S O U T H
A F R I C A
082
S outhern
A frica :
S outh A frica
Southern Africa: South Africa Overview South Africa had a GDP of USD $356.1 billion in 2019 and a population of 59.3 million in 2020.391,392 It has approximately 2.2 million small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and 9.1 million jobs.393 394 395 The International Monetary Fund’s initial estimates (post-COVID-19) expect South Africa’s economy to grow at a rate of 4.0% in 2021, an adjustment of -1.4% from pre-COVID-19 estimates, after shrinking by 5.8% in 2020 and historically poor 0.15% growth in 2019.396 This study estimated that 141,500 social enterprises are operating in South Africa as of 2020, offering direct employment to 589,900 people.397 South Africa’s population is expected to grow by 1.6% annually, leading to a working age population (15-64) of 44.6 million people in 2030.398,399,400 This study projects there will be approximately 666,600 direct jobs in social enterprises in South Africa by 2030, 76,700 more jobs than in 2020. Figure 37 shows the total number of direct jobs in social enterprises in 2020 and 2030 (projected). 800 K
666,634
700 K 600 K
589,923
500 K 400 K 300 K 200 K 100 K 0
Number of jobs 2020
Number of jobs 2030
Figure 37: Estimated direct jobs in social enterprises in South Africa 2020-2030
