South Africa: How well does Africa’s southernmost country perform in international rankings on economic competitiveness and environmental sustainability? How well does its nation brand perform in comparison to other countries in the region?
Let’s explore what international rankings and indices have to say about South Africa in terms of its economic performance, sustainability, country brand strength, soft power, and reputation.
Let’s take a closer look at:
- South Africa’s soft power and brand strength
- Its appeal to skilled labour, investors, and visitors
- The country’s global contribution to peace and well-being
- How well it fares in terms of happiness and sustainability
South Africa’s Soft Power and Brand Strength
In the Global Soft Power Index 2024 by Brand Finance, South Africa ranks 43rd overall, but is the highest in soft power in Africa, ahead of Mauritius (97th), Rwanda (104th), Nigeria (79th), Botswana (147th), and Kenya (95th). South Africa experienced a drop of 3 positions from 2023, although its score increased by 1.2%.
South Africa’s high score is largely due to its familiarity with other countries, but issues like corruption and poor governance are holding the country back from realizing its full potential. Nevertheless, it remains a popular destination for tourists due to its stunning scenery, wildlife, and wine.
In the U.S. News Best Countries 2023 ranking, South Africa secures the 46th position, behind Vietnam (44th) and Croatia (45th). Notably, South Africa excels in two key areas: Heritage (24th) and Power (29th). However, South Africa dropped four positions from 2022, with the lowest scores in Open for Business and Quality of Life factors.
The Anholt-Ipsos Nation Brand Index (NBI) calculates its ranking based on averaging the scores of six factors: exports, governance, tourism, culture, people and immigration, and tourism. According to the NBI 2023 ranking, South Africa secures the 42nd position, a drop of one position since 2022.
Appeal to Talent, Business, Trade, and Travel
The Expat Insider 2023 ranks South Africa in 48th position out of 53 countries, below Malta (46th) and Italy (47th). South Africa ranks highest in the Leisure Options, where it secured the 14th position above France (15th) and Kenya (16th). It also ranks 26th in Environment and Climate, above the United States (27th) and the Netherlands (28th).
As per the UNCTAD World Investment Report 2024, South Africa does not rank amongst the top 20 economies for inflows or outflows. However, in 2022 South Africa’s push for renewable energy investment stood out as the primary focus of new incentives enacted in 2023. It adopted a range of fiscal and non-fiscal incentives aimed at encouraging investments in renewable energy. In 2023, FDI in South Africa reached $5.2 billion, a positive consequence of three energy producers separately announced green hydrogen projects in South Africa.
The Bloom Consulting biannual Country Brand Ranking Trade Edition 2024-2025 assesses investment-related variables, emphasizing perceptions of a country’s trade-specific brand and evaluating branding performance. Regionally, South Africa reclaims its leading 1st position ahead of Nigeria and Morocco, increased its rank by one position. This rise is the result of a substantial increase in FDI due to significant technology investment. Globally, South Africa secured the 34th position.
In addition, the Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking Tourism Edition 2024-2025 places South Africa at the 40th global position. Regionally, South Africa drops one position to take 3rd, behind Egypt and Morocco.
In the IMD 2024 World Competitiveness Ranking, South Africa secured the 60th position, improving by one position. Currently, it stands just behind Bulgaria (58th) and Slovakia (59th), while surpassing Mongolia (61st) and Brazil (62nd).
In terms of specific characteristics, South Africa’s economic performance decreased by two positions to the 61st spot in 2023. It holds the 59th position for government efficiency, experiencing a drop of six positions compared to 2022. Lastly, South Africa climbs two positions to the 54th position for business efficiency and holds the 62nd spot for infrastructure, a decrease of two positions since 2022.
South Africa, classified as an upper-middle-income country within the Sub-Saharan African regional group, currently holds the 68th position in the Global Talent Competitiveness Index 2023. South Africa performs best in the Attract pillar (53rd), and its main challenge is VT skills (93rd).
The country has a number of respected universities according to the World University Rankings 2024. The University of Cape Town ranks 167th, while Stellenbosch University and the University of the Witwatersrand are both in the 301-350th bracket.
Environmental Sustainability
The 2024 edition of the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) ranks South Africa 104th, below Senegal, Tanzania, and Bhutan. The EPI analyses the performance of 180 countries, scoring them on their environmental performance using the most recent data available.
The Sustainable Development Report 2024 ranks South Africa in 115th position. It highlights that the country faces significant challenges to overcome before attaining SDG achievement status for all 17 goals.
How “Good” Is South Africa?
In the Caf World Giving Index 2023, South Africa secured the 57th position, showcasing an impressive jump of 30 positions. Notably, South Africa performs admirably in the subfactor of helping a stranger, with 71% of its adult population helping a stranger this past year.
In the Good Country Index, South Africa currently holds the 44th position overall. In the sub-categories it performed well in Science & Technology (19th), World Order (22nd), International Peace & Security (38th) and Culture (48th). More attention is needed in Planet & Climate (127th), Prosperity & Equality (79th), and Health & Wellbeing (62nd). It’s worth mentioning that in 2022, it was ranked 41st, and in 2021, it held the 47th position.
According to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Democracy Index 2023, South Africa falls two positions to be ranked 47th. It remains in the blue zone (7-8 range) with a 7.05 out of 10.
The 2023 Corruption Perception Index ranks South Africa 83rd with a score of 41/100, tying with Burkina Faso, Kosovo, and Vietnam. South Africa’s score dropped two points since since 2022.
Peace and Happiness
The Global Peace Index 2024 ranks South Africa 127th, rising two positions. South Africa sits behind Lesotho (125th) and Uganda (126th). It falls under the Low sector of the ‘State of Peace’ spectrum as defined by the Institute for Economics & Peace. South Africa positioned 31st out of 44 countries regionally amongst the fellow Sub-Saharan African countries, led by Mauritius and Madagascar
The Institute for Economics & Peace similarly ranks South Africa within the No Impact (Green) zone in terms of ‘Impact of Terrorism’ in the 2024 Global Terrorism Index. South Africa ranks 89th.
Meanwhile, the World Happiness Report 2024, which displays the Ranking of Happiness based on a three-year average, ranks South Africa 83th.
Last updated in August 2024. Explore more country profiles here.
More about South Africa, its country branding, destination marketing, and attractiveness as a location in our South Africa Country Showcase.
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Disclaimer: The information in this article is intended to provide a general overview of South Africa’s economic and cultural landscape and facilitate comparison over time. While we strive for accuracy and completeness, we are not responsible for any typographical errors or inaccuracies. The data is provided “as is” without warranty of any kind. Users should verify any information before relying on it for decision-making purposes.
