Life expectancy
66.3 · 2024
World Bank · CC BY 4.0
South Africa
$6,267GDP per capita · 2024
Long-run GDP per capita
Real GDP per capita in 2011 international dollars, 1700–2022. Maddison Project Database 2023.
Economic events
Crises and shocks, also marked on the chart above.
- 1873–1879Long Depression
- 1918–1920Influenza pandemic
- 1929–1939Great Depression
- 1973–19741973 oil crisis
- 19791979 oil crisis
- 1997–1998Asian financial crisis
- 2000–2002Dot-com crash
- 2008–2009Global financial crisis
- 2010–2012European sovereign-debt crisis
- 2020–2021COVID-19 pandemic
- 2022Global inflation surge
Demographics
Population
64M · 2024
World Bank · CC BY 4.0
Population growth
1.2% · 2024
World Bank · CC BY 4.0
Urban population
63.7% · 2024
World Bank · CC BY 4.0
Environment
CO₂ per capita
6.9 · 2024
World Bank · CC BY 4.0
External
Current account balance
-0.6% · 2024
World Bank · CC BY 4.0
Current account balance (IMF)
-0.5% · 2025
IMF · IMF terms
Government
Central government debt
79.4% · 2023
World Bank · CC BY 4.0
Government gross debt
78.6% · 2025
IMF · IMF terms
Labour
Unemployment
32.4% · 2025
World Bank · CC BY 4.0
Unemployment rate (IMF)
32.4% · 2025
IMF · IMF terms
Output & growth
GDP
$401.1B · 2024
World Bank · CC BY 4.0
GDP (IMF)
$427.1B · 2025
IMF · IMF terms
GDP (PPP)
Int’l$ 1T · 2025
IMF · IMF terms
GDP growth
0.5% · 2024
World Bank · CC BY 4.0
GDP per capita
$6,267 · 2024
World Bank · CC BY 4.0
GDP per capita (IMF)
$6,769 · 2025
IMF · IMF terms
GNI per capita
$6,110 · 2024
World Bank · CC BY 4.0
Real GDP growth
1.1% · 2025
IMF · IMF terms
Prices
Inflation (CPI)
4.4% · 2024
World Bank · CC BY 4.0
Inflation (avg CPI)
3.2% · 2025
IMF · IMF terms
Society
Income inequality (Gini)
54.1 · 2022
World Bank · CC BY 4.0
Internet users
78.4% · 2024
World Bank · CC BY 4.0
Trade
Exports
31.8% · 2024
World Bank · CC BY 4.0
Imports
29.9% · 2024
World Bank · CC BY 4.0
Trade
61.6% · 2024
World Bank · CC BY 4.0