South Africa: Adjusted savings, consumption of fixed capital (% of GNI)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2021, South Africa's adjusted savings, consumption of fixed capital (% of GNI) fell 2.38 percentage points on 2020 (from 15.37% to 12.99%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2020), the average change was −0.05 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.46 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 5.0 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 1.69 percentage points in 1975 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.38 percentage points in 2021. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2012 to 2021 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 4% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2021, South Africa had the 88th highest value of the 185 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to South Africa in the 2021 ranking

• St. Kitts and Nevis — 85th of 185: 13.2%
• Rwanda — 86th of 185: 13.19%
• Chad — 87th of 185: 13.05%
• Kosovo — 89th of 185: 12.96%
• Armenia — 90th of 185: 12.94%
• Timor-Leste — 91st of 185: 12.82%

What this measures

Consumption of fixed capital represents the replacement value of capital used up in the process of production. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross National Income (GNI) which is the total income earned by all residents within an economic territory during an accounting period. It is equal to gross domestic product plus earned income receivable from abroad minus earned income payable abroad.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 52 values

Adjusted savings, consumption of fixed capital (% of GNI) in nearby economies

• Angola — 8.2% (2021)
• Benin — 10.58% (2021)
• Botswana — 20.5% (2021)
• Burkina Faso — 8.64% (2021)
• Burundi — 15.89% (2021)
• Cabo Verde — 11.81% (2021)
• Cameroon — 11.38% (2021)
• Central African Republic — 20.06% (2021)
• Chad — 13.05% (2021)

More economic policy & debt data for South Africa

• Trade in services (% of GDP) — 9.32% (2025)
• Communications, computer, etc. (% of service imports, BoP) — 44.9% (2025)
• Primary income payments (BoP, current US$) — US$20.32 billion (2025)
• Imports of goods and services (current US$, BoP) — US$126.24 billion (2025)
• Insurance and financial services (% of service imports, BoP) — 5.58% (2025)
• Goods imports (current US$, BoP) — US$104.47 billion (2025)
• Service imports (current US$, BoP) — US$21.77 billion (2025)
• Charges for the use of intellectual property, payments (BoP, current US$) — US$1.74 billion (2025)
• Imports of goods, services and primary income (current US$, BoP)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is South Africa's adjusted savings, consumption of fixed capital (% of GNI)?

12.99% in 2021, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1970?

It is up 1.47 percentage points from 11.52% in 1970. The highest value was 19.12% in 1986 and the lowest 11.52% in 1970.

How does South Africa rank?

88th highest of 185 economies with data for 2021.

Is the latest change in adjusted savings, consumption of fixed capital (% of GNI) unusual for South Africa?

In 2021, South Africa's adjusted savings, consumption of fixed capital (% of GNI) fell 2.38 percentage points on 2020 (from 15.37% to 12.99%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2020), the average change was −0.05 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.46 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 5.0 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator NY.ADJ.DKAP.GN.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB); National Accounts Statistics, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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