South Africa is an upper-middle-income country with a population of 64M people. The capital is Cape Town, while the largest city is Johannesburg, with 4.43M residents. South Africa shares land borders with Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Mozambique, Eswatini and Zimbabwe.
South Africa ranks 41/197 by GDP ($400B) and 112/197 by GDP per capita ($6,253). The top export category is raw materials & minerals, while the top import is machinery & equipment.
Main facts and rankings
South Africa
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Population |
65314246
|
24/197 |
| GDP |
$400B
2024 |
41/197 |
| GDP per capita |
$6,253
2024 |
112/197 |
| GDP per capita, PPP |
$15,457
2024 |
113/197 |
| Government debt |
$306B
2024 |
31/185 |
| Debt-to-GDP ratio |
79.6%
2025 |
42/185 |
| Government debt per person |
$4,775
2024 |
83/185 |
| Average annual personal income after taxes |
$13,449
2025 |
58/197 |
| Land area | 468,377 sq mi | 24/197 |
| Population density | 136.7 ppl/mi² | 136/197 |
| Fertility rate | 2.22 | 89/196 |
| Median age | 29.5 years | 107/196 |
| Life expectancy | 66.5 years | 164/197 |
South Africa trends dashboard: time-series charts
| Year | GDP |
|---|---|
| 1960 | $8,748,596,501 |
| 1961 | $9,225,996,310 |
| 1962 | $9,813,996,074 |
| 1963 | $10,854,195,658 |
| 1964 | $11,955,995,218 |
| 1965 | $13,068,994,772 |
| 1966 | $14,211,394,315 |
| 1967 | $15,821,393,671 |
| 1968 | $17,124,793,150 |
| 1969 | $19,256,992,297 |
| 1970 | $21,218,391,513 |
| 1971 | $23,411,076,638 |
| 1972 | $24,515,919,217 |
| 1973 | $33,262,772,008 |
| 1974 | $41,389,186,095 |
| 1975 | $42,906,905,672 |
| 1976 | $41,150,460,288 |
| 1977 | $45,328,411,332 |
| 1978 | $51,607,412,902 |
| 1979 | $63,038,658,089 |
| 1980 | $89,411,864,402 |
| 1981 | $93,141,472,164 |
| 1982 | $85,904,057,409 |
| 1983 | $96,204,110,942 |
| 1984 | $84,870,163,366 |
| 1985 | $64,459,376,087 |
| 1986 | $73,354,771,399 |
| 1987 | $96,535,763,418 |
| 1988 | $103,976,831,871 |
| 1989 | $108,055,624,082 |
| 1990 | $126,048,140,142 |
| 1991 | $135,203,698,238 |
| 1992 | $146,956,150,987 |
| 1993 | $147,194,747,566 |
| 1994 | $153,512,712,382 |
| 1995 | $171,735,933,897 |
| 1996 | $163,234,925,381 |
| 1997 | $168,978,057,328 |
| 1998 | $152,982,984,557 |
| 1999 | $151,516,957,079 |
| 2000 | $151,752,757,215 |
