There are 7,696,196 companies and businesses in South Africa in our data, counted on 2 November 2026. 6,960,370 of them are corporations.
List of all companies in South Africa
South Africa has 7,696,196 registered companies and businesses in our data, counted on 2 November 2026. 6,960,370 of them are corporations. We build the records from the national business register and other official sources, and add the sole traders, branch locations and public bodies a register leaves out. Most of them are small: 8% have fewer than five employees. Below you find the largest, the smallest, the newest and the oldest companies in South Africa, where they are based and what they do. Want to buy the list of all 7,696,196 South African companies as an API integration or Excel file? Get it from our South African company database.
7,696,196 companies indexed · Data counted on 2 November 2026
Companies7,696,196
Corporations6,960,370
Provinces11
Largest provinceGauteng 44%
Employees10-19
Revenue$1M-$5M
Email3%
Phone17%
Website4%
South African company list: all 7,696,196 companies
The list of all companies and businesses in South Africa, live and sorted by revenue. Narrow it by region, city, industry, size, revenue, legal form or founding year. The full search is on our South African company directory.
Pick N Pay Holdings (rf) LTDPick N Pay Holdings (rf) LTD
| Company Name | Country | City | Address 1 | State/Province | Postal Code | Website | Founding Year | Yearly Revenue in U.S. Dollars | Employees Total | Business Legal Type - Description | Number of Companies in Group | Company Registration Number | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pick N Pay Holdings (rf) LTD | Southafrica | Cape Town | Pick N Pay Office Park 101 Rosmead Av | Western Cape | 7708 | *****.za | 1981 | $49,750,960,000 | 63 | Corporation | 7 | 198100961006 |
| 2 | Massmart Retail (PTY) LTD | Southafrica | Johannesburg | 16 Peltier Dr | Gauteng | 2146 | *****.za | 2008 | $35,699,277,600 | 495 | Corporation | 9827 | 200801166607 |
| 3 | Magaliesberg Sitrus Maatskappy (PTY) LTD | Southafrica | Brits | Portion 1160 Farm Hartebeespoort, B410 Jq Kareepoort | North West | 0250 | N/A | 2005 | $30,065,388,150 | 273 | Corporation | 10 | 200501054607 |
| 4 | Fpampm Seta | Southafrica | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $24,049,085,200 | 10 | 5 | N/A | |
| 5 | Tech Mahindra South Africa (PTY) LTD | Southafrica | Johannesburg | 10th Floor Sandton City Office Towe, Cnr Rivonia and 5th St | Gauteng | 2196 | N/A | 2008 | $23,348,473,155 | 200,000 | Corporation | 416 | 200800513807 |
| 6 | Ng Global Energy Solutions (PTY) LTD | Southafrica | Glenstantia | 6th Floor Park Lane West, 180197 Amarand Av | N/A | 0010 | N/A | 2017 | $18,599,144,200 | 60 | Corporation | N/A | 201737664007 |
| 7 | Continental Tyre South Africa (PTY) LTD | Southafrica | Gqeberha | Cadle St | Eastern Cape | 6001 | *****.za | 1998 | $18,540,808,972 | 2,000 | Corporation | 503 | 199800502007 |
| 8 | Bridgestone South Africa (PTY) LTD | Southafrica | Johannesburg | 6 Ridge Rd | Gauteng | 1685 | *****.za | 1930 | $18,020,262,182 | 551 | Corporation | 4259 | 193000280107 |
| 9 | Shell Downstream South Africa (PTY) LTD | Southafrica | Johannesburg | Twickenham Bldg, the Campus 57 Sloane St | Gauteng | 2021 | *****.za | 2007 | $16,839,751,320 | 48 | Corporation | 5522 | 200701625507 |
| 10 | Eskom | Southafrica | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 2011 | $16,314,200,560 | 1 | Corporation | N/A | 4220313185 |
| 11 | Sasol Chemical Holdings International (PTY) LTD | Southafrica | Johannesburg | 50 Katherine Street | Gauteng | 2146 | *****.za | 2000 | $14,947,605,963 | 250 | Corporation | 102 | 200002893907 |
| 12 | Sasol Oil (PTY) LTD | Southafrica | Johannesburg | Sasol Place | Gauteng | 2146 | *****.com | 1981 | $14,731,331,296 | 85 | Corporation | 102 | 198100762207 |
