Net debt, General government, Percent of GDP in South Africa
South Africa: Net debt, General government, Percent of GDP was 83.93 in 2030. ▲ Rising
Net debt, General government, Percent of GDP in South Africa, 2001–2030
Source: International Monetary Fund.
Analysis
The most recent figure for net debt, general government, percent of gdp in South Africa is 83.93, measured in 2030. That is the highest value across all 30 years on record.
The figure is up 2.1% on the previous year and up 35.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, net debt, general government, percent of gdp in South Africa peaked at 83.93 in 2030 and was at its lowest, 19.92, in 2007.
That places South Africa 8th out of 90 countries with data for 2030, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 30 years of available data.
Net debt, General government, Percent of GDP in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 37.7 | — |
| 2002 | 31.39 | -16.7% |
| 2003 | 30.92 | -1.5% |
| 2004 | 30.02 | -2.9% |
| 2005 | 25.83 | -13.9% |
| 2006 | 23.18 | -10.3% |
| 2007 | 19.92 | -14.1% |
| 2008 | 20.14 | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 23.47 | +16.6% |
| 2010 | 26.41 | +12.5% |
| 2011 | 29.06 | +10.1% |
| 2012 | 32.43 | +11.6% |
| 2013 | 35.25 | +8.7% |
| 2014 | 38.12 | +8.2% |
| 2015 | 41.05 | +7.7% |
| 2016 | 42.08 | +2.5% |
| 2017 | 43.78 | +4.0% |
| 2018 | 46.59 | +6.4% |
| 2019 | 50.6 | +8.6% |
| 2020 | 62.13 | +22.8% |
| 2021 | 63.06 | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 66.04 | +4.7% |
| 2023 | 68.84 | +4.2% |
| 2024 | 71.71 | +4.2% |
| 2025 | 73.28 | +2.2% |
| 2026 | 75.72 | +3.3% |
| 2027 | 78.26 | +3.4% |
| 2028 | 80.43 | +2.8% |
| 2029 | 82.19 | +2.2% |
| 2030 | 83.93 | +2.1% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 83.93 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 40.84, 2.1× the median. (20 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 83.93 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 40.86, 2.1× the median. (18 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 26.95 | 19.92 | 37.7 | 9 |
| 2010s | 38.54 | 26.41 | 50.6 | 10 |
| 2020s | 72.17 | 62.13 | 82.19 | 10 |
| 2030s | 83.93 | 83.93 | 83.93 | 1 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More external debt data for South Africa
- Net financial flows, IBRD 1.36 billion NFL, current US$ (2025)
- 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)
- Use of IMF credit 6.45 billion DOD, current US$ (2025)
- External debt stocks, public and publicly guaranteed (PPG) 115.04 billion DOD, current US$ (2025)
- External debt stocks, long-term 139.25 billion DOD, current US$ (2025)
- External debt stocks, short-term 60.64 billion DOD, current US$ (2025)
- Short-term debt 29.4% (2025)
- Net financial flows, IBRD (NFL, current US$), annual growth rate -109.7 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is net debt, general government, percent of gdp in South Africa?
- Net debt, general government, percent of gdp in South Africa was 83.93 in 2030, according to International Monetary Fund.
- What is the highest net debt, general government, percent of gdp recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 83.93 in 2030.
- What is the lowest net debt, general government, percent of gdp recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.92 in 2007.
- How does South Africa rank for net debt, general government, percent of gdp?
- South Africa ranks 8th out of 90 countries with data for 2030.
- Is net debt, general government, percent of gdp rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 35.1%. 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 Net 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