in inventories and employment. The inventories sub-index dropped 9.9 points to 36.1, its lowest level since May 2020, while the employment sub-index fell 6.3 points, remaining well below the neutral 50-point mark and in contractionary territory since April 2024. "The weak performance in business activity and volatile sales orders continues to limit the scope for hiring, while shortages of specialised skills in certain niche industries also weigh on employment outcomes," said Absa.
2026-01-08
South Africa Factory Activity Downturn Deepens
South Africa’s seasonally adjusted Absa Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) fell for the second month to 42 in November 2025 from 49.2 in the previous month. The latest reading indicated a second straight month of contraction in the country’s manufacturing sector, worsening from the previous month and marking the sharpest decline since April 2020. Absa said the reading highlights the sector’s fragility, with weak domestic demand, subdued exports, and sluggish output, despite easing cost pressures and early improvements in logistics. The biggest drag were the new sales orders index, which plunged to 35.6 in November from 48.9 in October, pushing the business activity index down to 36.7. Inventories fell to 46.1, the lowest since May, while employment rose slightly but stayed in negative territory. On a brighter note, cost pressures eased, and the expected business conditions index returned to positive territory at 50.8 after two months of pessimism.
2025-12-01