1008628772__20260513__0 The study concluded that while South Africans continue to demonstrate innovation, resilience and a willingness to take entrepreneurial risks, these qualities are undermined by an ecosystem that has failed to keep pace with comparable emerging economies.
South Africa has the entrepreneurial talent and ambition needed to grow new businesses, but a weak support ecosystem continues to prevent many ventures from becoming sustainable enterprises that create jobs.
This is according to the 2026 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) National Expert Special Report on South Africa released on Thursday.
The report found that South Africa scored just 3.9 out of 10 on the National Entrepreneurship Context Index (NECI), placing it among the seven lowest-ranked entrepreneurial ecosystems globally and well below the global average of 4.7.
Compiled through a partnership between Stellenbosch Business School, the University of Johannesburg, North West University and the Small Enterprise Development & Finance Agency (SEDFA), the report assessed the country's entrepreneurship environment across 13 enabling framework conditions, including access to finance, government support, regulation, infrastructure, education and cultural attitudes.
