South Africa sinks in new global ranking

• South Africa has dropped in the Fraser Institute’s 2026 economic freedom rankings, now ranking 87th among 165 global economies.
• The institute’s Economic Freedom of the World (EFW) ranking assesses the extent to which people can make their own economic choices in a country, with the categories including government spending and regulation.
• The Free Market Foundation flagged inflation and currency depreciation as two areas threatening South Africa’s economic outlook, with the country’s inflation reaching its highest point in 2026 in June, at 5%.