| 13 | Dr Reddys Laboratories (PTY) LTD | Southafrica | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 2002 | $12,555,422,516 | 12 | Corporation | N/A | 200201416307 |
| 14 | Samsung Electronics South Africa (PTY) LTD | Southafrica | Johannesburg | 2929 Winnie Mandela Dr | Gauteng | 2021 | *****.com | 1994 | $12,418,150,228 | 35 | Corporation | 781 | 199400387207 |
| 15 | Pebble Bed Modular Reactor | Southafrica | Johannesburg | 1 Maxwell Dr | Gauteng | 2000 | *****.za | 1999 | $8,913,671,352 | 426 | N/A | 199901794630 | |
| 16 | Fixtrade 326 (PTY) LTD | Southafrica | Oudtshoorn | 141 High St | Western Cape | 6625 | N/A | 1999 | $8,583,608,775 | 495 | Corporation | 19 | 199901302707 |
| 17 | Sibanye Gold Shared Services (PTY) LTD | Southafrica | Randfontein | Libanon Business Park, 1 Hospital Rd Office Cedar Av | Gauteng | 1779 | N/A | 2002 | $8,080,029,552 | 430 | Corporation | 50 | 200202077507 |
| 18 | Ford Motor Company Of Southern Africa Manufacturing (PTY) LTD | Southafrica | Pretoria | Simon Vermooten Rd | Gauteng | 0128 | *****.za | 1923 | $7,428,896,776 | 3,700 | Corporation | 765 | 192300255507 |
| 19 | Sasol Mynbou (PTY) LTD | Southafrica | Johannesburg | Sasol Place | Gauteng | 2146 | N/A | 1950 | $7,230,055,535 | 200 | Corporation | 102 | 195003859007 |
| 20 | Sabic South Africa (PTY) LTD | Southafrica | Cape Town | 1101b 11th Floor Portside Towers, 4 Bree St | Western Cape | 8001 | *****.com | 2007 | $7,177,645,540 | 100 | Corporation | N/A | 200702544707 |
| 21 | Sasol South Africa (PTY) LTD | Southafrica | Johannesburg | Sasol Place 50 Katherine St | Gauteng | 2196 | *****.za | 1968 | $7,021,181,925 | 0 | Corporation | 102 | 196801391407 |
| 22 | Rustenburg Platinum Mines LTD | Southafrica | Johannesburg | 144 Oxford Rd | Gauteng | 2196 | N/A | 1931 | $6,840,977,113 | 40,000 | Corporation | 7 | 193100338006 |
| 23 | Nalco Africa (PTY) LTD | Southafrica | Germiston | 1 Ampere St | Gauteng | 1624 | *****.com | 2009 | $6,550,813,248 | 70 | Corporation | 987 | 200901240207 |
| 24 | Bidvest Bank LTD | Southafrica | Johannesburg | 2nd Floor Bidvest Hse, 18 Cres Dr | Gauteng | 2196 | *****.za | 2000 | $6,345,396,270 | 0 | Corporation | 416 | 200000647806 |
| 25 | Bidbee LTD | Southafrica | Melrose Arch | 2nd Floor Bidvest Hse, 18 Cres Dr | Gauteng | 2196 | N/A | 2003 | $6,345,396,270 | 150 | Corporation | N/A | 200301886106 |
Showing 25 of 7,696,196 companies
Request Free SampleHow many companies are there in South Africa?
Companies and businesses in South Africa
7,696,196
2 November 2026
There are 7,696,196 companies and businesses in South Africa in our data, counted on 2 November 2026. That is every kind of business, not only the registered companies: 6,960,370 corporations ((Pty) Ltd and Ltd), 80,992 sole traders (sole proprietors) and 6,672 partnerships. On top of those come 394,692 non-profit organisations, 4,338 branches of foreign companies and 2,607 public bodies.
Structure
- Single-site businesses
- 7,645,584 99%
- Head offices
- 17,677
- Branch locations
- 32,935
Legal form
- Corporations
- 6,960,370 90%
- Sole traders
- 80,992
- Partnerships
- 6,672
Per working day this year
≈ 470
new companies registered · 102,462 so far in 2026
Largest companies in South Africa
Which are the largest companies in South Africa? That depends on what you measure. By number of employees the biggest employer is Tech Mahindra South Africa (PTY), with 200,000 staff, ahead of Rustenburg Platinum Mines and Pepkor. It is also the largest company by yearly revenue, ahead of Continental Tyre South Africa (PTY) and Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa Manufacturing (PTY). Below are the top companies of South Africa ranked four ways: by number of employees, by yearly revenue, the largest public-sector employers and the biggest foreign companies in South Africa. 100 South African companies employ more than 10,000 people and 87 report more than $1 billion a year.
