South Africa's adjusted savings, particulate emission damage (current US$) was US$1.33 billion in 2020, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 32.82% from US$1.98 billion in 2010 (3.9% a year on average, compounded).
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | US$1.33 billion | 2020 |
| Five years earlier | US$1.45 billion | 2015 |
| Ten years earlier | US$1.98 billion | 2010 |
| Highest | US$2 billion | 2011 |
| Lowest | US$1.01 billion | 2002 |
| Average since 2011 | US$1.58 billion | 2011–2020 |
| First recorded | US$1.7 billion |
What the numbers say
In 2020, South Africa's adjusted savings, particulate emission damage (current US$) fell 9.6% on 2019 (from US$1.47 billion to US$1.33 billion).
Across the 29 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2019), the average change was +0.2% and a typical year strayed about 12.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 45.4% in 2003 and the biggest yearly fall was 16.1% in 2001. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2011 to 2020 the straight-line trend is downward, about US$63.14 million a year. A straight line explains 70% of the movement over 10 observed years.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
How it compares
In 2020, South Africa had the 2nd highest value of the 11 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 2020 ranking
- Myanmar — 2nd of 11: US$671.3 million
- Afghanistan — 3rd of 11: US$434.99 million
- Zimbabwe — 4th of 11: US$354 million
What this measures
Particulate emissions damage is the damage due to exposure of a country's population to ambient concentrations of particulates measuring less than 2.5 microns in diameter (PM2.5), ambient ozone pollution, and indoor concentrations of PM2.5 in households cooking with solid fuels. Damages are calculated as foregone labor income due to premature death. Estimates of health impacts from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013 are for 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2013. Data for other years have been extrapolated from trends in mortality rates. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.
All 31 values
| Year | Adjusted savings, particulate emission damage (current US$) |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 1,328,986,614 |
| 2019 | 1,470,712,996 |
| 2018 | 1,531,976,755 |
| 2017 | 1,491,793,033 |
| 2016 | 1,290,127,250 |
| 2015 | 1,451,760,411 |
| 2014 | 1,653,566,201 |
| 2013 | 1,723,855,845 |
| 2012 | 1,870,736,544 |
| 2011 | 1,996,892,935 |
Adjusted savings, particulate emission damage (current US$) in nearby economies
- Angola — US$396.09 million (2021)
- Benin — US$361.37 million (2021)
- Botswana — US$81.94 million (2021)
- Burkina Faso — US$429.62 million (2021)
- Burundi — US$51.74 million (2021)
- Cabo Verde — US$8.4 million (2021)
- Cameroon — US$604.43 million (2021)
- Central African Republic — US$24.42 million (2021)
- Chad — US$364.84 million (2021)
More economic policy & debt data for South Africa
- Trade in services (% of GDP) — 9.32% (2025)
- Communications, computer, etc. (% of service imports, BoP) — 44.9% (2025)
- Primary income payments (BoP, current US$) — 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
Questions people ask
- What is South Africa's adjusted savings, particulate emission damage (current US$)?
- US$1.33 billion in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1990?
- It is down 21.65% from US$1.7 billion in 1990 (0.81% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$2 billion in 2011 and the lowest US$1.01 billion in 2002.
- How does South Africa rank?
- 2nd highest of 11 economies with data for 2020.
- Is the latest change in adjusted savings, particulate emission damage (current US$) unusual for South Africa?
- In 2020, South Africa's adjusted savings, particulate emission damage (current US$) fell 9.6% on 2019 (from US$1.47 billion to US$1.33 billion). Across the 29 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2019), the average change was +0.2% and a typical year strayed about 12.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator NY.ADJ.DPEM.CD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Global Burden of Disease 2013 study, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) 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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