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# South Africa Economy

> South Africa economic indicators: GDP $427.2B, inflation 4.3%, policy rate 7.0%. 40 official series with history to 1957, from national and… Updated Jul 2026.

## Indicators

| Indicator | Last | Date | Previous | Highest | Lowest |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Composite Leading Indicator | 100 | Jun 2026 | 100 | 106 (Oct 1980) | 91.80 (Apr 2020) |
| Age-dependency ratio | 48.4% | Dec 2025 | 48.3% | 84.7% (Dec 1971) | 48.3% (Dec 2024) |
| Total fertility rate | 2.21 births per woman | Dec 2024 | 2.22 births per woman | 6.11 births per woman (Dec 1960) | 2.21 births per woman (Dec 2024) |
| Life expectancy at birth | 66.31 years | Dec 2024 | 66.14 years | 66.31 years (Dec 2024) | 52.58 years (Dec 1960) |
| Total population | 64.7M | Dec 2025 | 64.0M | 64.7M (Dec 2025) | 16.4M (Dec 1960) |
| Working-age population | 43.6M | Dec 2025 | 43.2M | 43.6M (Dec 2025) | 9.0M (Dec 1960) |
| Current account % GDP | -0.4% | Dec 2025 | -0.6% | 5.3% (Dec 1987) | -6.4% (Dec 1971) |
| Current Account Goods | $5.0B | Mar 2026 | $4.8B | $11.1B (Jun 2021) | $-2.9B (Sep 2013) |
| Current Account Services | $-526.7M | Mar 2026 | $-1.1B | $549.9M (Mar 2018) | $-1.7B (Sep 2022) |
| External Debt | $175.9B | Dec 2024 | $165.8B | $190.7B (Dec 2019) | $21.7B (Dec 1994) |
| FDI inflows | $-2.2B | Dec 2025 | $2.3B | $40.7B (Dec 2021) | $-2.2B (Dec 2025) |
| Gold Reserves | $16.4B | Jul 2026 | $16.3B | $20.9B (Feb 2026) | $1.4B (Jul 2000) |
| Personal remittances, received | $1.0B | Dec 2025 | $855.4M | $1.2B (Dec 2011) | $15.4M (Dec 1971) |
| Tourism Revenues | $2.0B | Mar 2026 | $2.0B | $2.7B (Dec 2007) | $37.8M (Jun 1960) |
| CO2 emissions | 440 Mt CO₂ | Dec 2024 | 427 Mt CO₂ | 488 Mt CO₂ (Dec 2008) | 184 Mt CO₂ (Dec 1971) |
| Energy use per capita | 1,939 kg oil eq. per capita | Dec 2023 | 1,938 kg oil eq. per capita | 2,738 kg oil eq. per capita (Dec 2008) | 1,938 kg oil eq. per capita (Dec 2022) |
| Budget balance % GDP | -5.8% | Dec 2025 | -5.7% | 1.2% (Dec 2007) | -9.6% (Dec 2020) |
| Government debt % GDP | 78.6% | Dec 2025 | 76.0% | 78.6% (Dec 2025) | 24.0% (Dec 2008) |
| Military expenditure | 0.7% | Dec 2024 | 0.8% | 5.3% (Dec 1977) | 0.7% (Dec 2024) |
| Military expenditure, current USD | $2.8B | Dec 2024 | $2.9B | $4.6B (Dec 2011) | $70.0M (Dec 1960) |
| Government Spending to GDP | 34.2% | Dec 2025 | 33.0% | 34.6% (Dec 2020) | 22.2% (Dec 2002) |
| Tax revenue % GDP | 25.9% | Dec 2024 | 25.4% | 26.0% (Dec 2022) | 15.0% (Dec 1972) |
| Policy / benchmark interest rate | 7.0% | Jul 2026 | 7.0% | 21.9% (Sep 1998) | 3.5% (Oct 2021) |
| Private credit / GDP | 89.4% | Dec 2024 | 89.7% | 142.4% (Dec 2007) | 50.1% (Dec 1980) |
| Official / period-average FX vs USD | 16.46 per USD | Jul 2026 | 16.40 per USD | 19.05 per USD (May 2023) | 0.67 per USD (Jul 1974) |
| Foreign-exchange reserves (ex-gold) | $73.5B | Jul 2026 | $74.1B | $81.1B (Feb 2026) | $10.5B (Nov 2000) |
| Money supply M2 | 6.04T LCU | Jun 2026 | 6.05T LCU | 6.05T LCU (May 2026) | 0.60T LCU (Dec 2001) |
| GDP, current prices, USD | $427.2B | Dec 2025 | $401.1B | $458.2B (Dec 2011) | $8.7B (Dec 1960) |
| Full-Year GDP Growth | 1.1% | Dec 2025 | 0.5% | 6.6% (Dec 1980) | -6.2% (Dec 2020) |
| GDP per capita, PPP | Int$15,906 | Dec 2025 | Int$15,479 | Int$15,906 (Dec 2025) | Int$6,275 (Dec 1992) |
| GDP per capita, current USD | $6,598 | Dec 2025 | $6,267 | $8,646 (Dec 2011) | $532 (Dec 1960) |
| GDP, PPP, international $ | Int$1.03T | Dec 2025 | Int$990.7B | Int$1.03T (Dec 2025) | Int$260.0B (Dec 1990) |
| Real GDP growth, YoY | 2.0% | Mar 2026 | 1.5% | 19.2% (Jun 2021) | -16.8% (Jun 2020) |
| Inflation rate, CPI YoY | 4.3% | Jul 2026 | 5.0% | 20.9% (Jan 1986) | -2.0% (Jan 2004) |
| Health expenditure % GDP | 8.9% | Dec 2023 | 8.7% | 9.0% (Dec 2020) | 6.7% (Dec 2002) |
| ICT goods exports, % of goods exports | 0.9% | Dec 2024 | 0.9% | 1.7% (Dec 2001) | 0.7% (Dec 2021) |
| ICT service exports, % of service exports | 9.5% | Dec 2025 | 9.5% | 9.5% (Dec 2024) | 0.1% (Dec 1988) |
| Industrial production YoY | -2.6% | Jun 2026 | -4.0% | 100.2% (Apr 2021) | -53.5% (Apr 2020) |
| Research & development expenditure % GDP | 0.6% | Dec 2022 | 0.6% | 0.8% (Dec 2008) | 0.5% (Dec 1997) |
| High-technology exports, % of manufactured exports | 5.7% | Dec 2024 | 5.0% | 7.4% (Dec 2015) | 4.9% (Dec 2019) |

