External debt stocks, total (DOD, current US$), per unit of GDP in South Africa
South Africa: External debt stocks, total (DOD, current US$), per unit of GDP was 0.4385 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP in 2024. ▲ Rising
External debt stocks, total (DOD, current US$), per unit of GDP in South Africa, 1994–2024
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 0.4385 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP for external debt stocks, total (dod, current us$), per unit of gdp in 2024.
The figure is up 0.9% on the previous year and up 11.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, external debt stocks, total (dod, current us$), per unit of gdp in South Africa peaked at 0.5191 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.1412 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP, in 1994.
That places South Africa 55th out of 122 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.
External debt stocks, total (DOD, current US$), per unit of GDP in South Africa, year by year
| Year | DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 0.1412 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | — |
| 1995 | 0.1477 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | +4.6% |
| 1996 | 0.1596 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | +8.1% |
| 1997 | 0.1813 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | +13.6% |
| 1998 | 0.1701 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | -6.2% |
| 1999 | 0.1697 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 0.1757 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | +3.5% |
| 2001 | 0.1896 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | +7.9% |
| 2002 | 0.2719 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | +43.4% |
| 2003 | 0.2036 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | -25.1% |
| 2004 | 0.1721 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | -15.5% |
| 2005 | 0.1561 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | -9.3% |
| 2006 | 0.1907 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | +22.2% |
| 2007 | 0.2186 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | +14.6% |
| 2008 | 0.235 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | +7.5% |
| 2009 | 0.2559 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | +8.9% |
| 2010 | 0.2763 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | +8.0% |
| 2011 | 0.2709 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | -1.9% |
| 2012 | 0.3406 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | +25.7% |
| 2013 | 0.3533 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | +3.7% |
| 2014 | 0.3917 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | +10.9% |
| 2015 | 0.3685 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | -5.9% |
| 2016 | 0.4452 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | +20.8% |
| 2017 | 0.4588 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | +3.1% |
| 2018 | 0.4446 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | -3.1% |
| 2019 | 0.4899 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | +10.2% |
| 2020 | 0.5191 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | +5.9% |
| 2021 | 0.4035 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | -22.3% |
| 2022 | 0.4213 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | +4.4% |
| 2023 | 0.4348 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | +3.2% |
| 2024 | 0.4385 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | +0.9% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 0.4385 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.4626 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP, 95% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 0.4385 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.4067 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP, 1.1× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.1616 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.1412 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.1813 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | 6 |
| 2000s | 0.2069 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.1561 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.2719 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.384 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.2709 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.4899 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.4434 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.4035 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.5191 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 52 Cambodia 0.4526 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP compare
- 53 Ghana 0.4492 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP compare
- 54 Sudan 0.4433 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP compare
- 56 Belarus 0.4354 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP compare
- 57 Nigeria 0.4311 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP compare
- 58 Dominican Republic 0.4288 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP compare
More economy & growth data for South Africa
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 0.4836 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 1.4 Percent per annum (2029)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, annual growth rate 6.87 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0145 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per capita 95.75 units per person (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, annual growth rate 1.77 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0106 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per capita 69.91 units per person (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, annual growth rate -28.9 % change on previous year (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0077 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is external debt stocks, total (dod, current us$), per unit of gdp in South Africa?
- External debt stocks, total (dod, current us$), per unit of gdp in South Africa was 0.4385 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP in 2024, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest external debt stocks, total (dod, current us$), per unit of gdp recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 0.5191 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP in 2020.
- What is the lowest external debt stocks, total (dod, current us$), per unit of gdp recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1412 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP in 1994.
- How does South Africa rank for external debt stocks, total (dod, current us$), per unit of gdp?
- South Africa ranks 55th out of 122 countries with data for 2024.
- Is external debt stocks, total (dod, current us$), per unit of gdp rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of External debt stocks, total (DOD, current US$), per unit of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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How this figure is calculated
External debt stocks, total (DOD, current US$) divided by GDP (current US$), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
External debt stocks, total (DOD, current US$) ÷ GDP (current US$)
Computed from
- External debt stocks, total International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB)
- GDP Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
External debt stocks, total (DOD, current US$) divided by GDP (current US$), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.