| 2001 | $135,429,905,923 |
| 2002 | $129,087,556,612 |
| 2003 | $197,018,965,309 |
| 2004 | $255,806,908,595 |
| 2005 | $288,867,217,197 |
| 2006 | $303,858,675,364 |
| 2007 | $333,077,117,254 |
| 2008 | $316,131,258,616 |
| 2009 | $329,754,060,647 |
| 2010 | $417,363,822,802 |
| 2011 | $458,199,494,831 |
| 2012 | $434,400,545,086 |
| 2013 | $400,886,013,596 |
| 2014 | $381,198,869,776 |
| 2015 | $346,709,790,459 |
| 2016 | $323,585,509,674 |
| 2017 | $381,448,814,653 |
| 2018 | $405,260,723,893 |
| 2019 | $389,330,032,224 |
| 2020 | $337,974,655,408 |
| 2021 | $420,886,877,629 |
| 2022 | $406,920,004,594 |
| 2023 | $380,699,271,816 |
| 2024 | $400,260,724,226 |
| Year | GDP per capita |
|---|---|
| 1960 | $532 |
| 1961 | $546 |
| 1962 | $563 |
| 1963 | $605 |
| 1964 | $646 |
| 1965 | $685 |
| 1966 | $722 |
| 1967 | $779 |
| 1968 | $817 |
| 1969 | $891 |
| 1970 | $952 |
| 1971 | $1,020 |
| 1972 | $1,038 |
| 1973 | $1,369 |
| 1974 | $1,656 |
| 1975 | $1,670 |
| 1976 | $1,559 |
| 1977 | $1,671 |
| 1978 | $1,852 |
| 1979 | $2,202 |
| 1980 | $3,029 |
| 1981 | $3,050 |
| 1982 | $2,717 |
| 1983 | $2,938 |
| 1984 | $2,504 |
| 1985 | $1,839 |
| 1986 | $2,027 |
| 1987 | $2,586 |
| 1988 | $2,702 |
| 1989 | $2,727 |
| 1990 | $3,093 |
| 1991 | $3,243 |
| 1992 | $3,462 |
| 1993 | $3,400 |
| 1994 | $3,489 |
| 1995 | $3,856 |
| 1996 | $3,618 |
| 1997 | $3,700 |
| 1998 | $3,310 |
| 1999 | $3,242 |
| 2000 | $3,218 |
| 2001 | $2,847 |
| 2002 | $2,688 |
| 2003 | $4,062 |
| 2004 | $5,221 |
| 2005 | $5,837 |
| 2006 | $6,077 |
| 2007 | $6,592 |
| 2008 | $6,185 |
| 2009 | $6,375 |
| 2010 | $7,973 |
| 2011 | $8,646 |
| 2012 | $8,077 |
| 2013 | $7,332 |
| 2014 | $6,857 |
| 2015 | $6,112 |
| 2016 | $5,651 |
| 2017 | $6,618 |
| 2018 | $6,914 |
| 2019 | $6,534 |
| 2020 | $5,581 |
| 2021 | $6,843 |
| 2022 | $6,523 |
| 2023 | $6,023 |
| 2024 | $6,253 |
South Africa's life expectancy calculator
| Year | Life expectancy, years |
|---|---|
| 1950 | 43.1 |
| 1951 | 44.1 |
| 1952 | 45 |
| 1953 | 46.1 |
| 1954 | 47.1 |
| 1955 | 48.2 |
| 1956 | 49.2 |
| 1957 | 50.2 |
| 1958 | 51.1 |
| 1959 | 51.9 |
| 1960 | 52.6 |
| 1961 | 53.1 |
| 1962 | 53.6 |
| 1963 | 53.9 |
| 1964 | 54.2 |
| 1965 | 54.4 |
| 1966 | 54.7 |
| 1967 | 55 |
| 1968 | 55.2 |
| 1969 | 55.4 |
| 1970 | 55.7 |
| 1971 | 56 |
| 1972 | 56.4 |
| 1973 | 56.7 |
| 1974 | 57.1 |
