South Africa: Net ODA received (% of central government expense)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2022, South Africa's net ODA received (% of central government expense) rose 0.04 percentage points on 2021 (from 0.72% to 0.76%).

Across the 28 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2021), the average change was +0 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.22 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations above 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 0.38 percentage points in 2008 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.35 percentage points in 2004. 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 downward, about 0.04 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 39% 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 12th highest value of the 14 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

• Serbia — 9th of 14: 2.16%
• Ecuador — 10th of 14: 1.07%
• Equatorial Guinea — 11th of 14: 0.82%
• India — 13th of 14: 0.63%
• Azerbaijan — 14th of 14: 0.27%

What this measures

Net official development assistance (ODA) consists of disbursements of loans made on concessional terms (net of repayments of principal) and grants by official agencies of the members of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC), by multilateral institutions, and by non-DAC countries to promote economic development and welfare in countries and territories in the DAC list of ODA recipients. It includes loans with a grant element of at least 25 percent (calculated at a rate of discount of 10 percent).

Limitations: Data on ODA is for aid-receiving countries. The data cover loans and grants from DAC member countries, multilateral organizations, and non-DAC donors. They do not reflect aid given by recipient countries to other developing countries. As a result, some countries that are net donors are shown as aid recipients. The indicator does not distinguish types of aid (program, project, or food aid; emergency assistance; or post-conflict peacekeeping assistance), which may have different effects on the economy. Ratio of aid to central government expense provides measures of recipient country's dependency on aid. But care must be taken in drawing policy conclusions.

All 30 values

Net ODA received (% of central government expense) in nearby economies

• Angola — 0.19% (2019)
• Botswana — 6.13% (2023)
• Burkina Faso — 36.5% (2023)
• Burundi — 145.28% (2021)
• Cabo Verde — 28.31% (2020)
• Cameroon — 20.43% (2021)
• Central African Republic — 224.99% (2021)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 37.53% (2022)
• Congo, Rep. — 8.59% (2021)
• Côte d'Ivoire

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 net ODA received (% of central government expense)?

0.76% in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1993?

It is up 0.13 percentage points from 0.63% in 1993. The highest value was 1.66% in 2002 and the lowest 0.63% in 1993.

How does South Africa rank?

12th highest of 14 economies with data for 2022.

Is the latest change in net ODA received (% of central government expense) unusual for South Africa?

In 2022, South Africa's net ODA received (% of central government expense) rose 0.04 percentage points on 2021 (from 0.72% to 0.76%). Across the 28 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2021), the average change was +0 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.22 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations above 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 DT.ODA.ODAT.XP.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Development Assistance Committee, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), uri: www.oecd.org/dac/stats/idsonline; Geographical Distribution of Financial Flows to Developing Countries, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), uri: www.oecd.org/dac/stats/ids… 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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