South Africa Dominates “2025 Fastest-Growing Companies” List

South African businesses have made a strong showing on the Financial Times’ 2025 Fastest Growing Companies list, securing 51 out of the 130 spots on the list. This performance highlights the resilience, innovation and depth of entrepreneurship within the country. 

Now in its fourth year, the Financial Times (FT) ranking is compiled in partnership with research company Statista. The ranking is based on companies’ compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in revenue between 2020 and 2023. To be considered, businesses must have their financial figures verified and signed off by senior executives. However, the methodology excludes companies that are privately held and do not disclose detailed financials.

To be included in the list of Africa’s fastest growing companies, ranked companies had to meet the following requirements: 

• Revenue of at least $100 000 generated in 2020
• Revenue of at least $1.5 million generated in 2023
• The company must be independent (not a subsidiary or branch office) 
• Company headquarters must be in an African country
• Revenue growth between 2020 and 2023 must be primarily organic

South Africa and Nigeria dominate the rankings, together accounting for 79 of the featured companies. South Africa leads the charge with high-growth enterprises across various sectors, including fintech, cybersecurity, energy and manufacturing. 

Notable South African companies on the list include:

· Paymenow Group – ranked 6^th

· Gobid – ranked 7^th

· Drive24 – ranked 9^th

· Piaffe Flavours & Fragrances – ranked 11^th

· Herholdt’s Group – ranked 25^th

· Cyberlinx Security – ranked 28^th

· TymeBank – ranked 29^th

· Omnisient – ranked 30^th

· Solar MD – ranked 38^th

· Zendascape – ranked 45^th

· Electrum Payments – ranked 61^st

· Stackworx – ranked 93^rd

The strong representation of South African firms reflects the country’s capacity to foster scalable businesses despite persistent economic challenges. The results underscore a growing trend: local entrepreneurs are not only surviving in a tough market—they are thriving and driving innovation across the continent.