| 1975 | 57.6 |
| 1976 | 58 |
| 1977 | 58.5 |
| 1978 | 59 |
| 1979 | 59.5 |
| 1980 | 60 |
| 1981 | 60.4 |
| 1982 | 60.9 |
| 1983 | 61.4 |
| 1984 | 61.8 |
| 1985 | 62.2 |
| 1986 | 62.4 |
| 1987 | 62.7 |
| 1988 | 62.9 |
| 1989 | 63 |
| 1990 | 62.9 |
| 1991 | 63 |
| 1992 | 62.8 |
| 1993 | 62.6 |
| 1994 | 62.1 |
| 1995 | 61.6 |
| 1996 | 61.1 |
| 1997 | 60.5 |
| 1998 | 59.9 |
| 1999 | 59.2 |
| 2000 | 58.4 |
| 2001 | 57.2 |
| 2002 | 55.6 |
| 2003 | 54.2 |
| 2004 | 54 |
| 2005 | 53.9 |
| 2006 | 54.2 |
| 2007 | 54.9 |
| 2008 | 56 |
| 2009 | 57.4 |
| 2010 | 58.9 |
| 2011 | 60.6 |
| 2012 | 61.7 |
| 2013 | 62.4 |
| 2014 | 63.2 |
| 2015 | 64.1 |
| 2016 | 64.7 |
| 2017 | 65.4 |
| 2018 | 65.7 |
| 2019 | 66.1 |
| 2020 | 65.2 |
| 2021 | 62 |
| 2022 | 65.5 |
| 2023 | 66.1 |
| 2024 | 66.3 |
| 2025 | 66.5 |
South Africa's population clock and projection
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1960 | 16,440,172 |
| 1961 | 16,908,035 |
| 1962 | 17,418,522 |
| 1963 | 17,954,564 |
| 1964 | 18,511,361 |
| 1965 | 19,089,380 |
| 1966 | 19,690,087 |
| 1967 | 20,314,066 |
| 1968 | 20,957,287 |
| 1969 | 21,614,676 |
| 1970 | 22,279,984 |
| 1971 | 22,942,143 |
| 1972 | 23,609,456 |
| 1973 | 24,294,263 |
| 1974 | 24,989,108 |
| 1975 | 25,690,940 |
| 1976 | 26,395,450 |
| 1977 | 27,118,952 |
| 1978 | 27,869,507 |
| 1979 | 28,634,162 |
| 1980 | 29,518,857 |
| 1981 | 30,541,044 |
| 1982 | 31,615,339 |
| 1983 | 32,739,304 |
| 1984 | 33,892,788 |
| 1985 | 35,042,093 |
| 1986 | 36,180,515 |
| 1987 | 37,326,190 |
| 1988 | 38,480,649 |
| 1989 | 39,628,575 |
| 1990 | 40,746,268 |
| 1991 | 41,687,898 |
| 1992 | 42,443,509 |
| 1993 | 43,297,156 |
| 1994 | 44,004,139 |
| 1995 | 44,541,554 |
| 1996 | 45,123,018 |
| 1997 | 45,666,838 |
| 1998 | 46,223,880 |
| 1999 | 46,730,335 |
| 2000 | 47,159,719 |
| 2001 | 47,566,800 |
| 2002 | 48,019,415 |
| 2003 | 48,500,348 |
| 2004 | 48,991,421 |
| 2005 | 49,490,033 |
| 2006 | 49,998,277 |
| 2007 | 50,528,584 |
| 2008 | 51,114,599 |
| 2009 | 51,728,516 |
| 2010 | 52,344,051 |
| 2011 | 52,995,205 |
| 2012 | 53,782,567 |
| 2013 | 54,678,791 |
| 2014 | 55,594,838 |
| 2015 | 56,723,537 |
| 2016 | 57,259,551 |
| 2017 | 57,635,162 |
| 2018 | 58,613,001 |
| 2019 | 59,587,885 |
| 2020 | 60,562,381 |
| 2021 | 61,502,603 |
| 2022 | 62,378,410 |
| 2023 | 63,212,384 |
| 2024 | 64,007,187 |
