Don\u2019t let Gauteng\u2019s size on a map fool you. It might be the province with the smallest land area, but economically it packs a punch. Gauteng generated just over a third of South Africa\u2019s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2017, making it the nation\u2019s biggest provincial economy (click on the chart to enlarge).<\/p>\n
KwaZulu-Natal was the second biggest, responsible for R16 of every R100 generated by the national economy. Northern Cape, the smallest provincial player, would need to multiply its economic output by 17 in order to square up against Gauteng.<\/p>\n Gauteng\u2019s economic dominance is not surprising. Finance, government, manufacturing, construction and four other industries are heavily represented in the province.<\/p>\n Agriculture and mining are the two exceptions. National agriculture production is mostly concentrated in Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. The bulk of national mining activity takes place in North West, Mpumalanga and Limpopo.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Fact #2 Gauteng\u2019s GDP per capita is double that of Eastern Cape<\/strong><\/p>\n Not only is Gauteng the province with the largest GDP, but it is also the most populous. Gauteng was home to 14,3 million people in 2017, according to data from Stats SA\u2019s Mid-year population<\/em> estimates <\/em>report.1<\/sup><\/p>\n The province contributed R1,59\u00a0trillion to the country\u2019s GDP of R4,65\u00a0trillion (current prices), translating to R111\u00a0171 per person. This makes it the top ranking province in terms of GDP per capita, followed by Western Cape and Free State<\/p>\n Eastern Cape, on the other hand, was the lowest ranking province. Even if Eastern Cape were able to double its GDP per capita, it would still be slightly lower than that of Gauteng.<\/p>\n National GDP per capita was estimated at R81\u00a0875 in 2017.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Fact #3: Government is the biggest industry in Eastern Cape and Free State<\/strong><\/p>\n GDP per capita can be boosted if dominant industries in each province grow at a rate that outstrips population growth. Each province has its own unique industrial makeup. Western Cape, for example, is dominated by the finance and business services, trade, and manufacturing industries.<\/p>\n Government is the largest industry in Eastern Cape and Free State, and second in Gauteng and Limpopo. This shows the importance of government as a driver of economic activity. In fact, nationally it is the second biggest industry after finance and business services, contributing 18% to South Africa\u2019s GDP.2<\/sup><\/p>\n Mining is the most important industry in Northern Cape, North West, Mpumalanga and Limpopo. Rich deposits of platinum, chromite, gold, uranium and other minerals underpin the industry\u2019s dominance in North West. Mining contributed 34% to North West\u2019s GDP in 2017.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Fact #4: Northern Cape\u2019s economy led the charge in 2017<\/strong><\/p>\n Mining was one of the contributors to Northern Cape\u2019s strong growth in 2017. Northern Cape\u2019s GDP expanded by 2,8%, the highest rate of all provinces. Agriculture was also a major contributor to the rise.<\/p>\n In fact, Free State, North West, Limpopo and Mpumalanga also saw growth higher than the national rate due to stronger performance in both agriculture and mining. Of all the provinces, Western Cape\u2019s agriculture industry saw the slowest growth in 2017. This was mainly due to the sluggish recovery from drought.<\/p>\n Gauteng\u2019s growth rate was close to the national rate as the province is the biggest contributor to the national GDP and has a significant representation of nearly all economic activity.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n For more information, download the provincial GDP data from: Stats SA, Annual quarterly and regional Fourth quarter 2018<\/em> [Excel file], Tables 16 to 25 (available here<\/a>).<\/p>\n 1 <\/sup>Stats SA,\u00a0Provincial projection by sex and age (2002-2018)<\/em>\u00a0[Excel file] (download\u00a0here<\/a>).<\/p>\n 2 <\/sup>Gross domestic product (GDP), 4th<\/sup> quarter 2018<\/em>, Media presentation (view here<\/a>).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Each province is unique. Data published recently by Stats SA provide a portrait of South Africa\u2019s provincial economies. Here are four facts you might not have known about our economic landscape. Fact #1 Gauteng is South Africa\u2019s economic powerhouse Don\u2019t let Gauteng\u2019s size on a map fool you. It might be the province with read more »<\/a><\/p>\n![\"prov1\"](\"https:\/\/www.statssa.gov.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/prov1.jpg\")
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