South Africa’s seasonally adjusted Absa Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) fell to 47.4 in February 2026 from 48.7 in January, marking the fifth consecutive month of contraction in the manufacturing sector. The downturn was slightly sharper, reflecting weaker business activity and continued job losses. Business conditions remained under pressure from port delays, localized power outages, and subdued demand. On a brighter note, the sub-index tracking anticipated business conditions showed improvement. "The stop-start nature of manufacturing output, also evident in official data, is not conducive to longer-term capacity expansion, investment growth or employment gains," Absa noted. source: Bureau for Economic Research (BER)

Manufacturing PMI in South Africa decreased to 47.40 points in February from 48.70 points in January of 2026. Manufacturing PMI in South Africa averaged 50.63 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 decreased to 47.40 points in February from 48.70 points in January of 2026. 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 96.00 100.00 Companies Jan 2026
Business Confidence 47.00 44.00 points Mar 2026
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 131.40 133.20 points Jan 2026
Composite Leading Indicator 101.01 100.96 points Feb 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 -1.00 1.40 percent Dec 2025
Mining Production YoY 2.50 -2.40 percent Dec 2025
Total New Vehicle Sales 53460.00 50520.00 Units Feb 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 Shrinks for 5th Month: Absa
South Africa’s seasonally adjusted Absa Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) fell to 47.4 in February 2026 from 48.7 in January, marking the fifth consecutive month of contraction in the manufacturing sector. The downturn was slightly sharper, reflecting weaker business activity and continued job losses. Business conditions remained under pressure from port delays, localized power outages, and subdued demand. On a brighter note, the sub-index tracking anticipated business conditions showed improvement. "The stop-start nature of manufacturing output, also evident in official data, is not conducive to longer-term capacity expansion, investment growth or employment gains," Absa noted.
2026-03-02
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