Johannesburg vs Pretoria

Pretoria leads Johannesburg by 1 points on the TRAIL Index, 68 to 67. Johannesburg grades better on 3 measures, Pretoria on 4; the same 37 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• TRAIL Index: Johannesburg 67, Pretoria 68
• OECD: Johannesburg 64, Pretoria 66
• UN Tourism: Johannesburg 63, Pretoria 61
• UNDRR: Johannesburg 57, Pretoria 64

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Johannesburg 63, Pretoria 67
• Economy and jobs: Johannesburg 50, Pretoria 42
• Climate and hazards: Johannesburg 70, Pretoria 70
• Water and environment: Johannesburg 63, Pretoria 63
• Community and housing: Johannesburg 92, Pretoria 100
• Access and continuity: Johannesburg 54, Pretoria 54

Where Johannesburg is stronger

• Largest foreign market: 24.5 % of international arrivals or nights (country figure) (Statistics South Africa / Department of Tourism, 2024). Between 20 and 30: grade 2/4.
• Municipal waste per resident: 291.5 kg per resident per year (metro figure) (Pikitup Johannesburg SOC Ltd & Statistics South Africa, 2022–2025). At or below 350: grade 4/4.
• Access redundancy: 3 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (metro figure) (Airports Company South Africa (ACSA), Gautrain Management Agency, and SANRAL, 2026). Between 3 and 4: grade 3/4.

Where Pretoria is stronger

• Recovery against 2019: 102.6 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (country figure) (Statistics South Africa / South African Tourism, Tourism Performance Report (January – December 2025), 2025). Between 100 and 110: grade 3/4.
• Wastewater safely treated: 52.4 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (country figure) (UN-Water / WHO / SDG 6 Data Portal via UN SDG Country Profiles, 2024). Between 50 and 70: grade 1/4.
• Rent growth: 2.4 % change in rents over the last 12 months (region figure) (PayProp South Africa, PayProp Rental Index Q2 2025, Q2 2025). At or below 3: grade 4/4.
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: A written destination crisis plan (City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, 2026). Grade 2/4.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• South Africa: #61 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
• South Africa: #61 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

Johannesburg in full · Pretoria in full

The TRAIL Index ranking · City vs city · How the index works · TRAIL Studio · Put your city in the pilot