South Africa
South Africa is a leader in the fintech sector in Africa. Innovations in mobile money, online banking, and financial services are prominent. According to a report published by Research and Markets, the country has been internationally recognised for having one of the most sophisticated financial sectors, generating approximately 40% of all fintech revenue in Africa. South Africa has invested significantly in improving its digital infrastructure. The rollout of fibre-optic cables and the expansion of 4G LTE networks across urban and semi-urban areas have been pivotal. The government, along with private companies, is pushing towards enhancing 5G technology, which promises to revolutionise various sectors through improved connectivity and speed.
South Africa has been taking steps towards developing a clear national AI strategy. The country has established the Artificial Intelligence Institute of South Africa and is working on introducing a tailored national strategy and appropriate regulations to ensure the ethical use of AI.
Recognising the key role of AI in this transformation, President Cyril Ramaphosa established the Presidential Commission on the Fourth Industrial Revolution (PC4IR). This commission’s mandate is to forge a cohesive national response to the challenges and opportunities presented by the 4IR. In its comprehensive report issued in January 2020, the PC4IR outlined a series of recommendations aimed at propelling South Africa to the forefront of this global movement. The recommendations include the establishment of an artificial intelligence (AI) Institute.
Consult South Africa’s AI and digital strategies and regulations
Follow South Africa’s digital submarine cables
The data is sourced from reputable international agencies and organizations. Hover over each field for source information and explanations.
General profile
Official name: Republic of South Africa
National internet domain: ZA
Area: 1,221,037 km2
Capital: Pretoria, Cape Town and Bloemfontein
Population: 60.4 million
The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.Population growth: 0.87
Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.
Life expectancy at birth: 61.48
Total years (Estimate for 2022)The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.
Rule of law estimate: 0.02
Rule of Law captures perceptions of the extent to which agents have confidence in and abide by the rules of society, and in particular the quality of contract enforcement, property rights, the police, and the courts, as well as the likelihood of crime and violence. Estimate gives the country's score ranging from approximately -2.5 to 2.5 (Estimate for 2023)
Regulatory quality estimate: -0.19
Political stability: -0.72
Economic info
Currency: Rand
Unemployment (%): 32.10
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force)The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.
GDP (current US$): 377.8 billion
GDP growth (annual %): 0.60
GDP per capita (current US$): 6.3 thousand
The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.Inflation, consumer prices (annual %): 6.07
The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.
Digital profile
Internet and social media penetration:
Individuals using the internet, total (%): 74.70
The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.Social media users: 26.0 million
Estimate for 2024Male internet users (%): No data
Male internet users as a % of total male population.The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.
Facebook users: 26.0 million
Estimate for 2024Female internet users (%): No data
Female Internet users as a % of total female population.The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.
Instagram users: 7.0 million
Estimate for 2024Households with internet access at home (%): 75.29
The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.Linkedin users: 12.0 million
Estimate for 2024Fixed broadband subscriptions: 3.41
Total fixed broadband subscriptions (per 100 people) refers to fixed subscriptions to high-speed access to the public internet (a TCP/IP connection), at downstream speeds equal to, or greater than, 256 kbit/s.The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.
X users: 4.1 million
Estimate for 2024Mobile infrastructure and access:
Mobile ownership (%): 77.07
Mobile phone ownership as a % of total population (Estimate for 2023)Mobile Infrastructure: 72.89
Mobile Infrastructure index: High-performance mobile internet coverage availability. It includes parameters such as network coverage, performance, quality of supporting infrastructure and amount of spectrum assigned to mobile network operators (Estimate for 2023)Gender gap in mobile internet (%): 6.25
This metric evaluates the disparity in mobile internet access between genders. (Estimate for 2023)Mobile Affordability: 58.29
Mobile Affordability index : The availability of mobile services and devices at price points that reflect the level of income across a national population. It includes parameters such as mobile tariffs, headset prices, taxation and inequality (Estimate for 2023)Gender gap in mobile ownership (%): 0
Represents the disparity between genders in owning mobile devices. (Estimate for 2023)Top-Level Domains (TLDs) per person: 64.16
Number of generic and country Top Level Domains per person Estimate for 2023.Network performance: 58.09
Network performance index: Quality of mobile services measured by download speed, upload speed and latencies (Estimate for 2023)Mobile download speeds: 46.16
Mobile download speeds: Average download speed for mobile users (originally in Mbit/s) (Estimate for 2023)Mobile uploads speeds: 42.89
