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Economy · Sub-Saharan Africa · Upper-middle income
South Africa: the economy in numbers
GDP is $427bn (2025), 40th of 211 in the world and 1st of 46 in Sub-Saharan Africa. GDP per capita is $6,598 (2025), 126th of 211 in the world and 6th of 46 in Sub-Saharan Africa. GDP per capita, PPP is $15,906 (2025), 120th of 199 in the world and 6th of 46 in Sub-Saharan Africa.
GDP
South Africa
GDP per capita
South AfricaSub-Saharan AfricaUpper-middle incomeWorld
13 indicators
Economy: South Africa in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Sub-Saharan Africa; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDPGDP, current US$ | $427bn2025 | 40/211 | 1/46 | $152bn | $417bn | $338bn | +23%since 2015 | $2.2tn | $33.5tn | $118tn | |
| GDP per capitaGDP per capita, current US$ | $6,5982025 | 126/211 | 6/46 | $3,218 | $7,973 | $5,581 | +7.9%since 2015 | $1,673 | $10,890 | $14,406 | |
| GDP per capita, PPPGDP per capita, PPP (current international $) | $15,9062025 | 120/199 | 6/46 | $8,095 | $12,637 | $12,671 | +19%since 2015 | $5,786 | $25,523 | $25,704 | |
| GNI per capitaGNI per capita, Atlas method, US$ | $6,2702025 | 116/201 | 5/46 | $3,260 | $6,730 | $5,930 | −2.8%since 2015 | $1,610 | $10,938 | $14,244 | |
| GDP growthGDP growth, annual % | 1.1%2025 | 169/210 | 42/46 | 4.2% | 3.0% | -6.2% | −0.2 ppsince 2015 | 4.1% | 4.2% | 2.9% | |
| GDP per capita growthGDP per capita growth, annual % | 0.0%2025 | 177/210 | 39/46 | 3.3% | 1.8% | -7.7% | +0.7 ppsince 2015 | 1.6% | 3.9% | 2.0% | |
| Agriculture shareAgriculture, forestry and fishing, % of GDP | 2.8%2025 | 130/198 | 43/45 | 2.6% | 2.1% | 2.6% | +0.6 ppsince 2015 | 17.9% | 6.9% | 4.0% | |
| Industry shareIndustry incl. construction, % of GDP | 24.1%2025 | 95/201 | 25/45 | 28.2% | 25.3% | 23.3% | +0.4 ppsince 2015 | 25.1% | 32.7% | 25.0% | |
| Manufacturing shareManufacturing, value added, % of GDP | 12.3%2025 | 77/194 | 14/43 | 19.0% | 13.9% | 11.7% | −0.3 ppsince 2015 | 9.6% | 21.0% | 14.9% | |
| Services shareServices, % of GDP | 63.1%2025 | 68/201 | 6/45 | 61.2% | 64.3% | 64.6% | −1.0 ppsince 2015 | 50.2% | 56.9% | 63.3% | |
| InvestmentGross capital formation, % of GDP | 13.9%2025 | 160/175 | 35/43 | 15.1% | 17.6% | 12.3% | −4.8 ppsince 2015 | 23.1% | 33.7% | 26.3% | |
| SavingsGross savings, % of GDP | 12.9%2025 | 135/163 | 29/39 | 15.1% | 17.1% | 14.3% | −1.4 ppsince 2015 | 19.3% | 33.4% | 26.0% | |
| Resource rentsNatural resources rents, % of GDP | 7.3%2021 | 58/209 | 24/46 | 3.7% | 6.8% | 4.0% | −0.5 ppsince 2011 | 10.0% | 3.8% | 3.1% |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- GDP+23%$427bn in 2025
- GDP per capita+7.9%$6,598 in 2025
- GDP per capita, PPP+19%$15,906 in 2025
- GDP per capita growth+0.7 pp0.0% in 2025
Worse than ten years ago
- GNI per capita−2.8%$6,270 in 2025
- GDP growth−0.2 pp1.1% in 2025
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
South Africa and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with South Africa. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | South Africa | Mozambique | Zimbabwe | Namibia | Botswana | Lesotho |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP | $427bn2025 | $22.3bn2025 | $51.2bn2025 | $15.1bn2025 | $19.9bn2025 | $2.6bn2025 |
| GDP per capita | $6,5982025 | $6272025 | $3,0212025 | $4,8762025 | $7,7782025 | $1,0892025 |
| GDP per capita, PPP | $15,9062025 | $1,6982025 | $6,4702025 | $11,9862025 | $20,6982025 | $3,1842025 |
| GNI per capita | $6,2702025 | $5702025 | $2,6602025 | $4,3402025 | $7,3902025 | $1,2802025 |
| GDP growth | 1.1%2025 | -0.5%2025 | 8.1%2025 | 1.7%2025 | -0.7%2025 | 2.0%2025 |
| GDP per capita growth | 0.0%2025 | -3.3%2025 | 6.1%2025 | -0.3%2025 | -2.3%2025 | 0.9%2025 |
| Agriculture share | 2.8%2025 | 25.6%2025 | 9.5%2025 | 7.0%2025 | 1.8%2025 | 6.5%2025 |
| Industry share | 24.1%2025 | 22.1%2025 | 37.1%2025 | 28.9%2025 | 27.9%2025 | 25.2%2025 |
| Manufacturing share | 12.3%2025 | 6.2%2025 | 14.9%2025 | 10.0%2025 | 5.7%2025 | 12.1%2024 |