South Africa’s Gen Z Economy Is Rising Fast. Here Is What the New Data Means for Brands, Tech and 2026

The rise of a new economic powerhouse

South Africa’s Gen Z population, aged 13 to 28, has become one of the country’s most influential economic forces. According to the new BOO! Campus Media’s Gen Z Futures Report, the cohort already represents 19 million people, which accounts for 29 percent of the population

By 2030, their annual spending power is projected to exceed R1.1 trillion, and they already impact more than 80 percent of household purchasing decisions. For brands that still treat Gen Z as a side segment, the data is clear. This is the consumer mainstream.

The report highlights that although many Gen Zs earn under R5 000 a month, they are unusually financially disciplined, saving an average of R1 800 monthly and running side hustles to cope with rising living costs. More than 60 percent are juggling informal work, and their spending is prioritised around data, airtime, food, beauty, gadgets and entertainment.

Slow living, deep values and the end of stereotypes

The report challenges long standing stereotypes about Gen Z being entitled, lazy or distracted. In reality, young people are exhausted, under financial pressure and highly intentional about where they place their attention.

One of the study’s strongest themes is the shift toward slow communities. Gen Z is turning away from hyper speed digital life in favour of rest, presence and meaningful belonging. Close to 40 percent experience anxiety or burnout, according to the mental wellbeing insights.

Identity is also becoming more fluid, with 74 percent remixing their identity depending on context and community. They move between academic life, gig work, online communities and creative pursuits. Careers are non-linear. Culture is blended. And gender and sexuality exist on broad spectrums.

The report stresses that this fluidity has nothing to do with so called awakening culture. It is about living authentically without oversimplification or performance.

Loyalty lives where value lives

Gen Z rewards brands that are real, useful and consistent.
• 61 percent consider themselves lifelong customers if brands deliver on authenticity and quality.
• 73 percent are willing to pay more for value aligned products, not trends.
• They favour durable, high quality goods for stability and identity expression.

This is a generation that prefers investment pieces over fast churn aesthetics. They rewear, upcycle and resist constant trend cycles unless the product has meaning.

Their loyalty is based on renewal, not permanence. When brands drift, Gen Z shifts quickly.

What Gen Z teaches us about tech and media habits

From the report reveals a generation shaped by algorithmic discovery rather than traditional schedules. Entertainment is served by the feed, not the clock. Content must be short, relevant and instantly rewarding.

Gen Z scrolls through an average of 10 000 content messages per day, spending seven hours on their phones, including three hours on social media. TikTok sets the cultural tempo long before trends hit the mainstream.

Attention spans are shrinking. Sixty four percent abandon long form content after a minute. Brands are now competing within a three second attention window.

Yet despite living online, Gen Z still values physical campus screens, billboards and radio because they create a sense of legitimacy and cut through digital noise.

Young people see AI as a sidekick, not a threat

A major surprise in the report is how Gen Z views AI.
• 61 percent believe AI strengthens creativity rather than replaces.
• They see AI as infrastructure, not destiny.
• It is a tool to hustle faster, create content quicker and scale ideas.

This contradicts popular fears that young people see AI as their competitor. For Gen Z, AI is a creative amplifier.

The bottom line for brands in 2026

Gen Z is not a niche. They are the emerging centre of South Africa’s economy and culture. They demand value, authenticity, transparency and relevance. They move fast but think deeply. They reject stereotypes but embrace identity fluidity. They are digital but crave rest. And they expect brands to evolve as quickly as they do.

For companies shaping 2026 strategy, this is the generation that will decide relevance.