## Full detail pages

- [Composite Leading Indicator](/south-africa/composite-leading-indicator.md)
- [Age Dependency Ratio](/south-africa/age-dependency-ratio.md)
- [Fertility Rate](/south-africa/total-fertility-rate.md)
- [Life Expectancy](/south-africa/life-expectancy-at-birth.md)
- [Population](/south-africa/population.md)
- [Working-Age Population](/south-africa/working-age-population.md)
- [Current Account to GDP](/south-africa/current-account-pct-gdp.md)
- [Current Account Goods](/south-africa/current-account-goods.md)
- [Current Account Services](/south-africa/current-account-services.md)
- [External Debt](/south-africa/external-debt.md)
- [FDI Inflows](/south-africa/fdi-inflows.md)
- [Gold Reserves](/south-africa/gold-reserves.md)
- [Remittances](/south-africa/personal-remittances-received.md)
- [Tourism Revenues](/south-africa/tourism-revenues.md)
- [CO2 Emissions](/south-africa/co2-emissions.md)
- [Energy Use per Capita](/south-africa/energy-use-per-capita.md)
- [Government Budget](/south-africa/budget-balance-pct-gdp.md)
- [Government Debt to GDP](/south-africa/government-debt-to-gdp.md)
- [Military Expenditure](/south-africa/military-expenditure.md)
- [Military Expenditure (USD)](/south-africa/military-expenditure-usd.md)
- [Government Spending to GDP](/south-africa/government-spending-to-gdp.md)
- [Tax Revenue to GDP](/south-africa/tax-revenue-pct-gdp.md)
- [Interest Rate](/south-africa/interest-rate.md)
- [Private Credit to GDP](/south-africa/private-credit-gdp.md)
- [Exchange Rate](/south-africa/exchange-rate.md)
- [Foreign Exchange Reserves](/south-africa/foreign-exchange-reserves.md)
- [Money supply M2](/south-africa/money-supply.md)
- [GDP](/south-africa/gdp.md)
- [Full-Year GDP Growth](/south-africa/full-year-gdp-growth.md)
- [GDP per Capita PPP](/south-africa/gdp-per-capita-ppp.md)
- [GDP per Capita](/south-africa/gdp-per-capita-current-usd.md)
- [GDP PPP](/south-africa/gdp-ppp-international.md)
- [GDP Growth Rate](/south-africa/gdp-growth-rate.md)
- [Inflation Rate](/south-africa/inflation-rate.md)
- [Health Expenditure](/south-africa/health-expenditure-pct-gdp.md)
- [ICT Goods Exports](/south-africa/ict-goods-exports-share.md)
- [ICT Service Exports](/south-africa/ict-service-exports-share.md)
- [Industrial Production](/south-africa/industrial-production-yoy.md)
- [R&D Expenditure](/south-africa/rd-expenditure-pct-gdp.md)
- [High-Tech Exports](/south-africa/high-tech-exports-share.md)

## FAQ

**What is the current inflation rate in South Africa?**

South Africa's consumer price inflation is 4.3% year-on-year as of Jul 2026.

**How big is South Africa's economy?**

South Africa's nominal GDP was $427.2B in 2025.

**Where does this data come from?**

We use primary economic sources for every country. See our methodology page for how we source and verify it.

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Full history via API: `GET https://api.economicsapi.com/v1/history?country=south-africa&indicator={indicator}`. Same data as an MCP tool, one per indicator.