Country profile · ZAF
South Africa
Population
64.7M people
#24 of 217Surface area
1.2M km²
#24 of 213GDP
$427.2B
#39 of 186GDP per capita
$6,598
#104 of 186Key facts
Population
Population
Total population, counting all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.
64.7M people2025
World rank over time
Population density
People per square kilometer of land area.
52.8 people/km²2024
World rank over time
Fertility rate
Births per woman.
2.21 births per woman2024
World rank over time
Urban population
Share of the population living in urban areas.
63.8%2025
World rank over time
Population aged 65+
Share of the population aged 65 and above.
6.9%2025
World rank over time
Population growth
Annual population growth rate.
1.15%2025
World rank over time
Birth rate
Live births per 1,000 people per year.
18.5 per 1,0002024
World rank over time
Death rate
Deaths per 1,000 people per year.
9.2 per 1,000 people2024
World rank over time
Adolescent fertility
Births per 1,000 women aged 15–19.
51.8 per 1,000 women2024
World rank over time
Net migration
Immigrants minus emigrants in the year, including citizens and non-citizens.
146.4K net migrants2025
World rank over time
Children under 15
Share of the population aged 0–14 (UN World Population Prospects).
25.7%2025
World rank over time
Population (since 1800)
Population by country, available from 10,000 BCE to 2023, based on data and estimates from different sources.
63.2M people2023
World rank over time
Fertility rate (since 1800)
Average number of live births a hypothetical cohort of women would have at the end of their reproductive period if they were subject during their whole lives to the fertility rates of a given period and if they were not subject to mortality.
2.22 births per woman2023
World rank over time
Median age
Age that divides the population into two halves of equal size — half are younger and half are older.
28.2 years2023
World rank over time
Sex ratio at birth
Boys born per 100 girls (UN World Population Prospects). Around 105 is natural; higher values point to sex-selective practices.
103.5 boys per 100 girls2023
World rank over time
Refugees from the country
Refugees who fled this country, counted where they live now (UNHCR). Excludes internally displaced people.
1,319 refugees2025
World rank over time
Refugees hosted
Refugees living in this country under UNHCR's mandate, by country of asylum.
55.2K refugees2025
World rank over time
Mothers' average age at birth
Mean age of women when giving birth, all children (Human Fertility Database, UN WPP).
28.3 years2023
World rank over time
Economy
GDP
Gross domestic product at market prices, current US dollars.
$427.2B2025
World rank over time
GDP per capita
GDP divided by midyear population, current US dollars.
$6,5982025
World rank over time
GDP per capita (PPP)
GDP per capita in constant international dollars, adjusted for purchasing power.
13.6K int'l $2025
World rank over time
GDP growth
Annual growth of real GDP (constant prices).
1.1%2025
World rank over time
Inflation
Annual change of consumer prices.
3.2%2025
World rank over time
Unemployment rate
Share of the labor force without work but available for and seeking employment (ILO estimate).
32.4%2025
World rank over time
GNI per capita
Gross national income per person (Atlas method), current US dollars.
$6,2702025
World rank over time
Exports
Exports of goods and services, current US dollars.
$134.2B2025
World rank over time
Imports
Imports of goods and services, current US dollars.
$126B2025
World rank over time
Foreign direct investment
Net inflows of foreign direct investment, current US dollars.
$-2.2B2025
World rank over time
Government debt
Central government debt as a share of GDP.
82.8 % of GDP2024
World rank over time
Manufacturing share of GDP
Value added by manufacturing as a share of GDP.
12.3 % of GDP2025
World rank over time
Agriculture share of GDP
Value added by agriculture, forestry and fishing as a share of GDP.
2.8 % of GDP2025
World rank over time
Foreign reserves
Total reserves including gold, current US dollars.
$76B2025
World rank over time
International tourist arrivals
Arrivals of international inbound tourists (overnight visitors).
3.9M arrivals2020
World rank over time
Labor force participation
Share of people aged 15+ who work or are looking for work.
55.6%2025
World rank over time
Youth unemployment
Share of the labor force aged 15–24 without work but looking for it.
59.9%2025
World rank over time
Tax revenue
Taxes collected by the central government as a share of GDP.
