Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita in South Africa
South Africa: Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita was 17.8% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
17.8%
Change on year
up 2.0%
World rank
112th
of 184 countries
All-time high
20.6%
in 2017
All-time low
7.4%
in 1951
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita in South Africa, 1950–2023
Source: Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2023, share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in South Africa stood at 17.8%.
That represents a change of up 2.0% on the previous year and down 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in South Africa peaked at 20.6% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 7.4%, in 1951.
That places South Africa 112th out of 184 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 7.6% | — |
| 1951 | 7.4% | -2.1% |
| 1952 | 8.5% | +14.0% |
| 1953 | 8.2% | -3.1% |
| 1954 | 7.7% | -6.7% |
| 1955 | 8.1% | +5.8% |
| 1956 | 8.2% | +0.6% |
| 1957 | 8.2% | +0.7% |
| 1958 | 8.6% | +4.3% |
| 1959 | 8.3% | -2.9% |
| 1960 | 8.2% | -1.4% |
| 1961 | 8.5% | +4.1% |
| 1962 | 9.4% | +10.1% |
| 1963 | 9.1% | -3.5% |
| 1964 | 9.2% | +1.8% |
| 1965 | 9.7% | +5.1% |
| 1966 | 9.9% | +2.3% |
| 1967 | 9.8% | -1.3% |
| 1968 | 10.3% | +4.8% |
| 1969 | 10.3% | +0.6% |
| 1970 | 10.6% | +3.0% |
| 1971 | 11.6% | +8.9% |
| 1972 | 11.3% | -2.1% |
| 1973 | 10.5% | -7.4% |
| 1974 | 10.8% | +2.9% |
| 1975 | 12.2% | +12.9% |
| 1976 | 12.8% | +5.1% |
| 1977 | 13.6% | +6.5% |
| 1978 | 13.1% | -4.0% |
| 1979 | 13.1% | -0.3% |
| 1980 | 13.0% | -0.9% |
| 1981 | 12.8% | -1.4% |
| 1982 | 13.4% | +4.8% |
| 1983 | 13.4% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 13.9% | +3.5% |
| 1985 | 14.5% | +4.5% |
| 1986 | 15.2% | +5.0% |
| 1987 | 14.9% | -2.1% |
| 1988 | 14.7% | -1.4% |
| 1989 | 15.1% | +3.3% |
| 1990 | 14.5% | -4.1% |
| 1991 | 14.2% | -2.1% |
| 1992 | 14.3% | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 13.8% | -3.2% |
| 1994 | 13.6% | -1.8% |
| 1995 | 11.8% | -12.9% |
| 1996 | 11.4% | -4.1% |
| 1997 | 11.8% | +3.5% |
| 1998 | 11.6% | -1.5% |
| 1999 | 11.8% | +2.2% |
| 2000 | 11.8% | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 12.0% | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 11.8% | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 12.6% | +6.1% |
| 2004 | 12.9% | +2.8% |
| 2005 | 12.7% | -1.5% |
| 2006 | 12.9% | +1.6% |
| 2007 | 13.5% | +4.4% |
| 2008 | 14.9% | +10.8% |
| 2009 | 16.2% | +8.3% |
| 2010 | 16.4% | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 17.2% | +4.7% |
| 2012 | 17.2% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 18.1% | +5.5% |
| 2014 | 19.0% | +4.7% |
| 2015 | 19.1% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 20.0% | +4.9% |
| 2017 | 20.6% | +2.6% |
| 2018 | 19.7% | -4.1% |
| 2019 | 19.2% | -2.6% |
| 2020 | 19.4% | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 17.7% | -9.0% |
| 2022 | 17.4% | -1.4% |
| 2023 | 17.8% | +2.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 8.1% | 7.4% | 8.6% | 10 |
| 1960s | 9.4% | 8.2% | 10.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 12.0% | 10.5% | 13.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 14.1% | 12.8% | 15.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 12.9% | 11.4% | 14.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 13.1% | 11.8% | 16.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.6% | 16.4% | 20.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.1% | 17.4% | 19.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 109 Bermuda 18.3% compare
- 110 Macau, China 18.0% compare
- 111 Kazakhstan 17.8% compare
- 113 Mozambique 17.8% compare
- 114 Luxembourg 17.7% compare
- 115 Thailand 17.6% 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)
- 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 share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in South Africa?
- Share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in South Africa was 17.8% in 2023, according to Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 20.6% in 2017.
- What is the lowest share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.4% in 1951.
- How does South Africa rank for share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita?
- South Africa ranks 112th out of 184 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Government consumption divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.