Africa
Overview
Demography
Capital: Pretoria
Currency: South African rand (ZAR)
Population: 64.01M
Population density: 52.11/km2
Conventions
Numbering system
Arabic numerals with dot as decimal separator
Date format: dd/mm/yyyy
Time: 24h time system
Country code: 0027
Economy
GDP: 401.14 billion USD (2024)
GDP per capita: 6,267.19 USD (2024)
Exports: 151 billion USD (2024)
Imports: 101 billion USD (2024)
T-index
0.44%
T-Index ranks countries according to their potential for online sales.
Statistics
Internet users: 79.6% penetration, 51.7 million
Unemployment rate: 33.17% (2024)
Urbanisation: 63.69% (2024)
Global Innovation Index: 61st out of 139 countries worldwide
Language data sources: Worlddata / EF; Demography data sources: World Bank / Worlddata / IBAN; Economy data sources: World Bank / OEC / T-index; Statistics data sources: DataReportal / World Bank / WIPO
If you need other information, below you can find a selection of economic/social/cultural data
Economy
GDP
$401.14 billion (2024)
Trade – Economic Complexity Index
Ranked 70th out of 130 countries
The Economic Complexity Index (ECI) measures the sophistication and diversity of a country’s exports.
Product Imports
$101 billion (2024)
Service Imports
$20.05 billion (2024)
Market Growth Imports
-6.41% of annual growth
Financial inclusion factors
• 78.4% have an account with a financial institution
• 9.7% have a credit card
• 44.6% make digital payment
Active E-commerce
55,512 active stores
GDP Growth (annual %)
0.53%
GDP per Capita
$6,267.19 (2024)
Product Exports
$151 billion (2024)
Service Exports
$16.11 billion (2024)
Market Growth Exports
-2.75% of annual growth
Main online stores
Amazon, AliExpress, Takealot, Checkers Sixty60, Bash, Woolworths, Superbalist, Bob Shop, Makro
Global Startup Ecosystem Index
South Africa ranked 52nd out of 100 countries, 31.3% of annual ecosystem growth
The Global Startup Ecosystem Index ranks countries by the strength of their startup ecosystems. It evaluates factors such as startup activity, ecosystem quality, and the business environment.
Economy data sources: World Bank / OEC / T-index / Joy of Creating / BrandNav
Trade balance of goods from 2014 to 2025
Source: Statista
Perception of products made in selected countries in 2017
Source: Statista
Which attributes do you associate with products made in South Africa?
Source: Statista
Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP)
Source: WorldBank
T-index
Reach most of the online purchasing power
T-Index ranks countries according to their potential for online sales. It estimates the market share of each country in relation to global e-commerce.
Try it nowMedia
Media language English
The press
Sunday Times, Mail & Guardian, City Press, Sowetan, Daily Sun, The Star, Business Day, The Citizen, Pretoria News, Cape Times, Cape Argus, Isolezwe
Radio
Metro FM, 5FM, 947, Kaya 959, Jacaranda FM, East Coast Radio (ECR)
News Agency
African News Agency (ANA), SAnews (South African Government News Agency), Eyewitness News (EWN), Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism, Health-e News, GroundUp News
Magazines
Drum, Bona, True Love, You, Huisgenoot, Sarie
Television
Media data source: GlobalMediaList
Internet Data
Internet users
79.6% penetration, 51.7 million
Share of web traffic by device
72.08% mobile phones, 27.06% computers (laptops and desktops), 0.82% tablet devices and 0.04% other devices
Median speed of mobile Internet connection
66.15 Mbps (Download)
10.7 Mbps (Upload)
Median speed of fixed Internet connection
48.26 Mbps (Download)
39.17 Mbps (Upload)
Mobile connection as a percentage of total population: 196%
Most popular web search engines
Google (94.21%), Bing (5.05%), Yahoo! (0.26%), Petal Search (0.25%), DuckDuckGo (0.14%), Yandex (0.06%), Ecosia (0.02%), Others (0.01%).
Share of AI web traffic referrals
ChatGPT (77.50%), Microsoft Copilot (12.41%), Perplexity (6.13%), Google Gemini (2.61%), Claude (0.95%), DeepSeek (0.40%).