Tech Mahindra South Africa (PTY) has the largest headcount of any company in South Africa in our data. 100 South African companies list more than 10,000 people, 1,971 more than 500.
- 1200,000 staff
- 240,000 staff
- 332,000 staff
- 427,000 staff
- 518,000 staff
- 66,000 staff
- 75,600 staff
- 83,700 staff
- 92,400 staff
- 102,150 staff
Headcount as it is recorded on the company; for a group's parent or holding company it is usually the whole group's, worldwide.
Tech Mahindra South Africa (PTY) is the largest company in South Africa by revenue; 87 South African companies report more than $1 billion a year. Corporations only.
- 1$23.3B
- 2$18.5B
- 3$7.4B
- 4$7.0B
- 5$6.8B
- 6$5.8B
- 7$4.8B
- 8$4.7B
- 9$4.7B
- 10$4.3B
Gauteng Department of Education is the largest public body in our data for South Africa, with 81,704 staff.
- 181,704 staff
- 279,045 staff
- 378,725 staff
- 457,491 staff
- 543,000 staff
- 630,000 staff
4,338 foreign companies have a registered branch or establishment in South Africa.
- 14,000 worldwide
- 21,606 worldwide
- 31,500 worldwide
- 41,500 worldwide
- 51,298 worldwide
- 61,000 worldwide
- 7905 worldwide
- 8900 worldwide
Headcount and revenue are those of the worldwide company, not of the branch in South Africa.
By employee size · 7,555,628 companies with a known headcount
| Employees | Share | Companies | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-4 | 624,467 | 8% | |
| 5-9 | 625,349 | 8% | |
| 10-19 | 5,484,098 | 73% | |
| 20-49 | 586,349 | 8% | |
| 50-99 | 154,783 | 2% | |
| 100-199 | 72,185 | 1.0% | |
| 200-499 | 6,426 | <0.1% | |
| 500+ | 1,971 | <0.1% |
8% have 1 to 4 employees; 1,971 have 500 or more.
By yearly revenue (USD)
| Revenue | Share | Companies | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| < $100K | 49,089 | 0.7% | |
| $100K-$500K | 809,684 | 11% | |
| $500K-$1M | 1,169,144 | 16% | |
| $1M-$5M | 5,129,771 | 68% | |
| $5M-$10M | 287,700 | 4% | |
| $10M-$100M | 68,839 | 0.9% | |
| $100M-$1B | 237 | <0.1% | |
| $1B+ | 87 | <0.1% |
324 companies report more than $100 million; 87 more than $1 billion.
Small businesses in South Africa
Most companies in South Africa are small businesses. Of the 7,555,628 with a known headcount, 1,249,816 (17%) are micro businesses with fewer than ten employees, 6,070,447 are small (10 to 49) and 233,394 medium-sized (50 to 499). Only 1,971 employ 500 people or more, so 99.97% of South African companies are SMEs. This is where our data is strongest: sole traders, micro companies and single shops, each with an address and an industry code.
| Size class | Share | Companies | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Micro · fewer than 10 | 1,249,816 | 17% | |
| Small · 10 to 49 | 6,070,447 | 80% | |
| Medium · 50 to 499 | 233,394 | 3% | |
| Large · 500 or more | 1,971 | <0.1% |
624,467
companies have 1 to 4 employees (8%). 49,089 turn over less than $100,000 a year.
80,992
sole traders are in the data, each with an address and an industry code.
8%
of the 102,462 companies started in 2026 have 1 to 4 employees (7,800). Only 51 started with 200 staff or more.
Where are companies in South Africa based?