25.9 % of GDP2024
World rank over time
Remittances received
Money sent home by workers abroad, as a share of GDP.
0.2 % of GDP2025
World rank over time
Trade openness
Exports plus imports of goods and services as a share of GDP.
61 % of GDP2025
World rank over time
Gross savings
Gross domestic savings as a share of GDP.
15.3 % of GDP2025
World rank over time
Natural resource rents
Income from oil, gas, coal, minerals and forests as a share of GDP.
7.3%2021
World rank over time
Tourism receipts
Spending by international visitors, current US dollars (UN Tourism).
$2.7B2020
World rank over time
Jobs in agriculture
Share of employment in agriculture, forestry and fishing (ILO model).
5.4%2025
World rank over time
GDP per capita (since 1800)
Average economic output per person in a country or region per year. This data is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.
11.4K int'l $ (2011)2022
World rank over time
Poverty (under $3 a day)
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below $3 per day.
17.4%2022
World rank over time
Income inequality (Gini)
The Gini coefficient measures inequality on a scale from 0 to 1. Higher values indicate higher inequality.
0.54 index2022
World rank over time
Annual working hours
Average working hours per worker in a given year.
2,181 hours2023
World rank over time
Productivity per hour worked
GDP per hour worked, in constant international dollars (Penn World Table).
19.4 int'l $ per hour2023
World rank over time
Median income per day
Half the population lives on less than this per day, after taxes, in 2021 international dollars (World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform).
6.56 int'l $ per day2022
World rank over time
GDP (since 1820)
Total economic output in 2011 international dollars, from the Maddison Project Database: who had the largest economies before 1960.
723.6B int'l $ (2011)2022
World rank over time
Society
Homicide rate
Intentional homicides per 100,000 people.
43.7 per 100,0002022
World rank over time
Women in parliament
Share of seats held by women in national parliaments.
44.9%2025
World rank over time
Immigrant share
International migrant stock as a share of the population.
4.1%2024
World rank over time
Women in the labor force
Share of women aged 15+ who work or are looking for work.
49.9%2025
World rank over time
Human Development Index
The Human Development Index (HDI) is a summary measure of key dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, a good education, and a decent standard of living. Higher values indicate higher human development.
0.74 index2023
World rank over time
Politics
Electoral democracy
How free and fair elections are, including freedom of association and expression (V-Dem, 0 = least, 1 = most democratic).
0.74 index2025
World rank over time
Liberal democracy
Electoral democracy plus rule of law, civil liberties and checks on the executive (V-Dem, 0–1).
0.63 index2025
World rank over time
Freedom of expression
Freedom of discussion, academic and cultural expression and media freedom (V-Dem, 0–1).
0.84 index2025
World rank over time
Civil liberties
Freedom from government violence and from forced labor, property rights and freedom of movement (V-Dem, 0–1).
0.86 index2025
World rank over time
Women's political empowerment
Women's civil liberties, civil-society participation and political participation (V-Dem, 0–1).
0.83 index2025
World rank over time
Political corruption
How pervasive political corruption is in the executive, legislature, judiciary and public sector (V-Dem, 0 = least, 1 = most corrupt).
0.54 index2025
World rank over time
Voter turnout
Share of registered voters who voted in the latest national election (V-Dem).
58.6%2024
World rank over time
Women in parliament (since 1900)
Share of seats in the lower chamber held by women (V-Dem).
44.7%2025
World rank over time
Free and fair elections
How free and fair national elections are, from 0 to 1: no fraud, intimidation or vote buying, and an independent election body (V-Dem experts).
0.85 index2025
World rank over time
Political polarization
How far society is split into antagonistic political camps, from 0 (not at all) to 4 (yes, to a large extent) (V-Dem experts).
-0.13 score2025
World rank over time
LGBTI rights index
LGBTI Composite Policy Index (Velasco): legal recognition and protection of LGBTI people, from criminalization (negative) to full equality.
14.1 index2025
World rank over time
Vote share: social democrats
Share of the vote won by social democratic and labour parties in the latest national parliament election (lower house). Covers 37 EU and OECD democracies (ParlGov; elections after 2023 curated from official results).
No data
Not enough data for a trend
Vote share: conservatives & Christian democrats
Share of the vote won by conservative and Christian democratic parties in the latest national parliament election (lower house). Covers 37 EU and OECD democracies (ParlGov; elections after 2023 curated from official results).
