Two-way investment brief
Australia–South Africa
South Africa direct investment in Australia
A$5.3 bn
Total South Africa investment in Australia
A$13.8 bn
Australian direct investment in South Africa
A$973 m
Total Australian investment in South Africa
A$6.4 bn
Trend
Direct investment in both directions
- South Africa in Australia
- Australia in South Africa
Source: ABS, International Investment Position, Australia: Supplementary Statistics (5352.0).
- Direct investment
- Portfolio investment
- Other investment
Source: ABS, International Investment Position, Australia: Supplementary Statistics (5352.0).
Net transactions during the year; negative = net disinvestment
- South Africa → Australia
- Australia → South Africa
Source: ABS, International Investment Position, Australia: Supplementary Statistics (5352.0).
Trade relationship
Australia–South Africa trade
Investment and trade move together: the partners that invest most in Australia are usually major trading partners too. Goods trade is recorded monthly (latest: July 2026); services annually.
Two-way trade, 2025
A$5.2 bn
Goods exports to South Africa, 2025
A$1.9 bn
Goods imports from South Africa, 2025
A$2.1 bn
Services trade, 2025
A$1.2 bn
Calendar years, A$ (ABS merchandise trade)
- Exports to South Africa
- Imports from South Africa
Source: ABS, International Merchandise Trade (MERCH_EXP / MERCH_IMP), summed to calendar years.
Calendar years, A$ (ABS international trade in services by country)
- Exports to South Africa
- Imports from South Africa
Source: ABS, International Trade in Services by Country, calendar years.
Economic outlook
South Africa’s economy
| IMF World Economic Outlook | 2024 | 2025 | 2026forecast | 2027forecast | 2028forecast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real GDP growth | 0.5% | 1.1% | 1.0% | 1.3% | 1.5% |
| Inflation | 4.4% | 3.2% | 3.9% | 3.4% | 3.0% |
| Unemployment rate | 32.6% | 32.4% | 32.5% | 32.4% | 32.2% |
| Current account, % GDP | −0.7% | −0.5% | −0.9% | −1.4% | −1.6% |
| Fiscal balance, % GDP | −5.7% | −5.8% | −4.9% | −4.3% | −4.4% |
| Government gross debt, % GDP | 76.0% | 78.6% | 78.9% | 79.7% | 80.9% |
Source: IMF World Economic Outlook via the IMF DataMapper API. Years from 2026 are IMF projections; recent years may be estimates and are revised in each WEO round (April and October).
2025 at a glance
- New FDI from South Africa
- A$2.7 bn
- New Australian FDI in South Africa
- −A$32 m
- Direct investment income paid to investors
- A$732 m
- Direct investment income earned by Australians
- A$5 m
South Africa globally (World Bank)
- FDI outflows, 2024
- −$1.3 bn · 162nd
- FDI inflows, 2025
- −$2.2 bn
- GDP, 2025
- $427 bn
- Region · income
- Sub-Saharan Africa · Upper-middle income
Regulatory openness (OECD FDIRRI)
OECD index data loading — see FDI openness
Sources: ABS, International Investment Position, Australia: Supplementary Statistics (cat. 5352.0), 2025 release, released 2026-05-06 — levels at 31 December and calendar-year flows and income, A$ millions, immediate counterparty basis (investment routed via third economies is attributed to the intermediate economy). World Bank WDI (US$). OECD FDI Regulatory Restrictiveness Index. np = not published for confidentiality; included in totalsPrepared independently by FDIstats from public statistics; not an Australian Government publication and not investment advice. For foreign investment rules, see the Treasury and FIRB.