Gross debt, General government, Percent of GDP in South Africa
South Africa: Gross debt, General government, Percent of GDP was 87.1 in 2030. ▲ Rising
Gross debt, General government, Percent of GDP in South Africa, 2001–2030
Source: International Monetary Fund.
Analysis
In 2030, gross debt, general government, percent of gdp in South Africa stood at 87.1. That is the highest value across all 30 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.8% on the previous year and up 26.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gross debt, general government, percent of gdp in South Africa peaked at 87.1 in 2030 and was at its lowest, 24.04, in 2008.
That places South Africa 26th out of 193 countries with data for 2030, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 30 years of available data.
Gross debt, General government, Percent of GDP in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 38.05 | — |
| 2002 | 31.8 | -16.4% |
| 2003 | 31.51 | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 30.73 | -2.5% |
| 2005 | 29.64 | -3.6% |
| 2006 | 28.03 | -5.4% |
| 2007 | 24.33 | -13.2% |
| 2008 | 24.04 | -1.2% |
| 2009 | 26.99 | +12.3% |
| 2010 | 31.19 | +15.5% |
| 2011 | 34.74 | +11.4% |
| 2012 | 37.41 | +7.7% |
| 2013 | 40.36 | +7.9% |
| 2014 | 43.25 | +7.2% |
| 2015 | 45.2 | +4.5% |
| 2016 | 47.13 | +4.3% |
| 2017 | 48.59 | +3.1% |
| 2018 | 51.54 | +6.1% |
| 2019 | 56.1 | +8.9% |
| 2020 | 68.93 | +22.9% |
| 2021 | 68.82 | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 70.72 | +2.8% |
| 2023 | 73.22 | +3.5% |
| 2024 | 75.96 | +3.7% |
| 2025 | 77.34 | +1.8% |
| 2026 | 79.55 | +2.9% |
| 2027 | 81.92 | +3.0% |
| 2028 | 83.92 | +2.4% |
| 2029 | 85.52 | +1.9% |
| 2030 | 87.1 | +1.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 29.46 | 24.04 | 38.05 | 9 |
| 2010s | 43.55 | 31.19 | 56.1 | 10 |
| 2020s | 76.59 | 68.82 | 85.52 | 10 |
| 2030s | 87.1 | 87.1 | 87.1 | 1 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More external debt data for South Africa
- IFC, private nonguaranteed -15.41 million NFL, US$ (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per capita -0.2407 NFL, US$ per person (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per unit of GDP -0 NFL, US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per square kilometre 444.22 NFL, US$ per square kilometre (2023)
- Public and publicly guaranteed debt service 2.3% (2024)
- Net financial flows, IBRD 910.75 million NFL, current US$ (2024)
- Public and publicly guaranteed debt service 6.5% (2024)
- Net financial flows, IBRD (NFL, current US$), annual growth rate -109.7 % change on previous year (2023)
- Other investment, Debt instruments 53.54 billion US dollar (2025)
- Use of IMF credit 7.63 billion DOD, current US$ (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gross debt, general government, percent of gdp in South Africa?
- Gross debt, general government, percent of gdp in South Africa was 87.1 in 2030, according to International Monetary Fund.
- What is the highest gross debt, general government, percent of gdp recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 87.1 in 2030.
- What is the lowest gross debt, general government, percent of gdp recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.04 in 2008.
- How does South Africa rank for gross debt, general government, percent of gdp?
- South Africa ranks 26th out of 193 countries with data for 2030.
- Is gross debt, general government, percent of gdp rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 26.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund, published as part of Gross debt, General government, Percent of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Fiscal Monitor (FM) 2025 October