Gross national expenditure in South Africa
South Africa: Gross national expenditure was 98.6% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Gross national expenditure in South Africa, 1960–2025
Source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 98.6% for gross national expenditure in 2025.
That represents a change of up 0.7% on the previous year and down 2.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gross national expenditure in South Africa peaked at 102.1% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 85.1%, in 1962.
That places South Africa 119th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Gross national expenditure in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 87.8% | — |
| 1961 | 85.9% | -2.1% |
| 1962 | 85.1% | -0.9% |
| 1963 | 87.4% | +2.7% |
| 1964 | 89.9% | +2.8% |
| 1965 | 90.9% | +1.1% |
| 1966 | 88.8% | -2.3% |
| 1967 | 89.6% | +0.9% |
| 1968 | 89.3% | -0.3% |
| 1969 | 90.6% | +1.4% |
| 1970 | 94.4% | +4.2% |
| 1971 | 98.2% | +4.1% |
| 1972 | 93.7% | -4.7% |
| 1973 | 90.6% | -3.2% |
| 1974 | 92.0% | +1.5% |
| 1975 | 99.3% | +8.0% |
| 1976 | 98.3% | -1.0% |
| 1977 | 97.5% | -0.9% |
| 1978 | 94.5% | -3.1% |
| 1979 | 94.2% | -0.3% |
| 1980 | 96.0% | +2.0% |
| 1981 | 101.9% | +6.1% |
| 1982 | 97.9% | -3.9% |
| 1983 | 99.1% | +1.3% |
| 1984 | 98.8% | -0.3% |
| 1985 | 95.2% | -3.6% |
| 1986 | 95.7% | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 94.9% | -0.9% |
| 1988 | 98.3% | +3.6% |
| 1989 | 99.0% | +0.7% |
| 1990 | 100.1% | +1.1% |
| 1991 | 100.2% | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 98.7% | -1.5% |
| 1993 | 96.1% | -2.6% |
| 1994 | 99.1% | +3.1% |
| 1995 | 98.9% | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 98.5% | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 99.1% | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 99.1% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 98.5% | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 97.3% | -1.3% |
| 2001 | 96.5% | -0.8% |
| 2002 | 94.5% | -2.1% |
| 2003 | 94.4% | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 97.6% | +3.4% |
| 2005 | 96.6% | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 97.9% | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 98.7% | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 101.4% | +2.8% |
| 2009 | 98.6% | -2.8% |
| 2010 | 98.0% | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 100.0% | +2.1% |
| 2012 | 101.7% | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 102.1% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 101.5% | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 101.3% | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 99.5% | -1.7% |
| 2017 | 98.9% | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 99.5% | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 99.5% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 95.6% | -3.9% |
| 2021 | 93.8% | -1.9% |
| 2022 | 97.9% | +4.4% |
| 2023 | 98.8% | +0.9% |
| 2024 | 97.9% | -0.9% |
| 2025 | 98.6% | +0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 88.5% | 85.1% | 90.9% | 10 |
| 1970s | 95.3% | 90.6% | 99.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 97.7% | 94.9% | 101.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 98.8% | 96.1% | 100.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 97.3% | 94.4% | 101.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 100.2% | 98.0% | 102.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 97.1% | 93.8% | 98.8% | 6 |
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)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps -4.01 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit -0.0094 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita -61.95 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled -2.16 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual -192.73 % change on previous year (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit -0.0051 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita -33.37 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 16.18 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gross national expenditure in South Africa?
- Gross national expenditure in South Africa was 98.6% in 2025, according to Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks.
- What is the highest gross national expenditure recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 102.1% in 2013.
- What is the lowest gross national expenditure recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 85.1% in 1962.
- How does South Africa rank for gross national expenditure?
- South Africa ranks 119th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is gross national expenditure rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks, published as part of Gross national expenditure (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Gross national expenditure is the sum of household final consumption expenditure, general government final consumption expenditure, and gross capital formation. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.