South Africa
Explore indicators for South Africa across topics such as economic growth, population, health and more. Select an indicator to view detailed data, trends and country comparisons.
Economic activity
Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
Millions, constant international dollars
Rank33rd of 194
GDP growth
Annual growth (%), adjusted for inflation
Rank160th of 194
Cumulative growth of GDP
Total growth (%) since 2010, adjusted for inflation
Rank163rd of 190
Investment (% of GDP)
Gross fixed capital formation as a percentage of GDP
Rank152nd of 168
Investment growth
Gross fixed capital formation, annual growth (%), adjusted for inflation
Rank136th of 158
Population & Demographics
Total population
Number of people
Rank24th of 236
Cumulative growth of population
Total growth of population (%) since 2010
Rank91st of 236
Median age of population
Age dividing the population into two equal halves
Rank145th of 236
Elderly population
Share of total population aged 65 and over
Rank143rd of 236
Young population
Share of total population aged under 15
Rank93rd of 236
Working age population
Share of total population aged 15 to 64
Rank60th of 236
Fertility rate
Average number of births per woman
Rank97th of 236
Migration rate
Net number of migrants (immigrants minus emigrants) per 1,000 population
Rank53rd of 236
Health
Health expenditure (% of GDP)
Current spending on healthcare goods and services
Rank50th of 195
Obesity among adults
Share of adults aged 18+ with BMI ≥ 30
Rank51st of 199
Cigarette smoking
Share of the population aged 15+ who smoke
Rank64th of 167
Alcohol consumption
Liters of pure alcohol consumed per adult (15+)
Rank53rd of 207
Life expectancy at birth
Average years of life
Rank203rd of 236
Life expectancy at birth: males
Average years of life for males
Rank208th of 236
Life expectancy at birth: females
Average years of life for females
Rank196th of 236
Medical doctors
Number of medical doctors per 10,000 inhabitants
Rank116th of 174
Public Finance
Government debt (% of GDP)
Gross debt of the general government
Rank45th of 190
Public debt per capita
Gross debt of the general government, in current international dollars
Rank83rd of 191
Government budget balance (% of GDP)
Positive values indicate a surplus; negative values indicate a deficit
Rank163rd of 194
Government expenditure (% of GDP)
Total expenditure of the general government
Rank74th of 194
Education
Tertiary-educated adults
Share of 25-64 year-olds with tertiary education
Rank47th of 47
Youth neither studying nor working
Share of youth aged 15 to 24 not in education, employment or training (NEET rate)
Rank14th of 134
Education spending per student
Primary to tertiary spending per student, in constant international dollars
Rank39th of 40
Living Standards
GDP per capita
Constant international dollars
Rank112th of 194
Income inequality (Gini coefficient)
Gini index (0 = complete equality, 100 = complete inequality)
Rank2nd of 106
Inflation
Annual growth (%) of consumer prices
Rank88th of 193
Cumulative inflation
Total growth (%) of consumer prices since 2010
Rank58th of 189