Mobile uploads speeds: average uploads speed for mobile users (originally in Mbit/s) (Estimate for 2023)Mobile Latencies: 85.22
Mobile Latencies: Average latency for mobile users (originally in milliseconds) (Estimate for 2023)Network Coverage (%): 91.90
Network coverage (% of total population) (Estimate for 2023)2G Coverage (%): 99.95
Coverage % of population (Estimate for 2023)3G Coverage (%): 99.50
Coverage % of population (Estimate for 2023)4G Coverage (%): 99
Coverage % of population (Estimate for 2023)5G Coverage (%): 25
Coverage % of population (Estimate for 2023)Operating system and browser market share estimate
Operating system market share (%):
Desktop, Tablet & Console Operating System Market Share: Estimate for 2024Browser market share (%):
Browser Market Share Worldwide: Estimate for 2024Android: 61.80
Chrome: 72.80
Win10: 12.66
Safari: 9.75
iOS: 11.72
Edge: 4.98
OS X: 1.90
Firefox: 1.11
Win11: 6.79
Samsung Internet: 7.19
The UN E-Government Survey
The UN E-Government Survey is the assessment of the digital government landscape across all UN member states. The E-Government Survey is informed by over two decades of longitudinal research, with a ranking of countries based on the UN E-Government Development Index (EGDI), a combination of primary data (collected and owned by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs) and secondary data from other UN agencies.E-Government Rank: 40
Nations E-Government Development Index (EGDI), a combination of primary data (collected and owned by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs) and secondary data from other UN agencies. Estimate gives the country's rank.E-Government Index: 0.86
The EGDI is a composite measure of three important dimensions of e-government, namely: provision of online services, telecommunication connectivity and human capacity. Estimate gives the country's score ranging from approximately 0 to 1.E-Participation Index: 0.83
The E-Participation Index (EPI) is derived as a supplementary index to the United Nations E-Government Survey. Estimate gives the country's score ranging from approximately 0 to 1.Online Service Index: 0.88
The online services index was developed by the UN to evaluate the scope and quality of government online services. Estimate gives the country's score ranging from approximately 0 to 1.Human Capital Index: 0.80
The Human Capital Index (HCI) quantiï¬es the contribution of health and education to the productivity of the next generation of workers. Estimate gives the country's score ranging from approximately 0 to 1.Telecommunication Infrastructure Index: 0.89
Telecommunication Infrastructure Index- Telecommunication Infrastructure Index (TII) Composite Indicator that measures the countries' Telecommunication infrastructure readiness to adopt the opportunities offered by Information and Communication Technology as to enhance their competitiveness. Estimate gives the country's score ranging from approximately 0 to 1.Government AI Readiness Index
Ranking: 72
Global Ranking is calculated based on the total score. (Estimate for 2024).Total: 52.91
The total score is calculated by taking the arithmetic mean of each dimension, followed by the arithmetic mean of each pillar. The final score is the arithmetic mean of the three pillars, with all indicators, dimensions, and pillars weighted equally. (Estimate for 2024).Government: 54.30
This pillar evaluates a government's readiness and capability to implement AI responsibly and effectively. It includes several dimensions: the presence of a national AI strategy (Vision), regulations for data protection, privacy, and cybersecurity, along with ethical frameworks and accountability measures (Governance and Ethics). It also considers the existing IT infrastructure, online services, and promotion of emerging technology investments (Digital Capacity). Finally, it assesses the government’s ability to change and innovate effectively, including responsiveness to change, effectiveness, and use of procurement data (Adaptability). (Estimate for 2024).Technology Sector: 39.15
This pillar assesses the country's technology sector and its ability to support AI implementation. It includes the maturity of the sector, measured by metrics such as the number of AI and non-AI unicorns, value of trade in ICT services and goods, and spending on computer software (Maturity). It also evaluates the sector's capacity for innovation, considering factors like time spent dealing with regulations, availability of venture capital, R&D spending, company investment in emerging technology, and research papers published in AI (Innovation Capacity). Additionally, it examines the availability of skills within the population, focusing on STEM graduates, GitHub users, female STEM graduates, quality of engineering education, and ICT skills (Human Capital). (Estimate for 2024).Data and Infrastructure: 65.28
This pillar evaluates a country’s technological and data infrastructure to support AI implementation. It examines the quality of technological infrastructure, including telecommunications, supercomputing capabilities, broadband quality, 5G infrastructure, and the adoption of emerging technologies (Infrastructure). It also assesses the availability of data for training AI models, considering factors such as open data, data governance, mobile-cellular subscriptions, household internet access, and statistical capacity (Data Availability). Additionally, it considers the representativeness of the available data, focusing on metrics like the gender gap in internet access and the affordability of internet-enabled devices relative to GDP per capita (Data Representativeness). (Estimate for 2024).