Gauteng has more companies than any other province in South Africa: 3,371,562, or 44% of the total, ahead of Kwazulu-Natal (1,075,052) and Western Cape (851,041). Below you find all eleven provinces and the ten busiest cities, with a link to the local list where we have one.
eleven provinces
| Province | Share | Companies | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gauteng | 3,371,562 | 44% | |
| Kwazulu-Natal | 1,075,052 | 14% | |
| Western Cape | 851,041 | 11% | |
| Limpopo | 539,510 | 7% | |
| Mpumalanga | 502,862 | 7% | |
| Eastern Cape | 501,687 | 7% | |
| North West | 350,946 | 5% | |
| Free State | 278,400 | 4% | |
| Northern Cape | 111,618 | 1% | |
| Kwa-Zulu Natal | 24,897 | 0.3% | |
| Northwest Province | 11,736 | 0.2% |
Ten busiest cities
- Johannesburg1,378,190
- Pretoria1,104,382
- Cape Town646,752
- Durban592,676
- Germiston578,873
- Polokwane174,673
- Vereeniging143,699
- Mbombela141,073
- Bloemfontein120,441
- Gqeberha117,177
Main industries in South Africa
Business services and IT is the biggest industry in South Africa by number of companies: 1,293,949, or 17% of all firms with an industry code. Next come wholesale (durable goods) (930,721) and engineering, accounting and management (747,419). Companies are grouped here by their SIC code, the classification every company in our data carries, in every country. Below you find the main sectors, the largest industries with their biggest companies and our 85 industry lists for South Africa.
- Business services and IT1,293,94917%
- Wholesale (durable goods)930,72112%
- Engineering, accounting and management747,41910%
- Other shops562,4027%
- Holding and investment companies535,0197%
- Building construction473,4686%
- Real estate448,8026%
- Other services305,5794%
- Haulage and warehousing139,5192%
- Social services136,6612%
- Other manufacturing108,4321%
- Personal services96,2201%
- Wholesale (consumer goods)94,4091%
- Agricultural services92,9451%
- Travel and transport services87,3521%
- Other industries1,517,65020%
The fifteen largest of 82 SIC major groups; records without an industry code are not in this chart.
Largest industries in South Africa
1,293,949
SIC 73: Business Services
- 1200,000 staff
- 26,500 staff
- 35,054 staff
930,721
Wholesale (durable goods)
SIC 50: Wholesale Trade-durable Goods
- 15,000 staff
- 25,000 staff
- 34,700 staff
747,419
Engineering, accounting and management
SIC 87: Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management, And Related Services
- 17,000 staff
- 23,500 staff
- 32,500 staff
562,402
SIC 59: Miscellaneous Retail
- 15,000 staff
- 24,500 staff
- 34,187 staff
473,468
SIC 15: Building Construction General Contractors And Operative Builders
- 15,000 staff
- 22,500 staff
- 32,012 staff
305,579
Other services
SIC 89: Miscellaneous Services
- 15,000 staff
- 23,000 staff
- 32,010 staff
139,519
Haulage and warehousing
SIC 42: Motor Freight Transportation And Warehousing
- 13,200 staff
- 23,115 staff
- 32,300 staff
Discover more: all South African industries, cities and regions
Every South African list we publish. Industries are grouped by economic sector.
A · Agriculture
B · Mining
C · Manufacturing
- Automotive companies
- Brewery companies
- Chemical companies
- Clothing companies
- Cosmetics companies
- Electronics companies
- Fashion companies
- Food companies
- Furniture companies
- Glass companies
- Leather companies
- Manufacturing companies
- Meat companies
- Men clothing companies
- Office furniture companies
- Packaging companies
- Paper companies
- Sportswear companies
- Steel companies
- Tools companies
- Tyre companies
- Wine companies
D · Energy
F · Construction
G · Wholesale and retail
H · Transport and storage
I · Accommodation and food
J · Information and communication
K · Finance and insurance
L · Real estate
M · Professional, scientific and technical
N · Administrative and support
Q · Health and social work
R · Arts and recreation
S · Other services
More industries
Countries
- Afghanistan
- Albania
- Algeria
- Angola
- Argentina
- Armenia
- Aruba
- Australia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Bahamas
- Bahrain
- Bangladesh
- Barbados
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Belize
- Bermuda
- Bolivia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Cameroon
- Canada
- Cayman Islands
- Chile
- China
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Croatia
- Curaçao
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- El Salvador
- Estonia
- Ethiopia
- Finland
- France
- Georgia
- Germany
- Ghana
- Gibraltar
- Greece
- Greenland
- Guatemala
- Honduras
- Hong Kong
- Hungary
- Iceland
- India
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Iraq
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Ivory Coast
- Jamaica
- Japan
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kenya
- Kuwait
- Kyrgyzstan
- Latvia
- Lebanon
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Macao
- Malawi
- Malaysia
- Malta
- Mauritius
- Mexico
- Moldova
- Monaco
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Nepal
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua
- Niger
- Nigeria
- North Macedonia
- Norway
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Philippines
- Poland
- Portugal
- Qatar
- Romania
- Russia
- Saudi Arabia
- Serbia
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- South Korea
- Spain
- Sri Lanka
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Syria
- Taiwan
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- Turkey
- UAE
- Uganda
- UK
- Ukraine
- Uruguay
- USA
- Uzbekistan
- Venezuela
- Vietnam
- Yemen
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
How many new companies are registered in South Africa? (2026)
102,462 new companies and startups registered in South Africa so far in 2026, about 470 every working day, after 5,344 new businesses in 2025. Most startups begin small: 8% of this year's newcomers have one to four employees. 96,207 of them are corporations ((Pty) Ltd and Ltd).