Most used social media
WhatsApp (31.8%), TikTok (26.3%), Facebook (19.2%), Instagram (8.7%), X (4.8%), Pinterest (2.1%), Telegram (1.8%), LinkedIn (1.3%), Messenger (1.1%), Reddit (0.8%), Discord (0.5%), iMessage (0.2%), Quora (0.2%), Threads (0.2%), Snapchat (0.1%).
Percentage of mobile connections that are broadband (3G-5G): 98.7%
Internet data sources: DataReportal / Statcounter
Social statistics
Life expectancy
66.14 yrs (2023)
Current health expenditure
8.77% of GDP
Current education expenditure
97.13% of total expenditure in public institutions
CO2 emissions
7.19 metric tons per capita
Corruption Perceptions Index
South Africa scored 41 out of 100, ranking 81st out of 182 countries
The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) ranks countries by perceived levels of public sector corruption. It is based on expert assessments and business surveys, with higher scores indicating lower perceived corruption.
Religion
Christian (86%), ancestral, tribal, animist, or Other traditional African religions (5.4%), nothing in particular (5.2%), Muslim (1.9%), Other (1.5%)
Ethnicity
Black African (81.4%), Colored (8.2%), White (7.3%), Indian/Asian (2.7%), Other (0.4%)
World Happiness Index
South Africa ranked 101st out of 147 countries, with a score of 5.009
The World Happiness Index ranks countries by people’s self-reported life satisfaction. It also considers factors like income, health, social support, freedom, and trust.
Social statistics sources: World Bank / Transparency International / Worldometer / World Population Review / World Happiness Report
Research & Development
R&D Expenditure
0.62% of GDP
World Competitiveness Ranking
South Africa ranked 54th out of 70 countries, with a score of 50.16
The World Competitiveness Ranking measures how well countries create an environment that supports business performance and long-term prosperity. It evaluates factors such as economic performance, government efficiency, business efficiency, and infrastructure.
World Digital Competitiveness Ranking
South Africa ranked 54th out of 69 countries, with a score of 51.34
The World Digital Competitiveness Ranking measures how well countries adopt and develop digital technologies to drive economic transformation. It assesses factors such as knowledge, technology, and future readiness.
Technology – Economic Complexity Index
Ranked 24th out of 97 countries
Research – Economic Complexity Index
Ranked 22nd out of 138 countries
The Economic Complexity Index (ECI) measures the sophistication and diversity of a country’s exports.
Global Innovation Index
Ranked 2nd out of 32 Sub-Saharan African countries, and 61st out of 139 countries worldwide
The Global Innovation Index captures the innovation ecosystem performance of economies and tracks the most recent global innovation trends.
Research & Development sources: World Bank / OEC / WIPO / IMD
Country Curiosities
South Africa’s Indigenous Khoe-San people, including the San and Khoikhoi, have roots dating back 11,000 years. Representing just 1% of the population, they speak unique non-Bantu languages with click sounds. In 2020, Khoisan members occupied land near Table Mountain, demanding tribal recognition and land rights. Despite the National Khoisan Council’s efforts, they remain unrecognized by law. Their ongoing struggle highlights South Africa’s complex journey toward Indigenous justice.
Additionally…
- South Africa is the “Rainbow Nation” with 12 official languages and a rich cultural mix.
- It’s the 7th-largest wine producer, home to Route 62, the world’s longest wine route.
- South Africa uniquely has three capitals: Pretoria, Bloemfontein, and Cape Town.
- South Africa hosted the World Cups for rugby (1995), cricket (2003), and football (2010)—the only nation besides England to host all three!
- The world’s first heart transplant was performed in Cape Town in 1967.
- Lesotho, a sovereign “Kingdom in the Sky,” lies entirely within South Africa’s borders.
- South Africa legalized same-sex marriage in 2006, leading LGBTQ+ equality efforts in Africa.
- In 1989, South Africa became the first country to voluntarily dismantle its nuclear weapons program.
- South Africa produces 70% of the world’s platinum, dominating global supply.
- Ranked 17th in the 2015 Global Gender Gap Report, it surpassed the UK (18), US (28), Canada (30), Australia (36), and France (57).
