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Insights Centre
Sectors · Real estate across SADC

Real estate in South Africa

Where building is happening, how fast, what kind, and what new infrastructure is about to open up.

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Value added by construction, 2024US$8.7bn2.4% of the economy · 2nd largest of 16 in SADC
Real growth-5.8%a year over the last five years, at constant prices
Exports of the pillar's goods, 2024US$739m+4% on five years earlier · 1st in SADC
Deals in the last 12 months136 tracked in South Africa in all

Construction added US$8.7bn to South Africa's economy in 2024

Value added by construction, the industries in the national accounts closest to real estate, US$, at the prices of each year and at constant 2020 prices (which show real growth)

0$5bn$10bn$15bn199019921994199619982000200220042006200820102012201420162018202020222024Prices of each yearUS$8.7bnConstant 2020 pricesUS$7.5bn
Source: UN Statistics Division·dotzedw Insights Centre

South Africa has SADC's 2nd largest construction sector

Value added by construction, US$, latest year, with its share of each economy

TanzaniaUS$10.4bn13.7% of the economy
South AfricaUS$8.7bn2.4% of the economy
AngolaUS$5.0bn4.3% of the economy
DRCUS$3.9bn5.5% of the economy
ZambiaUS$2.5bn10.2% of the economy
BotswanaUS$2.3bn12.6% of the economy
ZimbabweUS$1.1bn2.6% of the economy
MadagascarUS$1.1bn6.7% of the economy
MauritiusUS$743m5.8% of the economy
MalawiUS$358m3.2% of the economy
MozambiqueUS$212m1.1% of the economy
NamibiaUS$183m1.5% of the economy
EswatiniUS$146m3.2% of the economy
SeychellesUS$126m6.9% of the economy
LesothoUS$56m2.7% of the economy
ComorosUS$24m1.6% of the economy
Source: UN Statistics Division·dotzedw Insights Centre

Urban population: South Africa against SADC

Urban population, people, latest year for each country. Click a bar for that country's real estate page.

010m20m30m40m50mDRC50.9mSouth Africa41.3mAngola27.9mTanzania26.0mMozambique13.3mMadagascar10.8mZambia10.1mZimbabwe6.9mMalawi3.9mBotswana1.7mNamibia1.6mLesotho1.1mMauritius486kEswatini336kComoros300kSeychelles56kmedian 5.4m

Source: dotzedw·dotzedw Insights Centre

South Africa's trade in real estate goods since 2012

Exports and imports of the products in this pillar's subsectors, each product counted once, US$

0$200m$400m$600m$800m$1bn2012201420162018202020222024ExportsUS$739mImportsUS$379m
Source: CEPII BACI·dotzedw Insights Centre

Subsectors

8 in this pillar

Residential (formal market) in South Africa

Tracks
New building in the largest cities, reported house prices and rents, how fast towns are growing, and credit to households and firms.
Signals ahead
Roads, water and sewer extensions and substations reaching undeveloped land; plot servicing tenders; estate launches.
Average residential rent, GautengR9,600 a monthQ1 2026National average R9,582 a month.PayProp Rental Index, reported by The Citizen
Average residential rent, Western CapeR12,125 a monthQ1 2026Up 7.4% on a year; the first province with average rent above R12,000.PayProp Rental Index, reported by The Citizen and PayProp
Average residential rent, KwaZulu-NatalR9,583 a monthQ1 2026PayProp Rental Index, reported by The Citizen

Select a figure for its trend. Source: As published, World Bank, dotzedw deals tracker.

Open these deals in the deals tracker

What South Africa sells abroad across real estate

South Africa's exports by subsector, 2024, US$, with its share of SADC's exports. A product can count in two subsectors.

Construction and building materialsUS$739m58.8% of SADC · +4% on five years earlier
Source: CEPII BACI·dotzedw Insights Centre

Who is moving

Open in the deals tracker

1 deals in the last 12 months involving South Africa, placed in subsectors by what they say.

Sources and method