≈ 470
new companies register every working day in 2026
8%
of this year's startups begin with one to four employees
5,344
new companies in 2025
Companies founded per year
- 389,7462022
- 212,3592023
- 372,4442024
- 5,3442025
- 102,4622026 so far
The biggest newcomers of 2026
A new registration is often a restructuring, not a start-up: the largest newcomers are new holding and property companies for existing businesses.
- 1500 staff
- 2460 staff
- 3430 staff
- 4400 staff
- 5300 staff
Oldest companies in South Africa
Our data holds 1 South African organisations founded before 1700, 1 before 1800, 363 before 1900 and 9,264 before 1950.
Older than you
Move the slider to a year. Two live counts from the founding year in our data.
221,058
South African companies were founded before 1990
27,957
were founded in 1990
7,379,254 South African companies, 97% of those with a founding year on record, were founded in 1990 or later. 221,058 are older.
Types of companies in South Africa
Nine in ten South African businesses in our data are corporations ((Pty) Ltd and Ltd), and one in ninety-five is a sole trader (sole proprietors). Partnerships make up <0.1%. The chart shows every legal form in our data.
- Corporations6,960,37090%
- No legal form on record246,2153%
- Sole traders80,9921%
- Partnerships6,672<0.1%
- Foreign companies4,338<0.1%
- Non-profit organisations394,6925%
- Cooperatives310<0.1%
- Public bodies2,607<0.1%
Which South African companies are part of a group?
Most South African companies stand alone: 99% are single-site businesses. The other 50,612 are part of a multi-site structure, as one of 17,677 head offices or 32,935 branches. The largest corporate family on this page is Motus Corporation (PTY), with 1,034 companies in its group.
The largest corporate families on this page
- 11,034 companies
- 2765 companies
- 3503 companies
- 4416 companies
- 5102 companies
- 640 companies
- 730 companies
- 823 companies
Counted from the largest companies on this page, not from all 7,696,196; the API has no group-size filter.
What you can reach: contact data on South African companies
327,266 South African companies have a website on record (4%), 1,293,414 a phone number (17%) and 209,872 an email address (3%). Among corporations: 4% have a website and 3% an email address.
| Field | Share | Companies | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Website | 327,266 | 4% | |
| Phone | 1,293,414 | 17% | |
| 209,872 | 3% |
Questions about companies in South Africa
Every answer is counted from the data on this page (2 November 2026).
7,696,196. That includes 80,992 sole traders and 6,672 partnerships.
6,960,370 corporations, 90% of all South African businesses in our data (2 November 2026).
Of the 7,555,628 South African companies with a known headcount, 7,553,657 have fewer than 500 employees: 1,249,816 micro, 6,070,447 small and 233,394 medium-sized. 1,971 are large enterprises.
Tech Mahindra South Africa (PTY), with $23.3 billion in yearly revenue, ahead of Continental Tyre South Africa (PTY) ($18.5B) and Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa Manufacturing (PTY) ($7.4B).
Tech Mahindra South Africa (PTY), with 200,000 staff on its record (for a group's parent this is usually the whole group's headcount).
3,371,562, 44% of all South African companies (2 November 2026).
102,462 so far in 2026, about 470 per working day, after 5,344 in 2025.
From the national business register and other official sources, combined with company websites and filings, and refreshed every month.
327,266, 4% of all South African companies. 1,293,414 have a phone number and 209,872 an email address.
Yes. The full list of 7,696,196 companies is available as Excel, CSV or through the API from our South African company database.
Get the full list
All 7,696,196 companies in South Africa with address, SIC code, legal form, employees, revenue, founding year, website, phone and email where we hold them. Excel, CSV or API. The product details are in our South African company database.
Free sample