South Africa: Expense (% of GDP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2022, South Africa's expense (% of GDP) fell 1.18 percentage points on 2021 (from 34.61% to 33.42%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1992 to 2021), the average change was +0.32 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.45 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.0 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 3.18 percentage points in 2020 and the biggest yearly fall was 3.34 percentage points in 1994. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2013 to 2022 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.41 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 45% 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 2022, South Africa had the 10th highest value of the 25 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 2022 ranking

• New Zealand — 7th of 25: 35.5%
• Serbia — 8th of 25: 35.46%
• Czechia — 9th of 25: 34.44%
• Sweden — 11th of 25: 32.51%
• Germany — 12th of 25: 31.17%
• Ecuador — 13th of 25: 30.44%

What this measures

Expense is a decrease in net worth resulting from a transaction. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.

Limitations: For most countries central government finance data have been consolidated into one account, but for others only budgetary central government accounts are available. Countries reporting budgetary data are noted in the country metadata. Because budgetary accounts may not include all central government units (such as social security funds), they usually provide an incomplete picture. In federal states the central government accounts provide an incomplete view of total public finance. Data on government revenue and expense are collected by the IMF through questionnaires to member countries and by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

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

All 51 values

Expense (% of GDP) in nearby economies

• Angola — 14.57% (2019)
• Botswana — 26.53% (2024)
• Burkina Faso — 19.58% (2023)
• Burundi — 12.26% (2021)
• Cabo Verde — 30.88% (2020)
• Cameroon — 12.42% (2021)
• Central African Republic — 11.66% (2021)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 12.45% (2022)
• Congo, Rep. — 16.13% (2021)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 17.88% (2023)
• Equatorial Guinea — 11.05% (2022)
• Eswatini

More public sector data for South Africa

• Military expenditure (current USD) — 3.17 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 56.76 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 0.74% (2025)
• Arms exports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 115 million (2025)
• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 30 million (2025)
• Net incurrence of liabilities, total (current LCU) — 414.86 billion (2024)
• Net incurrence of liabilities, total (% of GDP) — 5.64% (2024)
• Net investment in nonfinancial assets (current LCU) — 98.59 billion (2024)
• Net investment in nonfinancial assets (% of GDP) — 1.34% (2024)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is South Africa's expense (% of GDP)?

33.42% in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1972?

It is up 17.96 percentage points from 15.46% in 1972. The highest value was 37.84% in 2020 and the lowest 15.08% in 1973.

How does South Africa rank?

10th highest of 25 economies with data for 2022.

Is the latest change in expense (% of GDP) unusual for South Africa?

In 2022, South Africa's expense (% of GDP) fell 1.18 percentage points on 2021 (from 34.61% to 33.42%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1992 to 2021), the average change was +0.32 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.45 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.0 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator GC.XPN.TOTL.GD.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF); World Development Indicators, World Bank (WB); National Accounts data files, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) 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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