Journal profile · ECONOMICS
South African Journal of Economics
ISSN 0038-2280 · eISSN 1813-6982 · Wiley-Blackwell
South African Journal of Economics: CAS Zone 3 · Economics (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.33; hybrid open access; APC about USD 2,850; median 214 days to acceptance (54 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 8% (journal website); 36 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
South African Journal of Economics is published by Wiley-Blackwell and is in Zone 3 of Economics in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Legal Issues in South Africa, Fiscal Policy and Economic Growth and South African History and Culture, together about 43.9% of its articles. Its main subfields are Economics and Econometrics and General Economics, Econometrics and Finance. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The South African Journal of Economics (SAJE) has a long and distinguished history, ranking amongst the oldest generalist journals in economics. In terms of editorial focus, the journal remains a generalist journal covering all fields in economics, but with a particular focus on developmental and African contexts. Toward this end, the editorial policy of the SAJE emphasizes scholarly work on developing countries, with African and Southern African development challenges receiving particular attention. While the SAJE remains a generalist journal, it encourages empirical work on developing and African economies. Importantly the focus is on both theoretical developments and methodological innovations that reflect developing country and African contexts and the policy challenges they pose. The objective of the journal is to be the premier vehicle for the publication of the most innovative work on development country and particularly African economic problems. It aims to be the target journal of choice not only for scholars located in Southern Africa, but of any scholar interested in the analysis of development challenges and their African applications. Clear theoretical foundations to work published should be a hallmark of the journal, and innovation in both theory and empirics appropriate to developing country and the African contexts are encouraged. In terms of submissions, the journal invites submissions primarily of original research articles, as well as survey articles and book reviews relevant to its context. In the case of both survey articles and book reviews, authors should note that a key minimum requirement is a critical reflection on the broader context of the existing literature.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): ECONOMICS
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named South Africa 3 (3 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Legal Issues in South AfricaSocial Sciences20.7%
- Fiscal Policy and Economic GrowthEconomics, Econometrics and Finance13.5%
- South African History and CultureSocial Sciences9.8%
- Economic Theory and PolicyEconomics, Econometrics and Finance7.1%
- Monetary Policy and Economic ImpactEconomics, Econometrics and Finance5.9%
- Global trade and economicsEconomics, Econometrics and Finance4.2%
- Economic Growth and ProductivityEconomics, Econometrics and Finance4%
- Global Financial Crisis and PoliciesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance3.6%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Economics Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Economics | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Economics | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Economics Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Economics | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Economics | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Economics Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Economics | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Economics | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
CAB AbstractsEconLitCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: ProQuest, RePEc
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 1.33LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 1.3Publisher website ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.3Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.4LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 2.4Publisher website ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 2.4Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.4LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.88LetPub ·
- h-index
- 71OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 727OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.29OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 7.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 57.97%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 26LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 27Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 69,501Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 4,420 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 35 | 20 | 2 |
| 2025 | 36 | 25 | 42 |
| 2024 | 31 | 20 | 88 |
| 2023 | 32 | 22 | 173 |
| 2022 | 32 | 9 | 194 |
| 2021 | 35 | 14 | 334 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with Crossref · to
214 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 130 days – 328 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 27 days (54 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 236 days
- Sample
- 54 articles with submission and acceptance dates (68 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 8%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 8%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 10 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 10 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 214 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 26 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single-anonymous peer reviewPublisher website · model-extracted
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 2,850 / EUR 2,390 / GBP 1,880 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
What to prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 100 words
- Suggested reviewers
- Required
- Highlights
- Required
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
- Cover letter
- Required
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access
- Open access Open Access
Open Access is available to authors of primary research articles who wish to make their article available to non-subscribers on publication, or whose funding agency requires grantees to archive the final version of their article. With Open Access, the author, the author's funding agency, or the author's institution pays a fee to ensure that the article is made available to non-subscribers upon pub…
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell
- ISSN
- 0038-2280
- Electronic ISSN
- 1813-6982
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 94, Issue 4 (December 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about South African Journal of Economics
What CAS zone is South African Journal of Economics in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, South African Journal of Economics is in Zone 3 of Economics, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Economics. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Economics. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of South African Journal of Economics?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.33; CiteScore 2.4, h-index 71.
How long does peer review take at South African Journal of Economics?
Based on the dates recorded on 54 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 214 days (interquartile range 130–328 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 8% (2025). Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
What are the manuscript requirements of South African Journal of Economics?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 100 words; Suggested reviewers: Required; Highlights: Required; Graphical abstract: Optional; Cover letter: Required. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of South African Journal of Economics based?
Of the 3 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are South Africa (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index South African Journal of Economics?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, South African Journal of Economics is indexed in SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists CAB Abstracts, EconLit and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is South African Journal of Economics open access, and what is the APC?
South African Journal of Economics is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 2,850.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-26). Last updated: .