| Economy | South Africa |
 = Fields  = World Records  = Dictionary  = Bar graph  = Distribution map  = Fields History  = Definitions |
Economy - overview:
|
South Africa is a middle-income, emerging market with an abundant supply of natural resources; well-developed financial, legal, communications, energy, and transport sectors; a stock exchange that is the 18th largest in the world; and modern infrastructure supporting a relatively efficient distribution of goods to major urban centers throughout the region. Growth was robust from 2004 to 2007 as South Africa reaped the benefits of macroeconomic stability and a global commodities boom, but began to slow in the second half of 2007 due to an electricity crisis and the subsequent global financial crisis' impact on commodity prices and demand. GDP fell nearly 2% in 2009, but recovered in 2010-11. Unemployment remains high and outdated infrastructure has constrained growth. State power supplier Eskom encountered problems with aging plants and meeting electricity demand, necessitating "load-shedding" cuts in 2007 and 2008 to residents and businesses in the major cities. Daunting economic problems remain from the apartheid era - especially poverty, lack of economic empowerment among the disadvantaged groups, and a shortage of public transportation. South Africa's economic policy is fiscally conservative, focusing on controlling inflation and attaining a budget surplus. The current government largely follows the these prudent policies, but must contend with the impact of the global crisis and is facing growing pressure from special interest groups to use state-owned enterprises to deliver basic services to low-income areas and to increase job growth. |
GDP (purchasing power parity):
|
$554.6 billion (2011 est.)
$536.3 billion (2010 est.)
$521.5 billion (2009 est.)
note: data are in 2011 US dollars |
GDP - per capita (PPP):
|
$11,000 (2011 est.)
$10,700 (2010 est.)
$10,500 (2009 est.)
note: data are in 2011 US dollars |
GDP (official exchange rate):
|
$422 billion (2011 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate:
|
3.4% (2011 est.)
2.8% (2010 est.)
-1.7% (2009 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector:
|
agriculture: 2.5%
industry: 31.6%
services: 65.9% (2011 est.) |
Investment (gross fixed):
|
18.4% of GDP (2011 est.) |
Population below poverty line:
|
50% (2000 est.) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
|
lowest 10%: 1.3%
highest 10%: 44.7% (2000) |
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
|
65 (2005)
59.3 (1994) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
|
5% (2011 est.)
4.1% (2010 est.) |
Central bank discount rate:
|
7% (31 December 2009)
11.5% (31 December 2008) |
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
|
9.2% (31 December 2011 est.)
9.833% (31 December 2010 est.) |
Stock of money:
|
$44.66 billion (31 December 2008)
$58.49 billion (31 December 2007) |
Stock of money - per capita:
|
912 USD per capita |
Stock of quasi money:
|
$124.1 billion (31 December 2008)
$141.9 billion (31 December 2007) |
Stock of quasi money - per capita:
|
2,533 USD per capita |
Stock of domestic credit:
|
$324.4 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
$339.9 billion (31 December 2010 est.) |
Stock of domestic credit - per capita:
|
6,620 USD per capita |
Stock of narrow money:
|
$128.4 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
$131 billion (31 December 2010 est.) |
Stock of broad money:
|
$314.2 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
$263.9 billion (31 December 2009 est.) |
Labor force:
|
17.67 million economically active (2011 est.) |
Labor force participation rate:
|
36.06 % of population |
Labor force - by occupation:
|
agriculture: 9%
industry: 26%
services: 65% (2007 est.) |
Unemployment rate:
|
23.9% (2011 est.)
24.9% (2010 est.) |
Unemployment, youth ages 15-24:
|
total: 48.2%
male: 44.6%
female: 52.5% (2009) |
Budget:
|
revenues: $104.7 billion
expenditures: $126.5 billion (2011 est.) |
Budget revenues per capita:
|
2,137 USD per capita |
Taxes and other revenues:
|
24.8% of GDP (2011 est.) |
Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-):
|
-5.2% of GDP (2011 est.) |
Public debt:
|
35.6% of GDP (2011 est.)
