South Africa: Share of industry

The latest value from 2025 is 24.09 percent, a decline from 24.31 percent in 2024. In comparison, the world average is 26.15 percent, based on data from 156 countries. Historically, the average for South Africa from 1960 to 2025 is 31.01 percent. The minimum value, 23.34 percent, was reached in 2020 while the maximum of 42.4 percent was recorded in 1980. See the global rankings for that indicator or use the country comparator to compare trends over time.

The importance of industry in the economy of South Africa and other countries is measured as the value added of the industrial sector as percent of GDP. Industry includes mining, manufacturing, construction, electricity, water, and gas.

Definition: Industry (including construction) corresponds to ISIC (Rev.4) divisions 05-43. It is comprised of mining, manufacturing, construction, electricity, water, and gas industries. Value added is the contribution to the economy by a producer or an industry or an institutional sector, which is estimated by the total value of output produced and deducting the total value of intermediate consumption of goods and services used to produce that output. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.