South Africa (SA) has managed a major economic turnaround, jumping 10 places to rank 54th out of 70 countries in the 2026 World Competitiveness Yearbook.
The annual global index, put together by the Institute for Management Development (IMD) alongside Productivity SA, scores nations on how well they create a stable, thriving environment for businesses to grow and for everyday citizens to live well.
SA’s leap from last year’s dismal 64th position comes on the back of solid progress in government efficiency, a boost in business confidence, and better infrastructure management.
Juliet Mashabela, a Statistician at Productivity SA, says the country is comfortably outperforming most of its emerging market peers right now.
SA’s double-digit climb stands out even more when you look at how poorly its regional and Brazil, Russia, India, China, and SA (BRICS) neighbours fared this year.
Within the BRICS bloc, only China saw positive movement, climbing from 16th to 12th place. India and Brazil both slipped.
Closer to home, the continental outlook was just as flat. Out of the six African nations tracked in the report, four took a hit with Botswana, Ghana, and Namibia all dropping down the table. Kenya was the only other African country to see any positive movement, managing to nudge up by just a single spot.
–ChannelAfrica–
