South Africa vs Sri Lanka: GDP per capita

South Africa
12,620 international-$ in 2021 prices
in 2023
Sri Lanka
12,740 international-$ in 2021 prices
in 2023
South Africa rank
115th
Sri Lanka rank
114th

GDP per capita over time

  • South Africa
  • Sri Lanka
5.0k10.0k15.0k195019862023

How they compare

Sri Lanka currently reports 12,740 international-$ in 2021 prices against 12,620 international-$ in 2021 prices in South Africa, a difference of 120 international-$ in 2021 prices.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 74 shared years of data; in 1950 it was South Africa ahead.

South Africa ranks 115th and Sri Lanka ranks 114th of 184 countries.

Across the 8 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 7 and Sri Lanka in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade South Africa Sri Lanka Difference Ahead
1950s 6,903 international-$ in 2021 prices 3,146 international-$ in 2021 prices 3,757 international-$ in 2021 prices South Africa
1960s 8,482 international-$ in 2021 prices 3,319 international-$ in 2021 prices 5,162 international-$ in 2021 prices South Africa
1970s 10,291 international-$ in 2021 prices 3,519 international-$ in 2021 prices 6,773 international-$ in 2021 prices South Africa
1980s 10,378 international-$ in 2021 prices 3,256 international-$ in 2021 prices 7,121 international-$ in 2021 prices South Africa
1990s 10,179 international-$ in 2021 prices 4,658 international-$ in 2021 prices 5,521 international-$ in 2021 prices South Africa
2000s 13,687 international-$ in 2021 prices 6,584 international-$ in 2021 prices 7,103 international-$ in 2021 prices South Africa
2010s 15,375 international-$ in 2021 prices 13,196 international-$ in 2021 prices 2,179 international-$ in 2021 prices South Africa
2020s 12,709 international-$ in 2021 prices 13,340 international-$ in 2021 prices 630.25 international-$ in 2021 prices Sri Lanka

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher gdp per capita, South Africa or Sri Lanka?
Sri Lanka, at 12,740 international-$ in 2021 prices against 12,620 international-$ in 2021 prices in South Africa as of 2023.
What is the difference in gdp per capita between South Africa and Sri Lanka?
120 international-$ in 2021 prices, with Sri Lanka ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Sri Lanka?
74 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2023.
How do South Africa and Sri Lanka rank globally for gdp per capita?
South Africa ranks 115th and Sri Lanka ranks 114th of 184 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as GDP per capita. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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South Africa vs Sri Lanka: GDP per capita. Statizoid, drawing on Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 08 September 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/compare/gdp-per-capita-penn-world-table/south-africa/sri-lanka/

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About this data

Indicator
GDP per capita
Unit
international-$ in 2021 prices
Source
Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
184 places, 10,907 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed

Average economic output per person in a country or region per year. This data is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.