South Africa's birth and fertility rates
| Year | Fertility rate |
|---|---|
| 1960 | 6.11 |
| 1961 | 6.08 |
| 1962 | 6.05 |
| 1963 | 6.01 |
| 1964 | 5.96 |
| 1965 | 5.89 |
| 1966 | 5.91 |
| 1967 | 5.85 |
| 1968 | 5.78 |
| 1969 | 5.72 |
| 1970 | 5.63 |
| 1971 | 5.57 |
| 1972 | 5.49 |
| 1973 | 5.41 |
| 1974 | 5.3 |
| 1975 | 5.19 |
| 1976 | 5.07 |
| 1977 | 4.94 |
| 1978 | 4.85 |
| 1979 | 4.82 |
| 1980 | 4.78 |
| 1981 | 4.71 |
| 1982 | 4.7 |
| 1983 | 4.63 |
| 1984 | 4.57 |
| 1985 | 4.5 |
| 1986 | 4.41 |
| 1987 | 4.35 |
| 1988 | 4.18 |
| 1989 | 3.98 |
| 1990 | 3.72 |
| 1991 | 3.62 |
| 1992 | 3.48 |
| 1993 | 3.37 |
| 1994 | 3.26 |
| 1995 | 3.17 |
| 1996 | 2.99 |
| 1997 | 2.73 |
| 1998 | 2.63 |
| 1999 | 2.56 |
| 2000 | 2.41 |
| 2001 | 2.37 |
| 2002 | 2.32 |
| 2003 | 2.36 |
| 2004 | 2.44 |
| 2005 | 2.51 |
| 2006 | 2.55 |
| 2007 | 2.55 |
| 2008 | 2.68 |
| 2009 | 2.5 |
| 2010 | 2.44 |
| 2011 | 2.44 |
| 2012 | 2.45 |
| 2013 | 2.43 |
| 2014 | 2.42 |
| 2015 | 2.36 |
| 2016 | 2.26 |
| 2017 | 2.28 |
| 2018 | 2.27 |
| 2019 | 2.26 |
| 2020 | 2.26 |
| 2021 | 2.25 |
| 2022 | 2.23 |
| 2023 | 2.22 |
| Year | Median age, years |
|---|---|
| 1960 | 19 |
| 1961 | 19 |
| 1962 | 18.9 |
| 1963 | 18.9 |
| 1964 | 18.9 |
| 1965 | 18.8 |
| 1966 | 18.8 |
| 1967 | 18.8 |
| 1968 | 18.8 |
| 1969 | 18.8 |
| 1970 | 18.8 |
| 1971 | 18.8 |
| 1972 | 18.8 |
| 1973 | 18.8 |
| 1974 | 18.9 |
| 1975 | 18.9 |
| 1976 | 19 |
| 1977 | 19.1 |
| 1978 | 19.2 |
| 1979 | 19.3 |
| 1980 | 19.4 |
| 1981 | 19.6 |
| 1982 | 19.8 |
| 1983 | 20 |
| 1984 | 20.2 |
| 1985 | 20.4 |
| 1986 | 20.5 |
| 1987 | 20.7 |
| 1988 | 20.9 |
| 1989 | 21.1 |
| 1990 | 21.3 |
| 1991 | 21.5 |
| 1992 | 21.5 |
| 1993 | 21.9 |
| 1994 | 22 |
| 1995 | 21.5 |
| 1996 | 21.2 |
| 1997 | 21.2 |
| 1998 | 21.4 |
| 1999 | 21.6 |
| 2000 | 21.9 |
| 2001 | 22.2 |
| 2002 | 22.4 |
| 2003 | 22.8 |
| 2004 | 23.1 |
| 2005 | 23.3 |
| 2006 | 23.5 |
| 2007 | 23.8 |
| 2008 | 24 |
| 2009 | 24.3 |
| 2010 | 24.6 |
| 2011 | 25 |
| 2012 | 25.3 |
| 2013 | 25.7 |
| 2014 | 26 |
| 2015 | 26.4 |
| 2016 | 26.7 |
| 2017 | 27 |
| 2018 | 27.5 |
| 2019 | 27.9 |
| 2020 | 28.3 |
| 2021 | 28.6 |
| 2022 | 28.9 |
| 2023 | 29.2 |
| 2024 | 29.5 |
South Africa vs. World: Interactive Maps
Use the buttons below to toggle between world maps that display different statistics comparing South Africa with other countries.
