South Africa: Investment freedom

The latest value from 2024 is 40 points, a decline from 45 points in 2023. In comparison, the world average is 56 points, based on data from 175 countries. Historically, the average for South Africa from 1995 to 2024 is 55 points. The minimum value, 40 points, was reached in 2017 while the maximum of 70 points was recorded in 1995. See the global rankings for that indicator or use the country comparator to compare trends over time.

The Investment Freedom index for South Africa from The Heritage Foundation measures the restrictions to investment activity both within the country and across borders. A higher score means fewer restrictions.

Definition: The Investment freedom index evaluates a variety of investment restrictions (burdensome bureaucracy, restrictions on land ownership, expropriation of investments without fair compensation, foreign exchange controls, capital control, security problems, a lack of basic investment infrastructure, etc.). Points are deducted from the ideal score of 100 for each of the restrictions found in a country’s investment regime.