South Africa’s seasonally adjusted Absa Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) improved for a second successive month, rising to 49.6 in October 2026 from the revised 48.7 in September. While manufacturing activity continued to contract for a fifth month, the latest reading pointed to the slowest pace of deterioration during this period. All five sub-components improved, although overall business conditions remained subdued. The business activity index edged up to 48.6 points in October, following a stronger increase in September. The new sales orders index advanced for a second consecutive month to 46.8 points, accompanied by a further improvement in export sales, with the index approaching the neutral mark. The purchasing prices index climbed to 73.7 points from 71.1 in September, likely reflecting a sharp rise in fuel prices, alongside further weakness in the rand. The index tracking expected business conditions in six months’ time fell to 51.7 points in October from 55.3 in September. source: Bureau for Economic Research (BER)

Manufacturing PMI in South Africa increased to 49.60 points in October from 48.70 points in September of 2026. Manufacturing PMI in South Africa averaged 50.58 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 49.60 points in October from 48.70 points in September of 2026. Manufacturing PMI in South Africa is expected to be 50.30 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 and 51.60 points in 2028, according to our econometric models.



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Car Registrations 44291.00 41216.00 Units Sep 2026
Changes in Inventories -82724.08 -132036.17 ZAR Million Jun 2026
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Composite Leading Indicator 100.18 100.22 points Sep 2026
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Corruption Rank 81.00 82.00 Dec 2025
Electricity Production 17826.00 18817.00 Gigawatt-hour Sep 2026
Gold Production YoY -5.70 -7.30 percent Aug 2026
Manufacturing Production YoY -3.50 -4.10 percent Sep 2026
Manufacturing Production MoM 0.00 -3.00 percent Sep 2026
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Total New Vehicle Sales 61890.00 61660.00 Units Oct 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 Remains Under Pressure
South Africa’s seasonally adjusted Absa Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) improved for a second successive month, rising to 49.6 in October 2026 from the revised 48.7 in September. While manufacturing activity continued to contract for a fifth month, the latest reading pointed to the slowest pace of deterioration during this period. All five sub-components improved, although overall business conditions remained subdued. The business activity index edged up to 48.6 points in October, following a stronger increase in September. The new sales orders index advanced for a second consecutive month to 46.8 points, accompanied by a further improvement in export sales, with the index approaching the neutral mark. The purchasing prices index climbed to 73.7 points from 71.1 in September, likely reflecting a sharp rise in fuel prices, alongside further weakness in the rand. The index tracking expected business conditions in six months’ time fell to 51.7 points in October from 55.3 in September.
2026-11-02
South Africa Factory Activity Returns to Growth: Absa
South Africa’s seasonally adjusted Absa Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rose to 50.7 in September 2026 from 45.8 in the previous month, returning to positive territory for the first time since May. New sales orders climbed to 50.8 from 40.3, while the business activity index also recovered to 49.3 after falling sharply to 40.2 in August. However, actual business activity remained just below the neutral 50 mark, while employment weakened and order backlogs remained subdued. Logistics bottlenecks persisted amid shipping delays at Durban Port, while input price pressures remained elevated. Looking ahead, manufacturers remained cautiously optimistic about the outlook, with the expected business conditions index for the next six months edging up to 55.3 from 54.7.
2026-10-01
South Africa Factory Activity Downturn Deepens: Absa
South Africa’s seasonally adjusted Absa Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) fell further to 45.8 in August 2026 from 46.8 in July, marking the third consecutive month of contraction in factory activity and the steepest since last December. Business activity plunged to 40.2, its lowest level this year, while new orders fell to 40.3, erasing July’s gains. The deterioration was largely domestic, reflecting subdued demand, weak consumer confidence and reduced spending on non-essential goods, while export sales provided some relief. The labour market also remained under pressure, but the pace of factory job losses slowed. Despite the downturn, manufacturers became more confident about the future, with the index measuring six-month expectations rising to 54.7 from 49.3 and returning above the neutral threshold. The stronger outlook suggests firms see the current weakness as temporary, although weak orders and production remain significant near-term headwinds.
2026-09-01