No data
Not enough data for a trend
Vote share: liberals
Share of the vote won by liberal parties in the latest national parliament election (lower house). Covers 37 EU and OECD democracies (ParlGov; elections after 2023 curated from official results).
No data
Not enough data for a trend
Vote share: greens
Share of the vote won by green and ecologist parties in the latest national parliament election (lower house). Covers 37 EU and OECD democracies (ParlGov; elections after 2023 curated from official results).
No data
Not enough data for a trend
Vote share: right-wing parties
Share of the vote won by parties ParlGov classes as right-wing (radical and populist right, e.g. AfD, FPÖ, Rassemblement National) in the latest national parliament election (lower house). Covers 37 EU and OECD democracies (ParlGov; elections after 2023 curated from official results).
No data
Not enough data for a trend
Vote share: communists & socialists
Share of the vote won by communist and left socialist parties in the latest national parliament election (lower house). Covers 37 EU and OECD democracies (ParlGov; elections after 2023 curated from official results).
No data
Not enough data for a trend
Government left–right position
Seat-weighted left–right position of the governing parties on 1 July, from 0 (far left) to 10 (far right), based on expert surveys (ParlGov). Ends with the cabinets covered by the ParlGov 2024 release.
No data
Not enough data for a trend
Health
Life expectancy
Life expectancy at birth, total, in years.
66.3 years2024
World rank over time
Health spending per capita
Current health expenditure per person, current US dollars.
$5372023
World rank over time
Physicians
Medical doctors per 1,000 people.
0.79 per 1,0002022
World rank over time
Infant mortality
Deaths before age one per 1,000 live births.
24.2 per 1,000 births2024
World rank over time
Maternal mortality
Maternal deaths per 100,000 live births (modeled estimate).
118 per 100,000 births2023
World rank over time
Suicide rate
Suicide deaths per 100,000 people.
22.3 per 100,0002021
World rank over time
Smoking rate
Share of adults (15+) who currently use any tobacco product.
23.7%2024
World rank over time
Measles immunization
Share of children aged 12–23 months vaccinated against measles.
76%2024
World rank over time
Hospital beds
Hospital beds per 1,000 people.
2.3 per 1,000 people2010
World rank over time
Safe drinking water
Share of people using safely managed drinking water services.
68%2024
World rank over time
Safe sanitation
Share of people using safely managed sanitation services.
73.8%2024
World rank over time
Life expectancy (women)
Years a newborn girl would live at current mortality rates.
69.8 years2024
World rank over time
Life expectancy (men)
Years a newborn boy would live at current mortality rates.
62.8 years2024
World rank over time
Newborn mortality
Deaths in the first 28 days of life per 1,000 live births (UN IGME).
12.4 per 1,000 births2024
World rank over time
Tuberculosis cases
New tuberculosis cases per year per 100,000 people (WHO).
389 per 100k2024
World rank over time
HIV prevalence
Share of people aged 15–49 living with HIV (UNAIDS).
17.2%2024
World rank over time
Nurses and midwives
Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people (WHO).
6.4 per 1,0002022
World rank over time
Health spending (% of GDP)
Current health expenditure as a share of GDP (WHO).
8.9%2023
World rank over time
Life expectancy (since 1800)
Period life expectancy is the number of years the average person born in a certain year would live if they experienced the same chances of dying at each age as people did that year.
66.1 years2023
World rank over time
Child mortality
Long-run estimated share of newborns who die before reaching the age of five.
3.51%2024
World rank over time
Average height of men
Mean adult height of men, by the year they were born (NCD Risk Factor Collaboration, 1896–1996 birth years).
166.7 cm1996
World rank over time
Average height of women
Mean adult height of women, by the year they were born (NCD Risk Factor Collaboration, 1896–1996 birth years).
158 cm1996
World rank over time
Education
Education spending
Government expenditure on education as a share of GDP.
6 % of GDP2024
World rank over time
Tertiary enrollment
Gross enrollment ratio in tertiary education.
23.5%2023
World rank over time
Primary school completion
Primary completion rate, as a share of the relevant age group.