GDP per capita
GDP
Life expectancy
Population
Population density
Fertility rate
Median age
Land area
South Africa: National Statistics
Finance
|
South Africa
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| GNI, Atlas method |
$390B
2024 |
41/194 |
| Government expenditure, % of GDP |
34%
2025 |
75/195 |
| Education expenditure, % of GDP |
6.02%
2024 |
24/193 |
| Military expenditure, % of GDP |
0.73%
2023 |
139/163 |
| Armed forces personnel |
89,000
2020 |
54/174 |
| Deficit/surplus, % of GDP |
-6.55%
2025 |
166/188 |
| Unemployment rate |
32.3%
2024 |
3/196 |
| Services, % of GDP |
62.7%
2024 |
57/191 |
| Industry, % of GDP |
24.4%
2024 |
95/194 |
| Economic freedom index |
57.3
2025 |
114/197 |
| Income share by richest 10% |
50.5%
2014 |
1/169 |
| Income share by poorest 10% |
0.9%
2014 |
169/169 |
| Number of millionaires |
90,595
2024 |
29/34 |
| Percentage of millionaires |
0.22%
2024 |
30/34 |
| Number of billionaires |
7
2025 |
38/78 |
| Percentage of billionaires |
0.00002%
2025 |
62/78 |
| Listed domestic companies |
220
2024 |
31/103 |
| Market capitalization of domestic companies |
$986B
2024 |
15/100 |
| Total reserves including gold |
$65.4B
2024 |
36/177 |
| Personal remittances received |
$855M
2024 |
91/190 |
| International tourist arrivals |
3,886,600
2020 |
43/188 |
| International tourism as share of exports |
2.89%
2020 |
120/184 |
| Banked people share |
81.1%
2024 |
61/158 |
Energy
|
South Africa
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy use, kg of oil equivalent per capita |
1,939 kg
2023 |
59/177 |
| GDP PPP per kg equivalent of energy use |
$7.84
2023 |
150/173 |
| Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions |
397 megatons
2023 |
15/187 |
| CO2 emissions per capita |
6.29 tons
2023 |
39/187 |
| Fossil fuel energy use share |
93.3%
2022 |
22/176 |
| Renewable energy use share |
9.7%
2021 |
145/193 |
| Alternative and nuclear energy use share |
3.58%
2023 |
91/147 |
| Net energy imports use share |
-12.5%
2023 |
106/144 |
| Electric power consumption per capita |
3,247 kWh
2023 |
63/147 |
| Renewable electricity output share |
6.45%
2021 |
151/192 |
| Hydroelectric share |
2.91%
2023 |
124/192 |
| Nuclear share |
3.73%
2023 |
26/192 |
| Electricity access |
87.7%
2023 |
144/195 |
Society
|
South Africa
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| % of world population |
0.79%
2024 |
24/197 |
| Annual migration change |
+166,972
2024 |
10/196 |
| Urban population |
69.3%
2024 |
79/195 |
| Male:Female ratio |
50:50
2024 |
N/A |
| Average male height |
5.56 ft
2025 |
140/190 |
| Average female height |
5.2 ft
2025 |
134/190 |
| Quality of life index |
40.1
2025 |
128/197 |
| Corruption Perceptions Index |
41
2024 |
100/197 |
| Higher education index |
81
2025 |
37/183 |
| Homicides per 100K people |
45.5
2022 |
3/197 |
| Road traffic mortality per 100K people |
22.2
2019 |
59/197 |
| Visa free countries |
111
2025 |
94/195 |
| Adult literacy rate |
91.2%
2024 |
122/196 |
| English speaking |
31%
2023 |
84/197 |
| People using the Internet |
75.7%
2023 |
111/195 |
Health
|
South Africa
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Government health expenditure per capita |
$570
2022 |
79/191 |
| Out-of-pocket health expenditure per capita |
$38.2
2022 |
133/191 |
| Life expectancy |
66.5 years
2025 |
164/197 |
| Foreign aid share of health expenditure |
1.9%
2022 |
91/178 |
| Physicians per 1,000 people |
0.81
2021 |
124/193 |
| Maternal mortality per 100K births |
118
2023 |
60/193 |
| Mortality rate before reaching 5 years of age, per 1,000 live births |
34.7
2023 |
55/192 |
| Obesity rate |
31.4%
2022 |
45/189 |
| Diabetes prevalence |
7.2%
2024 |
129/195 |
| Air quality index |
40
2025 |
121/197 |
| Tobacco use prevalence |
20.7%
2022 |
73/164 |
| Pure alcohol consumption per capita |
7.13 liters
2020 |
59/186 |
Territory
|
South Africa
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| % of world land |
0.81%
2025 |
24/197 |
| Land area per capita |
7,318 sq mi
2024 |
62/197 |
| Agricultural land area |
371,975 sq mi
2025 |
13/194 |
| Forest area |
65,409 sq mi
2025 |
39/196 |
| Roads length |
466,028 mi
2016 |
12/175 |
Compare South Africa with other countries
Relevant pages:
South Africa topic pages:
Facts comparisons
