After a lost decade, economic prospects may be brightening
|JOHANNESBURG |5 min read
South Africa’s economy has long been defined by big holes. The wealth from its diamond and gold mines helped make it Africa’s most industrialised country in the 20th century. More recently a big hole is what the economy has found itself in. gdp per person is lower today than it was 20 years ago. Over that time South Africa has fallen from 27th to 39th in the ranking of large economies, overtaken by the likes of Bangladesh, Israel and Thailand. A pollster in September found that 80% of South Africans believe that their country is heading in the wrong direction.
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “The case for optimism in South Africa ”
From the January 31st 2026 edition
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