Total factor productivity in South Africa
South Africa: Total factor productivity was 0.9273 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
0.9273
Change on year
down 4.1%
World rank
114th
of 120 countries
All-time high
1.13
in 1981
All-time low
0.7718
in 1954
Years of data
70
1954–2023
Total factor productivity in South Africa, 1954–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, total factor productivity in South Africa stood at 0.9273.
That represents a change of down 4.1% on the previous year and down 10.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total factor productivity in South Africa peaked at 1.13 in 1981 and was at its lowest, 0.7718, in 1954.
South Africa ranks 114th of 120 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 70 years of available data.
Total factor productivity in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1954 | 0.7718 | — |
| 1955 | 0.7774 | +0.7% |
| 1956 | 0.7963 | +2.4% |
| 1957 | 0.8048 | +1.1% |
| 1958 | 0.8067 | +0.2% |
| 1959 | 0.8206 | +1.7% |
| 1960 | 0.8257 | +0.6% |
| 1961 | 0.8418 | +1.9% |
| 1962 | 0.8755 | +4.0% |
| 1963 | 0.9168 | +4.7% |
| 1964 | 0.9509 | +3.7% |
| 1965 | 0.9629 | +1.3% |
| 1966 | 0.976 | +1.4% |
| 1967 | 1.01 | +3.8% |
| 1968 | 1.02 | +1.1% |
| 1969 | 1.04 | +1.2% |
| 1970 | 1.06 | +2.4% |
| 1971 | 1.07 | +0.9% |
| 1972 | 1.05 | -1.8% |
| 1973 | 1.06 | +1.0% |
| 1974 | 1.1 | +3.5% |
| 1975 | 1.09 | -0.9% |
| 1976 | 1.08 | -0.8% |
| 1977 | 1.05 | -2.6% |
| 1978 | 1.06 | +0.4% |
| 1979 | 1.07 | +1.4% |
| 1980 | 1.11 | +4.0% |
| 1981 | 1.13 | +1.3% |
| 1982 | 1.09 | -3.5% |
| 1983 | 1.03 | -5.3% |
| 1984 | 1.05 | +1.4% |
| 1985 | 1.01 | -3.9% |
| 1986 | 1 | -0.4% |
| 1987 | 0.9911 | -1.1% |
| 1988 | 0.9951 | +0.4% |
| 1989 | 0.9816 | -1.4% |
| 1990 | 0.9553 | -2.7% |
| 1991 | 0.9456 | -1.0% |
| 1992 | 0.939 | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 0.9538 | +1.6% |
| 1994 | 0.9584 | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 0.9606 | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 0.9731 | +1.3% |
| 1997 | 0.97 | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 0.9439 | -2.7% |
| 1999 | 0.9437 | -0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.9621 | +2.0% |
| 2001 | 0.9932 | +3.2% |
| 2002 | 1.02 | +2.4% |
| 2003 | 1.06 | +4.5% |
| 2004 | 1.07 | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 1.09 | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 1.06 | -2.5% |
| 2007 | 1.07 | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 1.06 | -1.3% |
| 2009 | 1.04 | -2.4% |
| 2010 | 1.05 | +1.9% |
| 2011 | 1.04 | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 1.04 | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 1.04 | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 1.03 | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 1 | -2.8% |
| 2016 | 0.9942 | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 0.995 | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 0.974 | -2.1% |
| 2019 | 0.9494 | -2.5% |
| 2020 | 0.9961 | +4.9% |
| 2021 | 1 | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 0.9674 | -3.3% |
| 2023 | 0.9273 | -4.1% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 0.9273 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.9902, 94% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 0.9273 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.983, 94% of the median. (27 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 0.7963 | 0.7718 | 0.8206 | 6 |
| 1960s | 0.9424 | 0.8257 | 1.04 | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.07 | 1.05 | 1.1 | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.04 | 0.9816 | 1.13 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.9543 | 0.939 | 0.9731 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.04 | 0.9621 | 1.09 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.01 | 0.9494 | 1.05 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.9727 | 0.9273 | 1 | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More economy & growth data for South Africa
- Real gdp growth, annual growth rate 108.41 % change on previous year (2025)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is total factor productivity in South Africa?
- Total factor productivity in South Africa was 0.9273 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest total factor productivity recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1.13 in 1981.
- What is the lowest total factor productivity recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7718 in 1954.
- How does South Africa rank for total factor productivity?
- South Africa ranks 114th out of 120 countries with data for 2023.
- Is total factor productivity rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.7%. 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 Total factor productivity. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 70 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).