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SOUTHERN AFRICA

South Africa

ZA

Pretoria · pop. 63M · Afrikaans, English, Southern Ndebele · South African rand

Trajectories

economic complexity

#55

Slipping in export sophistication, from #35 in 2000.

2024 · 0.38

Harvard Growth Lab · thin line is the world’s median
the numbers25
whenvaluechange
2000high0.71
20010.64−0.06 pts
20020.640 pts
20030.67+0.03 pts
20040.66−0.01 pts
20050.660 pts
20060.63−0.02 pts
20070.61−0.02 pts
20080.58−0.03 pts
20090.57−0.01 pts
20100.54−0.04 pts
20110.57+0.04 pts
20120.58+0.01 pts
20130.580 pts
20140.56−0.02 pts
20150.49−0.06 pts
20160.48−0.02 pts
20170.45−0.02 pts
20180.43−0.02 pts
20190.42−0.01 pts
20200.38−0.05 pts
20210.33−0.04 pts
20220.34+0.01 pts
2023low0.29−0.05 pts
2024latest0.38+0.09 pts

economic momentum

$6,267

Roughly doubled since 2000. GDP per head in 2024, in current US dollars.

2024 · $6,267

World Bank · thin line is the world’s median
the numbers35
whenvaluechange
1990$3,093
1991$3,243+4.8%
1992$3,462+6.8%
1993$3,400−1.8%
1994$3,489+2.6%
1995$3,856+10.5%
1996$3,618−6.2%
1997$3,700+2.3%
1998$3,310−10.6%
1999$3,242−2.0%
2000$3,218−0.8%
2001$2,847−11.5%
2002low$2,688−5.6%
2003$4,062+51.1%
2004$5,221+28.5%
2005$5,837+11.8%
2006$6,077+4.1%
2007$6,592+8.5%
2008$6,185−6.2%
2009$6,375+3.1%
2010$7,973+25.1%
2011high$8,646+8.4%
2012$8,077−6.6%
2013$7,332−9.2%
2014$6,857−6.5%
2015$6,112−10.9%
2016$5,651−7.5%
2017$6,618+17.1%
2018$6,914+4.5%
2019$6,534−5.5%
2020$5,581−14.6%
2021$6,829+22.4%
2022$6,534−4.3%
2023$6,034−7.7%
2024latest$6,267+3.9%

prices

4.4%

A year’s rise in consumer prices, in 2024. The world’s median was 3.1%.

2024 · 4.4%

World Bank · thin line is the world’s median
the numbers35
whenvaluechange
199014.3%
1991high15.3%+1.01 pts
199213.9%−1.46 pts
19939.7%−4.16 pts
19948.9%−0.78 pts
19958.7%−0.26 pts
19967.4%−1.33 pts
19978.6%+1.24 pts
19986.9%−1.72 pts
19995.2%−1.70 pts
20005.3%+0.16 pts
20015.7%+0.36 pts
20029.5%+3.79 pts
20035.7%−3.82 pts
2004low−0.7%−6.37 pts
20052.1%+2.75 pts
20063.2%+1.18 pts
20076.2%+2.93 pts
20089.9%+3.73 pts
20097.2%−2.67 pts
20104.1%−3.17 pts
20115.0%+0.93 pts
20125.7%+0.74 pts
20135.8%+0.04 pts
20146.1%+0.35 pts
20154.5%−1.61 pts
20166.6%+2.08 pts
20175.2%−1.42 pts
20184.5%−0.68 pts
20194.1%−0.41 pts
20203.2%−0.87 pts
20214.6%+1.39 pts
20227.0%+2.42 pts
20236.1%−0.96 pts
2024latest4.4%−1.71 pts

demographic curve

2.2 children per woman

Near replacement (2.1): the population is stabilising. Fell from 4.8 in 1980.

2024 · 2.2

World Bank · thin line is the world’s median · rule marks replacement (2.1)
the numbers65
whenvaluechange
1960high6.1
19616.1−0.4%
19626.0−0.6%
19636.0−0.6%
19646.0−0.9%
19655.9−1.1%
19665.9+0.3%
19675.9−0.9%
19685.8−1.2%
19695.7−1.1%
19705.6−1.5%
19715.6−1.2%
19725.5−1.4%
19735.4−1.4%
19745.3−2.1%
19755.2−2.0%
19765.1−2.3%
19774.9−2.5%
19784.9−1.8%
19794.8−0.7%
19804.8−0.8%
19814.7−1.4%
19824.7−0.3%
19834.6−1.5%
19844.6−1.3%
19854.5−1.6%
19864.4−1.9%
19874.4−1.3%
19884.2−4.0%
19894.0−4.7%
19903.7−6.5%
19913.6−2.8%
19923.5−3.8%
19933.4−3.1%
19943.3−3.4%
19953.2−2.6%
19963.0−5.7%
19972.7−8.6%
19982.6−3.8%
19992.6−2.7%
20002.4−5.7%
20012.4−1.7%
20022.3−2.1%
20032.4+1.5%
20042.4+3.3%
20052.5+3.1%
20062.5+1.4%
20072.5−0.1%
20082.7+5.3%
20092.5−6.6%
20102.4−2.2%
20112.4−0.4%
20122.4+0.5%
20132.4−0.8%
20142.4−0.2%
20152.4−2.7%
20162.3−4.2%
20172.3+1.0%
20182.3−0.6%
20192.3−0.3%
20202.3−0.3%
20212.2−0.4%
20222.2−0.9%
20232.2−0.5%
2024latest2.2−0.5%

Metrics

  1. population
    63M
    24 of 176
    REST Countries · UN data
  2. gdp
    $381B
    40 of 170
    World Bank · latest available
  3. gdp per capita
    $6,034
    88 of 170
    World Bank · latest available
  4. military spending
    $3B
    57 of 151
    SIPRI via World Bank
  5. military % of gdp
    0.8%
    130 of 148
    SIPRI via World Bank
  6. area
    1.2M km²
    26 of 176
    REST Countries
  7. population density
    53 /km²
    109 of 176
    zuhd — derived from population and area
  8. life expectancy
    66.1 yr
    142 of 175
    World Bank · latest available
  9. internet access
    76%
    97 of 166
    ITU via World Bank
  10. co₂ per capita
    6.9 t
    30 of 163
    World Bank · Climate Watch
  11. urbanisation
    64%
    84 of 168
    World Bank · UN DESA
  12. fertility rate
    2.2
    79 of 168
    World Bank · UN DESA
  13. foreign-born share
    4.1%
    85 of 167
    World Bank · UN DESA
  14. remittances % of gdp
    0.2%
    135 of 155
    World Bank · IMF BOP
  15. r&d % of gdp
    0.6%
    59 of 123
    UNESCO UIS via World Bank
  16. researchers per million
    444
    74 of 118
    UNESCO UIS via World Bank
  17. scientific articles / yr
    14,949
    34 of 168
    NSF / World Bank
  18. high-tech exports %
    6%
    78 of 153
    World Bank · UN Comtrade
  19. gini inequality
    54
    137 of 139
    World Bank · PovcalNet
  20. youth unemployment
    60%
    165 of 166
    ILO via World Bank
  21. adult literacy
    91%
    52 of 109
    UNESCO UIS via World Bank
  22. democracy (v-dem)
    0.63
    36 of 163
    V-Dem via Our World in Data
  23. clean government
    41
    71 of 164
    Transparency International via Our World in Data
  24. press freedom
    21.6
    28 of 163
    RSF via Our World in Data
  25. human development
    0.741
    87 of 164
    UNDP via Our World in Data

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