South Africa Economy
| Indicator | Last | Previous | Highest | Lowest | Last updated | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP, current prices, USD | $427.2B | $401.1B | $458.2B | $8.7B | Dec 2025 | Annual |
| Real GDP growth, YoY | 2.0% | 1.5% | 19.2% | -16.8% | Mar 2026 | Quarterly |
| Inflation rate, CPI YoY | 4.3% | 5.0% | 20.9% | -2.0% | Jul 2026 | Monthly |
| Policy / benchmark interest rate | 7.0% | 7.0% | 21.9% | 3.5% | Jul 2026 | Monthly |
| Government debt % GDP | 78.6% | 76.0% | 78.6% | 24.0% | Dec 2025 | Annual |
| Indicator | Last | Previous | Highest | Lowest | Last updated | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP, current prices, USD | $427.2B | $401.1B | $458.2B | $8.7B | Dec 2025 | Annual |
| Full-Year GDP Growth | 1.1% | 0.5% | 6.6% | -6.2% | Dec 2025 | Annual |
| GDP per capita, PPP | Int$15,906 | Int$15,479 | Int$15,906 | Int$6,275 | Dec 2025 | Annual |
| GDP per capita, current USD | $6,598 | $6,267 | $8,646 | $532 | Dec 2025 | Annual |
| GDP, PPP, international $ | Int$1.03T | Int$990.7B | Int$1.03T | Int$260.0B | Dec 2025 | Annual |
| Real GDP growth, YoY | 2.0% | 1.5% | 19.2% | -16.8% | Mar 2026 | Quarterly |
| Indicator | Last | Previous | Highest | Lowest | Last updated | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 64.7M | 64.0M | 64.7M | 16.4M | Dec 2025 | Annual |
| Indicator | Last | Previous | Highest | Lowest | Last updated | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inflation rate, CPI YoY | 4.3% | 5.0% | 20.9% | -2.0% | Jul 2026 | Monthly |
| Indicator | Last | Previous | Highest | Lowest | Last updated | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Policy / benchmark interest rate | 7.0% | 7.0% | 21.9% | 3.5% | Jul 2026 | Monthly |
| Private credit / GDP | 89.4% | 89.7% | 142.4% | 50.1% | Dec 2024 | Annual |
| Official / period-average FX vs USD | 16.46 per USD | 16.40 per USD | 19.05 per USD | 0.67 per USD | Jul 2026 | Monthly |
| Foreign-exchange reserves (ex-gold) | $73.5B | $74.1B | $81.1B | $10.5B | Jul 2026 | Monthly |
| Money supply M2 | 6.04T LCU | 6.05T LCU | 6.05T LCU | 0.60T LCU | Jun 2026 | Monthly |
| Indicator | Last | Previous | Highest | Lowest | Last updated | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current account % GDP | -0.4% | -0.6% | 5.3% | -6.4% | Dec 2025 | Annual |
| Current Account Goods | $5.0B | $4.8B | $11.1B | $-2.9B | Mar 2026 | Quarterly |
| Current Account Services | $-526.7M | $-1.1B | $549.9M | $-1.7B | Mar 2026 | Quarterly |
| External Debt | $175.9B | $165.8B | $190.7B | $21.7B | Dec 2024 | Annual |
| FDI inflows | $-2.2B | $2.3B | $40.7B | $-2.2B | Dec 2025 | Annual |
| Gold Reserves | $16.4B | $16.3B | $20.9B | $1.4B | Jul 2026 | Monthly |
| Personal remittances, received | $1.0B | $855.4M | $1.2B | $15.4M | Dec 2025 | Annual |
| Tourism Revenues | $2.0B | $2.0B | $2.7B | $37.8M | Mar 2026 | Quarterly |
| Indicator | Last | Previous | Highest | Lowest | Last updated | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budget balance % GDP | -5.8% | -5.7% | 1.2% | -9.6% | Dec 2025 | Annual |
| Government debt % GDP | 78.6% | 76.0% | 78.6% | 24.0% | Dec 2025 | Annual |
| Military expenditure | 0.7% | 0.8% | 5.3% | 0.7% | Dec 2024 | Annual |
| Military expenditure, current USD | $2.8B | $2.9B | $4.6B | $70.0M | Dec 2024 | Annual |
| Government Spending to GDP | 34.2% | 33.0% | 34.6% | 22.2% | Dec 2025 | Annual |
| Tax revenue % GDP | 25.9% | 25.4% | 26.0% | 15.0% | Dec 2024 | Annual |
| Indicator | Last | Previous | Highest | Lowest | Last updated | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Composite Leading Indicator | 100 | 100 | 106 | 91.80 | Jun 2026 | Monthly |
| Industrial production YoY | -2.6% | -4.0% | 100.2% | -53.5% | Jun 2026 | Monthly |
| Indicator | Last | Previous | Highest | Lowest | Last updated | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age-dependency ratio | 48.4% | 48.3% | 84.7% | 48.3% | Dec 2025 | Annual |
| Total fertility rate | 2.21 births per woman | 2.22 births per woman | 6.11 births per woman | 2.21 births per woman | Dec 2024 | Annual |
| Life expectancy at birth | 66.31 years | 66.14 years | 66.31 years | 52.58 years | Dec 2024 | Annual |
| Working-age population | 43.6M | 43.2M | 43.6M | 9.0M | Dec 2025 | Annual |
| Indicator | Last | Previous | Highest | Lowest | Last updated | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health expenditure % GDP | 8.9% | 8.7% | 9.0% | 6.7% | Dec 2023 | Annual |
| Indicator | Last | Previous | Highest | Lowest | Last updated | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CO2 emissions | 440 Mt CO₂ | 427 Mt CO₂ | 488 Mt CO₂ | 184 Mt CO₂ | Dec 2024 | Annual |
| Energy use per capita | 1,939 kg oil eq. per capita | 1,938 kg oil eq. per capita | 2,738 kg oil eq. per capita | 1,938 kg oil eq. per capita | Dec 2023 | Annual |
| Indicator | Last | Previous | Highest | Lowest | Last updated | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ICT goods exports, % of goods exports | 0.9% | 0.9% | 1.7% | 0.7% | Dec 2024 | Annual |
| ICT service exports, % of service exports | 9.5% | 9.5% | 9.5% | 0.1% | Dec 2025 | Annual |
| Research & development expenditure % GDP | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.8% | 0.5% | Dec 2022 | Annual |
| High-technology exports, % of manufactured exports | 5.7% | 5.0% | 7.4% | 4.9% | Dec 2024 | Annual |
FAQ