Poorest Countries in the World 2019
All these extremely fragile and underdeveloped economies have either recently been through a civil war or are suffering from ongoing sectarian or ethnic conflicts.
South Africa GDP and Economic Data
Country Report 2017 - Includes South Africa real Gross Domestic Product growth rate, with latest forecasts and historical data, GDP per capita, GDP composition and breakdown by sector.
Browse additional economic indicators and data sets, selected by Global Finance editors, to learn more about South Africa economic outlook, debt to GDP ratio, international trade performance and population trends. Rankings of South Africa best banks and safest banks are also available.
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International Reserves
USD 41.8 billion (2015)
International Monetary Fund (IMF), data retrieved January 2017
Gross Domestic Product - GDP
USD 288.2 billion (2017, estimate)
GDP (Purchasing Power Parity)
Intl$ 758.1 billion (2017, estimate)
Real GDP growth
| 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
| 5.6% | 5.4% | 3.2% | -1.5 | 3% | 3.3% | 2.2% |
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016* | 2017* | ||
| 2.3% | 1.6% | 1.3% | 0.1% | 0.8% |
*Estimate
GDP (PPP) - share of world total
| 1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2010 | 2017* |
| 1.01% | 0.85% | 0.68% | 0.67% | 0.6% |
*Estimate
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GDP - composition by sector
- agriculture: 2.2%
- industry: 29.2%
- services: 68.7%
(2016 estimate)
Gross domestic expenditure on R&D; (% of GDP)
0.7% (2012)
OECD, data retrieved January 2017
Inflation
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016* | 2017* |
| 5.8% | 6.1% | 4.6% | 6.4% | 6.0% |
*Estimate
Unemployment rate
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016* | 2017* |
| 24.7% | 25.1% | 25.4% | 26.3% | 27.0% |
*Estimate
Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP)
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017* |
| 44% | 46.9% | 49.8% | 51.7% | 53.3% |
*Estimate
Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP)
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017* |
| -3.9% | -3.7% | -3.9% | -3.9% | -3.9% |
*Estimate
Government bond ratings
Standard & Poor's: BBB-
Moody's: Baa2
Standard & Poor's / Moody's (Updated January 2017)
Source
Market value of publicly traded shares
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
| USD 942.8 billion | USD 933.9 billion | USD 735.9 billion |
Largest companies
Standard Bank Group, Steinhoff International, Sasol, FirstRand, MTN Group, Naspers, Sanlam, Bidvest Group, Shoprite Holdings, Remgro, Aspen Pharmacare Holdings, MMI Holdings, RMB Holdings.
Source
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Current account balance by percentage of GDP
-3.2% (2017 estimate)
Exports as percent of GDP (Exports of goods and services)
30.7% (2015)
Shares in world total merchandising export
0.5% (2015)
Shares in world total commercial services export
0.3% (2015)
Export commodities
Gold, diamonds, platinum, other metals and minerals, machinery and equipment
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Import commodities
Machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum products, scientific instruments, foodstuffs
Exports - major partners
China 11.3%, US 7.3%, Germany 6%, Namibia 5.2%, Botswana 5.2%, Japan 4.7%, UK 4.3%, India 4.2% (2015)
Imports - major partners
China 17.6%, Germany 11.2%, US 6.7%, Nigeria 5%, India 4.7%, Saudi Arabia 4.1% (2015)
FDI inflows
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
| USD 8,300 million | USD 5,771 million | USD 1,772 million |
FDI outflows
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
| USD 6,649 million | USD 7,669 million | USD 5,349 million |
Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
| USD 825.1 million | USD 2367.6 million | USD 1864.5 million | USD 549.3 million |
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2014
N/A
(for a monthly update on M&A; click here )
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2015
N/A
(for a monthly update on M&A; click here )
Source
Best countries for doing business
Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business. A high ease of doing business ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm.
Overall ranking: 74 out of 190 countries (2017)
Subcategories:
Starting a business: 131 out of 190 countries
Enforcing Contracts: 113 out of 190 countries
Registering Property: 105 out of 190 countries
Getting Credit: 62 out of 190 countries
Protecting Minority Investors: 22 out of 190 countries
Trading Across Borders: 139 out of 190 countries
Paying Taxes: 51 out of 190 countries
Dealing with Construction Permits: 99 out of 190 countries
Getting Electricity: 111 out of 190 countries
Resolving Insolvency: 50 out of 190 countries
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Global competitiveness ranking
47 out of 138 countries
(2016-2017)
Index of Economic Freedom
Ranking: 80 / Score: 61.9 (Moderately free) (2016)
(100=totally free 0=totally repressed)
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Source
Capital
Pretoria (administrative capital); Cape Town (legislative capital); Bloemfontein (judicial capital)
Source
Languages
IsiZulu (official) 22.7%, IsiXhosa (official) 16%, Afrikaans (official) 13.5%, English (official) 9.6%, Sepedi (official) 9.1%, Setswana (official) 8%, Sesotho (official) 7.6%, Xitsonga (official) 4.5%, siSwati (official) 2.5%, Tshivenda (official) 2.4%, isiNdebele (official) 2.1%, sign language 0.5%, other 1.6% (2011 est.)
Religions
Protestant 36.6% (Zionist Christian 11.1%, Pentecostal/Charismatic 8.2%, Methodist 6.8%, Dutch Reformed 6.7%, Anglican 3.8%), Catholic 7.1%, Muslim 1.5%, other Christian 36%, other 2.3%, unspecified 1.4%, none 15.1% (2001 census)
Total population
| 1990 | 2000 | 2010 | 2016* | 2021* |
| 36.79 million | 44.85 million | 50.772 million | 53.87 million | 60.667 million |
*Estimate
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Urban population as % of total population
| 1960 | 1980 | 2000 | 2015 |
| 47% | 48% | 57% | 65% |
Literacy
Total population: 94.3%
Male: 95.5%
Female: 93.1% (2015 est.)
(age 15 and over can read and write)
% of population living on less than $3.10 a day
13.1% (2011)
Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index)
63.4 (2011)
(0=perfect equality, 100=absolute inequality)
Source
Freedom House rating
Political Rights: 2
Civil Liberties: 2 (2017)
(1 represents the most free, 7 the least free rating)
Source
Total telephone subscribers as % of population
Fixed 7.75% Mobile 164.51% (2015)
(fixed-telephone subscribers and mobile-cellular subscribers)
Mercer Cost of living index
Johannesburg: 205th
Cape Town: 208th
(2016)
Source