South Africa

Panorama económico e industrial

South Africa has the most industrialised economy in Africa and is classified as an upper-middle-income developing country. The economy is anchored by a large financial services sector, significant mining and resources activity spanning gold, platinum-group metals, and coal, as well as retail, telecommunications, and manufacturing. The Johannesburg Stock Exchange is the largest stock exchange on the African continent, accounting for roughly 60 percent of Africa's total equity market value. Structural constraints including a persistently high unemployment rate of around 32 percent, infrastructure gaps in electricity and logistics, and elevated public debt continue to weigh on medium-term growth prospects. Real GDP grew 1.1 percent in 2025, recovering modestly from 0.5 percent in 2024, supported by improvements in agricultural output and financial services activity.

Sectores clave

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Macro

PIB nominal, USD	$427.20B
Crecimiento del PIB real, anual	1.1%
Inflación anual	3.2%
Población personas	64.7M
PIB per cápita USD	$6,598
Capitalización bursátil total cotizado, USD	$1.48T
Cap. bursátil / PIB	346.5%
Desempleo	31.9%
Empresas cotizadas	280
Bolsa	Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE)

Año de los datos: 2025. Fuentes: World Bank, African Development Bank, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), South African Reserve Bank (SARB), OECD Economic Survey South Africa 2025, JSE Limited Integrated Annual Report 2024, MSCI Market Classification, UN Macroeconomic Trends South Africa January 2026, Deloitte Africa Economic Outlook 2026, iShares EZA ETF factsheet, ETF Database (etfdb.com). Individual figures may cover different reference periods — for example a fiscal year, or an estimate for the current year — and the overview above states these where known.

Bolsa local y acceso

Bolsa	Johannesburg Stock Exchange
Código	JSE
Sitio web	www.jse.co.za
Moneda	ZAR

Acceso a brókers locales

International investors can access JSE-listed securities through local South African brokers such as PSG Wealth, Absa Stockbrokers, Standard Bank Online Share Trading, Nedbank Private Wealth, and Investec Securities. Several global online brokers also provide access to JSE-listed shares and South African ADRs or OTC-quoted stocks. Foreign investors are subject to South African Reserve Bank exchange control rules and securities transfer tax of 0.25 percent on share purchases.

Brókers globales con acceso a mercados extranjeros

• Interactive Brokers — Direct access to 90+ markets worldwide, including many emerging exchanges.
• Saxo Bank — Multi-market access across Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
• Charles Schwab (Global) — Foreign ordinary shares on select markets; US-listed ADRs and ETFs.
• Fidelity International Trading — International stock trading on a number of developed and emerging markets.

Listado solo a efectos informativos, no constituye recomendación. Los mercados disponibles, las comisiones y los requisitos de incorporación varían según el bróker y el país de residencia.

Reubicación y residencia

Acceso para inversores extranjeros

Foreign nationals seeking to reside in South Africa long-term may apply for a Financially Independent Person permit, requiring demonstrable net worth and a prescribed annual fee, or a Business Visa tied to an approved business plan. The Department of Home Affairs administers all immigration matters. South Africa does not grant residency or citizenship as a direct reward for capital investment in the way that formal investment-migration programmes do.