South Africa's net secondary income (net current transfers from abroad) (current LCU) was -34.59 billion in 2025, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 4.48% from -33.11 billion in 2015.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | -34.59 billion | 2025 |
| Five years earlier | -42.2 billion | 2020 |
| Ten years earlier | -33.11 billion | 2015 |
| Highest | 112 million | 1980 |
| Lowest | -45.85 billion | 2024 |
| Average since 2016 | -35.71 billion | 2016–2025 |
| First recorded | 1 million |
What the numbers say
In 2025, South Africa's net secondary income (net current transfers from abroad) (current LCU) rose 11.26 billion on 2024 (from -45.85 billion to -34.59 billion).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was −1.46 billion and a typical year strayed about 5.77 billion from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 11.26 billion in 2025 and the biggest yearly fall was 17.17 billion in 2012. 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 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 12% 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 2025, South Africa had the 119th highest value of the 130 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
What this measures
Net secondary income (from abroad) comprises transfers of income between residents of the reporting country and the rest of the world that carry no provisions for repayment. Net secondary income is equal to the unrequited transfers of income from nonresidents to residents minus the unrequited transfers from residents to nonresidents. 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
| Year | Net secondary income (net current transfers from abroad) (current LCU) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | -34,590,000,000 |
| 2024 | -45,849,000,000 |
| 2023 | -39,896,000,000 |
| 2022 | -25,263,000,000 |
| 2021 | -35,764,000,000 |
| 2020 | -42,196,000,000 |
| 2019 | -34,570,000,000 |
| 2018 | -34,584,000,000 |
| 2017 | -37,547,000,000 |
| 2016 | -26,859,000,000 |
Net secondary income (net current transfers from abroad) (current LCU) in nearby economies
- Angola — -364.31 billion (2025)
- Benin — 178.36 billion (2025)
- Botswana — 28 billion (2024)
- Burkina Faso — 460.81 billion (2022)
- Burundi — 1.5 trillion (2025)
- Cabo Verde — 48.85 billion (2025)
- Cameroon — 571.2 billion (2025)
- Central African Republic — 94.6 billion (2017)
- Chad
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 net secondary income (net current transfers from abroad) (current LCU)?
- -34.59 billion in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1960?
- It is down 3.46 million% from 1 million in 1960. The highest value was 112 million in 1980 and the lowest -45.85 billion in 2024.
- How does South Africa rank?
- 119th highest of 130 economies with data for 2025.
- Is the latest change in net secondary income (net current transfers from abroad) (current LCU) unusual for South Africa?
- In 2025, South Africa's net secondary income (net current transfers from abroad) (current LCU) rose 11.26 billion on 2024 (from -45.85 billion to -34.59 billion). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was −1.46 billion and a typical year strayed about 5.77 billion from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator NY.TRF.NCTR.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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