Environmental protection in South Africa

South Africa: Environmental protection was 18.70 billion in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
18.70 billion
Change on year
up 5.2%
World rank
28th
of 113 countries
All-time high
18.70 billion
in 2022
All-time low
3.32 billion
in 2005
Years of data
26
1996–2022

Environmental protection in South Africa, 1996–2022

5.0B10.0B15.0B20.0B1996200920221996: 4.4B1997: 5.3B1998: 5.5B1999: 5.1B2000: 5.7B2001: 6.5B2002: 10.1B2003: 10.1B2004: 13.7B2005: 3.3B2006: 4.0B2008: 6.5B2009: 7.3B2010: 7.8B2011: 9.4B2012: 10.1B2013: 11.7B2014: 13.2B2015: 13.1B2016: 12.8B2017: 15.6B2018: 14.3B2019: 17.3B2020: 18.0B2021: 17.8B2022: 18.7B

Source: International Monetary Fund.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 18.70 billion for environmental protection in 2022. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.2% on the previous year and up 86.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, environmental protection in South Africa peaked at 18.70 billion in 2022 and was at its lowest, 3.32 billion, in 2005.

That places South Africa 28th out of 113 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.

Environmental protection in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Environmental protection (Domestic Currency) in South Africa, 1996 to 2022.
Year Value Change
1996 4.37 billion
1997 5.29 billion +21.2%
1998 5.50 billion +3.8%
1999 5.08 billion -7.6%
2000 5.75 billion +13.2%
2001 6.46 billion +12.3%
2002 10.05 billion +55.7%
2003 10.07 billion +0.1%
2004 13.72 billion +36.2%
2005 3.32 billion -75.8%
2006 4.04 billion +21.7%
2008 6.53 billion +61.5%
2009 7.35 billion +12.6%
2010 7.75 billion +5.5%
2011 9.44 billion +21.8%
2012 10.05 billion +6.5%
2013 11.69 billion +16.3%
2014 13.21 billion +13.0%
2015 13.14 billion -0.5%
2016 12.80 billion -2.6%
2017 15.58 billion +21.7%
2018 14.31 billion -8.2%
2019 17.32 billion +21.0%
2020 17.96 billion +3.7%
2021 17.77 billion -1.1%
2022 18.70 billion +5.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 5.06 billion 4.37 billion 5.50 billion 4
2000s 7.48 billion 3.32 billion 13.72 billion 9
2010s 12.53 billion 7.75 billion 17.32 billion 10
2020s 18.14 billion 17.77 billion 18.70 billion 3

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 25 Germany 22.49 billion compare
  2. 26 Australia 19.43 billion compare
  3. 27 Philippines 19.07 billion compare
  4. 29 United Kingdom 17.81 billion compare
  5. 30 Lebanon 17.18 billion compare
  6. 31 Italy 16.97 billion compare

See the full ranking of 113 places →

More public sector data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is environmental protection in South Africa?
Environmental protection in South Africa was 18.70 billion in 2022, according to International Monetary Fund.
What is the highest environmental protection recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 18.70 billion in 2022.
What is the lowest environmental protection recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 3.32 billion in 2005.
How does South Africa rank for environmental protection?
South Africa ranks 28th out of 113 countries with data for 2022.
Is environmental protection rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 86.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from International Monetary Fund, published as part of Environmental protection (Domestic Currency). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under IMF Terms and Conditions (attribution required).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Environmental protection in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on International Monetary Fund. Retrieved 29 August 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/environmental-protection-domestic-currency/south-africa/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under IMF Terms and Conditions (attribution required); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/environmental-protection-domestic-currency/south-africa/">Environmental protection in South Africa</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Environmental protection (Domestic Currency)
Source
International Monetary Fund
Licence
IMF Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
113 places, 1,949 data points, 1995–2022
Last refreshed

This dataset captures government spending on environmental protection efforts such as pollution abatement, biodiversity conservation, and waste management. These expenditures are classified according to the COFOG framework (Classification of the Functions of Government).