95.3%2023
World rank over time
Secondary school enrollment
Gross enrollment in secondary education, as a share of the age group.
104.1%2023
World rank over time
Years of schooling
Average years of formal education for individuals aged 15-64.
10.5 years2020
World rank over time
Literacy rate
Share of the population aged 15 years and older who can read and write.
91.2%2024
World rank over time
Harmonized test scores
Student achievement from international tests (PISA, TIMSS, PIRLS, regional tests) on one scale, where 625 is advanced and 300 minimum attainment (World Bank).
343 score2020
World rank over time
Environment
Protected areas
Terrestrial and marine protected areas as a share of total territorial area.
12.9%2025
World rank over time
Air pollution (PM2.5)
Mean annual exposure to fine particulate matter.
27.7 µg/m³2023
World rank over time
Freshwater withdrawals
Annual freshwater withdrawals as a share of internal renewable resources.
47.1%2022
World rank over time
CO₂ emissions per capita
Carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from burning fossil fuels and industrial processes. This includes emissions from transport, electricity generation, and heating, but not land-use change.
6.87 t per person2024
World rank over time
CO₂ emissions
Annual total emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), excluding land-use change, measured in tonnes.
439.8M t2024
World rank over time
Cumulative CO₂ since 1750
Total cumulative emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), excluding land-use change, since the first year of available data, measured in tonnes.
22.8B t2024
World rank over time
Forest area
Share of land area covered by forest, including both natural forests and forest plantations.
18.9%2025
World rank over time
Greenhouse gas emissions per capita
All greenhouse gases (CO₂, methane, nitrous oxide) per person in CO₂ equivalents, including land use (Jones et al.).
8.48 t CO₂e per person2024
World rank over time
Methane emissions
Methane emitted from fossil fuels, agriculture and land use, in CO₂ equivalents over 100 years (Jones et al.).
79.3M t CO₂e2024
World rank over time
Consumption-based CO₂ per capita
CO₂ emitted to make the goods and services a country consumes, including imports and excluding exports, per person (Global Carbon Budget).
5.15 t per person2023
World rank over time
Carbon intensity of the economy
CO₂ emitted per dollar of GDP (Global Carbon Budget, Maddison Project).
0.59 kg per $2022
World rank over time
Forest area change
Net change in forest area per year: gains from planting and natural expansion minus losses (FAO). Negative values mean forest loss.
87.6K hectares2025
World rank over time
Temperature anomaly
Average surface temperature of the year compared with the 1991–2020 average (Copernicus ERA5).
0.44 °C2025
World rank over time
Energy
Renewable energy share
Renewable energy as a share of total final energy consumption.
9.7%2021
World rank over time
Fuel exports
Oil, gas, coal and other fuels as a share of merchandise exports.
8.2%2025
World rank over time
Renewable electricity
Measured as a percentage of total electricity produced in the country or region.
13.6%2025
World rank over time
Solar electricity
Measured as a percentage of total electricity produced in the country or region.
8%2025
World rank over time
Wind electricity
Measured as a percentage of total electricity produced in the country or region.
4.7%2025
World rank over time
Nuclear electricity
Measured as a percentage of total electricity produced in the country or region.
4.2%2025
World rank over time
Coal electricity
Measured as a percentage of total electricity produced in the country or region.
81.4%2025
World rank over time
Gas electricity
Measured as a percentage of total electricity produced in the country or region.
0%2025
World rank over time
Hydropower electricity
Measured as a percentage of total electricity produced in the country or region.
0.8%2025
World rank over time
Electricity generation per person
Electricity generated per person in a year, from all sources (Ember).
3,749 kWh per person2025
World rank over time
Carbon intensity of electricity
Lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions per kilowatt-hour of electricity generated (Ember).
699 g CO₂e per kWh2025
World rank over time
Electricity use per person
Electricity demand per person in a year: generation plus imports minus exports (Ember).
3,658 kWh per person2025
World rank over time
Electricity generation
Total electricity generated in a year, all sources (Ember).
242.8 TWh2025
World rank over time
Oil electricity
Share of electricity generated from oil (Ember).
0.8%2025
World rank over time
Bioenergy electricity
Share of electricity generated from biomass and biogas (Ember).
