Government spending as share of GDP vs. GDP per capita in South Africa
South Africa: Government spending as share of GDP vs. GDP per capita was 33.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
33.0%
Change on year
up 1.6%
World rank
66th
of 151 countries
All-time high
34.6%
in 2020
All-time low
11.3%
in 1964
Years of data
112
1913–2024
Government spending as share of GDP vs. GDP per capita in South Africa, 1913–2024
Source: International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 33.0% for government spending as share of gdp vs. gdp per capita in 2024.
The figure is up 1.6% on the previous year and up 12.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending as share of gdp vs. gdp per capita in South Africa peaked at 34.6% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 11.3%, in 1964.
That places South Africa 66th out of 151 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 112 years of available data.
Government spending as share of GDP vs. GDP per capita in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1913 | 15.9% | — |
| 1914 | 22.5% | +41.5% |
| 1915 | 23.6% | +5.1% |
| 1916 | 15.4% | -34.9% |
| 1917 | 15.8% | +2.9% |
| 1918 | 16.4% | +3.5% |
| 1919 | 15.6% | -4.7% |
| 1920 | 18.5% | +18.6% |
| 1921 | 20.2% | +8.8% |
| 1922 | 20.0% | -0.6% |
| 1923 | 18.4% | -8.0% |
| 1924 | 17.6% | -4.7% |
| 1925 | 17.6% | +0.2% |
| 1926 | 17.8% | +1.3% |
| 1927 | 17.1% | -4.3% |
| 1928 | 16.5% | -3.5% |
| 1929 | 16.9% | +2.6% |
| 1930 | 18.8% | +11.1% |
| 1931 | 19.9% | +6.1% |
| 1932 | 20.3% | +1.9% |
| 1933 | 21.1% | +4.1% |
| 1934 | 19.8% | -6.4% |
| 1935 | 18.2% | -7.8% |
| 1936 | 17.2% | -5.6% |
| 1937 | 15.9% | -7.3% |
| 1938 | 17.2% | +7.9% |
| 1939 | 17.8% | +3.2% |
| 1940 | 28.3% | +59.4% |
| 1941 | 26.2% | -7.3% |
| 1942 | 29.0% | +10.6% |
| 1943 | 29.6% | +2.1% |
| 1944 | 29.7% | +0.1% |
| 1945 | 28.5% | -4.0% |
| 1946 | 25.0% | -12.2% |
| 1947 | 22.7% | -9.2% |
| 1948 | 24.2% | +6.8% |
| 1949 | 23.8% | -1.7% |
| 1950 | 19.2% | -19.2% |
| 1951 | 18.4% | -4.3% |
| 1952 | 21.5% | +16.8% |
| 1953 | 21.2% | -1.5% |
| 1954 | 18.7% | -12.0% |
| 1955 | 18.6% | -0.4% |
| 1956 | 17.1% | -8.1% |
| 1957 | 17.9% | +4.7% |
| 1958 | 18.8% | +5.0% |
| 1959 | 18.3% | -2.5% |
| 1960 | 16.7% | -8.9% |
| 1961 | 15.7% | -5.6% |
| 1962 | 15.9% | +1.5% |
| 1963 | 15.9% | -0.2% |
| 1964 | 11.3% | -29.2% |
| 1965 | 18.2% | +61.7% |
| 1966 | 18.3% | +0.2% |
| 1967 | 18.8% | +3.0% |
| 1968 | 19.4% | +3.4% |
| 1969 | 18.8% | -3.2% |
| 1970 | 20.0% | +6.6% |
| 1971 | 19.9% | -0.7% |
| 1972 | 22.9% | +15.2% |
| 1973 | 21.0% | -8.2% |
| 1974 | 19.1% | -9.4% |
| 1975 | 21.2% | +11.5% |
| 1976 | 23.0% | +8.4% |
| 1977 | 27.3% | +18.6% |
| 1978 | 26.8% | -1.9% |
| 1979 | 26.5% | -1.3% |
| 1980 | 21.8% | -17.5% |
| 1981 | 23.3% | +6.5% |
| 1982 | 23.8% | +2.2% |
| 1983 | 25.1% | +5.7% |
| 1984 | 25.2% | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 26.8% | +6.2% |
| 1986 | 27.8% | +3.6% |
| 1987 | 28.0% | +0.8% |
| 1988 | 23.9% | -14.8% |
| 1989 | 29.6% | +24.1% |
| 1990 | 28.7% | -3.0% |
| 1991 | 27.8% | -3.1% |
| 1992 | 29.8% | +7.3% |
| 1993 | 29.1% | -2.4% |
| 1994 | 31.3% | +7.6% |
| 1995 | 27.2% | -13.2% |
| 1996 | 28.5% | +4.8% |
| 1997 | 27.9% | -2.2% |
| 1998 | 27.1% | -2.8% |
| 1999 | 26.7% | -1.5% |
| 2000 | 22.6% | -15.1% |
| 2001 | 22.6% | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 22.2% | -1.8% |
| 2003 | 22.6% | +1.8% |
| 2004 | 22.7% | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 25.1% | +10.7% |
| 2006 | 24.7% | -1.9% |
| 2007 | 24.4% | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 26.0% | +6.5% |
| 2009 | 28.5% | +9.4% |
| 2010 | 28.3% | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 28.1% | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 28.6% | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 28.9% | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 29.3% | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 30.2% | +2.9% |
| 2016 | 29.9% | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 29.9% | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 30.2% | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 31.4% | +4.1% |
| 2020 | 34.6% | +10.3% |
| 2021 | 32.7% | -5.7% |
| 2022 | 31.9% | -2.3% |
| 2023 | 32.5% | +1.8% |
| 2024 | 33.0% | +1.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 17.9% | 15.4% | 23.6% | 7 |
| 1920s | 18.1% | 16.5% | 20.2% | 10 |
| 1930s | 18.6% | 15.9% | 21.1% | 10 |
| 1940s | 26.7% | 22.7% | 29.7% | 10 |
| 1950s | 19.0% | 17.1% | 21.5% | 10 |
| 1960s | 16.9% | 11.3% | 19.4% | 10 |
| 1970s | 22.8% | 19.1% | 27.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 25.5% | 21.8% | 29.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 28.4% | 26.7% | 31.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 24.2% | 22.2% | 28.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 29.5% | 28.1% | 31.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 32.9% | 31.9% | 34.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
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)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) -1.57 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 0.1684 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 1,111 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), annual -1.57 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), per 2.15 constant LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), per 14,168 constant LCU per person (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), annual growth rate 6.62 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.6307 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending as share of gdp vs. gdp per capita in South Africa?
- Government spending as share of gdp vs. gdp per capita in South Africa was 33.0% in 2024, according to International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending as share of gdp vs. gdp per capita recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 34.6% in 2020.
- What is the lowest government spending as share of gdp vs. gdp per capita recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.3% in 1964.
- How does South Africa rank for government spending as share of gdp vs. gdp per capita?
- South Africa ranks 66th out of 151 countries with data for 2024.
- Is government spending as share of gdp vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.5%. 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 (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending as share of GDP vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Sum of all the money spent by the government on goods and services, as a percentage of GDP. It includes interest paid on government debt.