South Africa: GNI per capita (current LCU)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, South Africa's GNI per capita (current LCU) rose 3,151 on 2024 (from 112,611 to 115,762).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +3,347 and a typical year strayed about 1,816 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 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 8,669 in 2021 and the biggest yearly fall was 1,723 in 2020. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is upward, about 3,954 a year. A straight line explains 97% 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.

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 127,599 for 2028. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2023 to 2025 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 2,456, against 8,082 for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

In 2025, South Africa had the 91st highest value of the 181 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 2025 ranking

• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 87th of 181: 146,574
• Saudi Arabia — 88th of 181: 130,594
• Trinidad and Tobago — 89th of 181: 124,421
• Ethiopia — 91st of 181: 111,231
• Nicaragua — 92nd of 181: 109,918
• Singapore — 93rd of 181: 107,365

What this measures

Gross national income 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. The core indicator has been divided by the general population to achieve a per capita estimate.This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This series is expressed in local currency units.

All 66 values

GNI per capita (current LCU) in nearby economies

• Angola — 3.18 million (2025)
• Benin — 953,995 (2025)
• Botswana — 101,272 (2025)
• Burkina Faso — 628,558 (2025)
• Burundi — 1.24 million (2025)
• Cabo Verde — 559,911 (2025)
• Cameroon — 1.13 million (2025)
• Central African Republic — 342,236 (2025)
• Chad — 567,980 (2025)
• Comoros — 901,810 (2025)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 2.08 million (2025)

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

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is South Africa's GNI per capita (current LCU)?

115,762 in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1960?

It is up 31,550% from 365.75 in 1960 (9.26% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 115,762 in 2025 and the lowest 365.75 in 1960.

How does South Africa rank?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator NY.GNP.PCAP.CN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Offices (NSOs); National Accounts data files, Central Banks; Staff estimates, World Bank (WB) 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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