33.4% of GDP (2010 est.) |
Industries:
|
mining (world's largest producer of platinum, gold, chromium), automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textiles, iron and steel, chemicals, fertilizer, foodstuffs, commercial ship repair |
Industrial production growth rate:
|
4% (2011 est.) |
Electricity - production:
|
238.3 billion kWh (2008 est.) |
Electricity - production per capita:
|
4,863 kWh per capita |
Electricity - consumption:
|
212.2 billion kWh (2008 est.) |
Electricity - consumption - per capita:
|
4,331 kWh per capita |
Electricity - exports:
|
14.05 billion kWh (2009 est.) |
Electricity - imports:
|
1.757 billion kWh (2009 est.) |
Oil - production:
|
192,100 bbl/day (2010 est.) |
Oil - production per capita:
|
3,921 bbl/day per capita |
Oil - consumption:
|
553,000 bbl/day (2010 est.) |
Oil - consumption - per capita:
|
4.12 bbl/year per capita |
Oil - exports:
|
54,930 bbl/day (2009 est.) |
Oil - imports:
|
521,400 bbl/day (2009 est.) |
Oil - proved reserves:
|
15 million bbl (1 January 2011 est.) |
Natural gas - production:
|
1.9 billion cu m (2009 est.) |
Natural gas - production per capita:
|
39 cu m per capita |
Natural gas - consumption:
|
5.4 billion cu m (2009 est.) |
Natural gas - consumption - per capita:
|
111 cu m per capita |
Natural gas - exports:
|
0 cu m (2009 est.) |
Natural gas - imports:
|
3.5 billion cu m (2009 est.) |
Natural gas - proved reserves:
|
27.16 million cu m (1 January 2006 est.) |
Agriculture - products:
|
corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; beef, poultry, mutton, wool, dairy products |
Current account balance:
|
-$16.67 billion (2011 est.)
-$10.12 billion (2010 est.) |
Current account balance - per capita:
|
-340 USD per capita |
Exports:
|
$94.21 billion (2011 est.)
$85.7 billion (2010 est.) |
Exports per capita:
|
1,923 USD per capita |
Exports - commodities:
|
gold, diamonds, platinum, other metals and minerals, machinery and equipment |
Exports - partners:
|
China 13.7%, US 10.1%, Japan 8.7%, Germany 7.3%, UK 7.1%, India 4.3% (2010) |
Imports:
|
$92.86 billion (2011 est.)
$81.86 billion (2010 est.) |
Imports per capita:
|
1,895 USD per capita |
Imports - commodities:
|
machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum products, scientific instruments, foodstuffs |
Imports - partners:
|
China 13.4%, Germany 11.2%, US 7%, Saudi Arabia 5.3%, Japan 4.7%, Iran 4.3%, UK 4.3% (2010) |
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
|
$50.26 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
$43.83 billion (31 December 2010 est.) |
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold - per capita:
|
1,026 USD per capita |
Debt - external:
|
$47.66 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
$44.8 billion (31 December 2010 est.) |
Debt - external - per capita:
|
973 USD per capita |
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
|
$124.6 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
$119 billion (31 December 2010 est.) |
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home - per capita:
|
2,543 USD per capita |
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
|
$73.6 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
$72.97 billion (31 December 2010 est.) |
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad - per capita:
|
1,502 USD per capita |
Market value of publicly traded shares:
|
$1.013 trillion (31 December 2010)
$704.8 billion (31 December 2009)
$491.3 billion (31 December 2008) |
Market value of publicly traded shares - per capita:
|
20,672 USD per capita |
Currency (code):
|
rand (ZAR) |
Exchange rates:
|
rand (ZAR) per US dollar -
7.164 (2011 est.)
7.32 (2010 est.)
8.42 (2009)
7.9576 (2008)
7.05 (2007) |
Fiscal year:
|
1 April - 31 March |
|
= Fields = World Records = Dictionary = Bar graph = Distribution map = Fields History = Definitions |
|
Home 
Geographic Names
Chiefs of State
Intl. Organizations
Intl. Environmental Agree.
Other References