0.2%2025
World rank over time
Fossil electricity
Electricity generation from coal, oil, and gas, measured as a percentage of total electricity produced in the country or region.
82.2%2025
World rank over time
Food
Arable land
Arable land as a share of land area.
9.9%2024
World rank over time
Undernourishment
Share of the population whose food intake is insufficient to meet dietary energy needs.
11.2%2024
World rank over time
Cereal yield
Kilograms of cereals harvested per hectare.
4,562 kg/ha2024
World rank over time
Daily calorie supply
Measured in kilocalories per person per day. This indicates the calories that are available for consumption, but does not necessarily measure the number of calories actually consumed, since it doesn't factor in consumer waste.
2,694 kcal per person2023
World rank over time
Meat consumption
Quantity that is available for consumption at the end of the supply chain. It does not account for consumer waste, so the quantity that is actually consumed may be lower.
58.3 kg per person2023
World rank over time
Agricultural land
Share of land area used as cropland or pasture (FAO, via World Bank).
79.4%2023
World rank over time
Fertilizer use
Nitrogen, phosphate and potash fertilizer applied per hectare of cropland (FAO).
67.2 kg per hectare2023
World rank over time
Fish and seafood consumption
Fish and seafood supplied per person per year (FAO).
5.6 kg per person2023
World rank over time
Geography
Surface area
Total area of the country, including inland water bodies.
1.2M km²2024
World rank over time
Land area
Land area, excluding inland water bodies.
1.2M km²2024
World rank over time
Annual precipitation
Total rain and snow in the year, averaged over the country (Copernicus ERA5).
652 mm2025
World rank over time
Technology
Internet users
Share of the population using the internet.
78.4%2024
World rank over time
R&D spending
Research and development expenditure as a share of GDP.
0.61 % of GDP2022
World rank over time
Patent applications
Patent applications filed by residents.
350 applications2024
World rank over time
Mobile subscriptions
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 people.
179.3 per 1002024
World rank over time
High-tech exports
High-technology exports as a share of manufactured exports.
5.7%2024
World rank over time
Fixed broadband
Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people.
5.3 per 100 people2024
World rank over time
Scientific articles
Science and engineering articles published per year (NSF).
14.9K articles2023
World rank over time
Researchers
Researchers in research and development per million people (UNESCO).
444 per million2022
World rank over time
Infrastructure
Access to electricity
Share of the population with access to electricity.
90.2%2024
World rank over time
Air passengers
Passengers carried by air carriers registered in the country.
15.5M passengers2023
World rank over time
Rail network
Total length of railway route.
21K km2021
World rank over time
Logistics performance
World Bank Logistics Performance Index: customs, infrastructure, shipments and tracking (1 = low, 5 = high).
3.7 index2022
World rank over time
Military
Military spending
Military expenditure, current US dollars (SIPRI).
$3.2B2025
World rank over time
Military spending share of GDP
Military expenditure as a share of GDP (SIPRI).
0.74 % of GDP2025
World rank over time
Armed forces personnel
Active duty military and paramilitary personnel.
89K people2020
World rank over time
Nuclear warheads
Estimated stockpile of nuclear warheads (Federation of American Scientists).
0 warheads2025
World rank over time
Deaths in armed conflicts
Deaths of combatants and civilians in state-based, non-state and one-sided violence in the country (UCDP).
1 deaths2025
World rank over time
Culture
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
World Heritage Sites inscribed so far, counted for every country they lie in (transboundary sites count for each). Extensions share their site's number.
12 sites2025
World rank over time
Nobel laureates
People awarded a Nobel Prize so far, by country of citizenship (laureates with several citizenships count for each). Organizations are not included.
10 laureates2025
World rank over time
Sports
Olympic medals (all-time)
Gold, silver and bronze medals won at the Summer and Winter Olympic Games so far. Soviet, Yugoslav and East German medals count for their successor states on the map.
89 medals2025
World rank over time
Olympic gold medals (all-time)
Gold medals won at the Summer and Winter Olympic Games so far. Soviet, Yugoslav and East German medals count for their successor states on the map.
27 gold medals2025
World rank over time
FIFA World Cup titles
Men's FIFA World Cup titles won so far. West Germany's titles count for Germany, England's for the United Kingdom.
No data
Not enough data for a trend