Historical gov spending gdp in South Africa
South Africa: Historical gov spending gdp was 32.98 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
32.98
Change on year
up 1.6%
World rank
66th
of 151 countries
All-time high
34.62
in 2020
All-time low
11.27
in 1964
Years of data
112
1913–2024
Historical gov spending gdp in South Africa, 1913–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2024, historical gov spending gdp in South Africa stood at 32.98.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.6% on the previous year and up 12.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, historical gov spending gdp in South Africa peaked at 34.62 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 11.27, 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.
Historical gov spending gdp in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1913 | 15.91 | — |
| 1914 | 22.51 | +41.5% |
| 1915 | 23.65 | +5.1% |
| 1916 | 15.39 | -34.9% |
| 1917 | 15.84 | +2.9% |
| 1918 | 16.39 | +3.5% |
| 1919 | 15.62 | -4.7% |
| 1920 | 18.53 | +18.6% |
| 1921 | 20.16 | +8.8% |
| 1922 | 20.05 | -0.6% |
| 1923 | 18.45 | -8.0% |
| 1924 | 17.58 | -4.7% |
| 1925 | 17.62 | +0.2% |
| 1926 | 17.84 | +1.3% |
| 1927 | 17.07 | -4.3% |
| 1928 | 16.47 | -3.5% |
| 1929 | 16.89 | +2.6% |
| 1930 | 18.77 | +11.1% |
| 1931 | 19.92 | +6.1% |
| 1932 | 20.3 | +1.9% |
| 1933 | 21.13 | +4.1% |
| 1934 | 19.77 | -6.4% |
| 1935 | 18.23 | -7.8% |
| 1936 | 17.21 | -5.6% |
| 1937 | 15.95 | -7.3% |
| 1938 | 17.2 | +7.9% |
| 1939 | 17.76 | +3.2% |
| 1940 | 28.31 | +59.4% |
| 1941 | 26.24 | -7.3% |
| 1942 | 29.01 | +10.6% |
| 1943 | 29.62 | +2.1% |
| 1944 | 29.66 | +0.1% |
| 1945 | 28.46 | -4.0% |
| 1946 | 25 | -12.2% |
| 1947 | 22.7 | -9.2% |
| 1948 | 24.25 | +6.8% |
| 1949 | 23.83 | -1.7% |
| 1950 | 19.25 | -19.2% |
| 1951 | 18.41 | -4.3% |
| 1952 | 21.51 | +16.8% |
| 1953 | 21.2 | -1.5% |
| 1954 | 18.66 | -12.0% |
| 1955 | 18.58 | -0.4% |
| 1956 | 17.07 | -8.1% |
| 1957 | 17.87 | +4.7% |
| 1958 | 18.76 | +5.0% |
| 1959 | 18.28 | -2.5% |
| 1960 | 16.65 | -8.9% |
| 1961 | 15.72 | -5.6% |
| 1962 | 15.95 | +1.5% |
| 1963 | 15.91 | -0.2% |
| 1964 | 11.27 | -29.2% |
| 1965 | 18.22 | +61.7% |
| 1966 | 18.25 | +0.2% |
| 1967 | 18.8 | +3.0% |
| 1968 | 19.44 | +3.4% |
| 1969 | 18.81 | -3.2% |
| 1970 | 20.05 | +6.6% |
| 1971 | 19.9 | -0.7% |
| 1972 | 22.92 | +15.2% |
| 1973 | 21.04 | -8.2% |
| 1974 | 19.06 | -9.4% |
| 1975 | 21.25 | +11.5% |
| 1976 | 23.03 | +8.4% |
| 1977 | 27.33 | +18.6% |
| 1978 | 26.81 | -1.9% |
| 1979 | 26.48 | -1.3% |
| 1980 | 21.84 | -17.5% |
| 1981 | 23.26 | +6.5% |
| 1982 | 23.77 | +2.2% |
| 1983 | 25.12 | +5.7% |
| 1984 | 25.23 | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 26.8 | +6.2% |
| 1986 | 27.78 | +3.6% |
| 1987 | 28 | +0.8% |
| 1988 | 23.85 | -14.8% |
| 1989 | 29.6 | +24.1% |
| 1990 | 28.7 | -3.0% |
| 1991 | 27.8 | -3.1% |
| 1992 | 29.82 | +7.3% |
| 1993 | 29.1 | -2.4% |
| 1994 | 31.32 | +7.6% |
| 1995 | 27.18 | -13.2% |
| 1996 | 28.48 | +4.8% |
| 1997 | 27.85 | -2.2% |
| 1998 | 27.07 | -2.8% |
| 1999 | 26.67 | -1.5% |
| 2000 | 22.65 | -15.1% |
| 2001 | 22.62 | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 22.21 | -1.8% |
| 2003 | 22.62 | +1.8% |
| 2004 | 22.71 | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 25.14 | +10.7% |
| 2006 | 24.67 | -1.9% |
| 2007 | 24.43 | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 26.01 | +6.5% |
| 2009 | 28.46 | +9.4% |
| 2010 | 28.34 | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 28.08 | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 28.62 | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 28.91 | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 29.32 | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 30.16 | +2.9% |
| 2016 | 29.91 | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 29.86 | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 30.15 | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 31.39 | +4.1% |
| 2020 | 34.62 | +10.3% |
| 2021 | 32.65 | -5.7% |
| 2022 | 31.89 | -2.3% |
| 2023 | 32.46 | +1.8% |
| 2024 | 32.98 | +1.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 17.9 | 15.39 | 23.65 | 7 |
| 1920s | 18.07 | 16.47 | 20.16 | 10 |
| 1930s | 18.62 | 15.95 | 21.13 | 10 |
| 1940s | 26.71 | 22.7 | 29.66 | 10 |
| 1950s | 18.96 | 17.07 | 21.51 | 10 |
| 1960s | 16.9 | 11.27 | 19.44 | 10 |
| 1970s | 22.79 | 19.06 | 27.33 | 10 |
| 1980s | 25.53 | 21.84 | 29.6 | 10 |
| 1990s | 28.4 | 26.67 | 31.32 | 10 |
| 2000s | 24.15 | 22.21 | 28.46 | 10 |
| 2010s | 29.47 | 28.08 | 31.39 | 10 |
| 2020s | 32.92 | 31.89 | 34.62 | 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)
- GDP (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 1.11 % change on previous year (2025)
- GDP (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.8659 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- GDP (constant 2015 US$), per capita 5,713 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- GDP (constant LCU), annual growth rate 1.11 % change on previous year (2025)
- GDP (constant LCU), per unit of GDP 11.04 constant LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- GDP (constant LCU), per capita 72,846 constant LCU per person (2025)
- Gross domestic savings (current US$), annual growth rate 0.5972 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross domestic savings (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.1528 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is historical gov spending gdp in South Africa?
- Historical gov spending gdp in South Africa was 32.98 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest historical gov spending gdp recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 34.62 in 2020.
- What is the lowest historical gov spending gdp recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.27 in 1964.
- How does South Africa rank for historical gov spending gdp?
- South Africa ranks 66th out of 151 countries with data for 2024.
- Is historical gov spending gdp 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Historical gov spending gdp. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 112 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).