Expenditure, General government, Percent of GDP in South Africa

South Africa: Expenditure, General government, Percent of GDP was 32.33 in 2030. ▲ Rising

Latest (2030)
32.33
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
75th
of 195 countries
All-time high
34.62
in 2020
All-time low
22.21
in 2002
Years of data
30
2001–2030

Expenditure, General government, Percent of GDP in South Africa, 2001–2030

01020302001201520302001: 22.62002: 22.22003: 22.62004: 22.72005: 25.12006: 24.72007: 24.42008: 262009: 28.52010: 28.32011: 28.12012: 28.62013: 28.92014: 29.32015: 30.22016: 29.92017: 29.92018: 30.22019: 31.42020: 34.62021: 32.72022: 31.92023: 32.52024: 332025: 33.62026: 33.12027: 32.92028: 32.62029: 32.42030: 32.3

Source: International Monetary Fund.

Analysis

The most recent figure for expenditure, general government, percent of gdp in South Africa is 32.33, measured in 2030.

The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 6.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, expenditure, general government, percent of gdp in South Africa peaked at 34.62 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 22.21, in 2002.

That places South Africa 75th out of 195 countries with data for 2030, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 30 years of available data.

Expenditure, General government, Percent of GDP in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Expenditure, General government, Percent of GDP in South Africa, 2001 to 2030.
Year Value Change
2001 22.62
2002 22.21 -1.8%
2003 22.62 +1.8%
2004 22.71 +0.4%
2005 25.14 +10.7%
2006 24.67 -1.9%
2007 24.43 -1.0%
2008 26.01 +6.5%
2009 28.46 +9.4%
2010 28.34 -0.4%
2011 28.08 -0.9%
2012 28.62 +1.9%
2013 28.91 +1.0%
2014 29.32 +1.4%
2015 30.16 +2.9%
2016 29.91 -0.8%
2017 29.86 -0.2%
2018 30.15 +1.0%
2019 31.39 +4.1%
2020 34.62 +10.3%
2021 32.65 -5.7%
2022 31.89 -2.3%
2023 32.46 +1.8%
2024 32.98 +1.6%
2025 33.63 +2.0%
2026 33.1 -1.6%
2027 32.94 -0.5%
2028 32.58 -1.1%
2029 32.43 -0.5%
2030 32.33 -0.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 24.32 22.21 28.46 9
2010s 29.47 28.08 31.39 10
2020s 32.93 31.89 34.62 10
2030s 32.33 32.33 32.33 1

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 72 Argentina 32.86 compare
  2. 73 Türkiye 32.4 compare
  3. 74 Uruguay 32.39 compare
  4. 76 Samoa 32.29 compare
  5. 77 Switzerland 32.27 compare
  6. 78 Kosovo 31.97 compare

See the full ranking of 213 places →

More public sector data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is expenditure, general government, percent of gdp in South Africa?
Expenditure, general government, percent of gdp in South Africa was 32.33 in 2030, according to International Monetary Fund.
What is the highest expenditure, general government, percent of gdp recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 34.62 in 2020.
What is the lowest expenditure, general government, percent of gdp recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 22.21 in 2002.
How does South Africa rank for expenditure, general government, percent of gdp?
South Africa ranks 75th out of 195 countries with data for 2030.
Is expenditure, general government, percent of gdp rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 6.6%. 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 Expenditure, General government, Percent of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 30 observations, free to reuse under IMF Terms and Conditions (attribution required).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Expenditure, General government, Percent of GDP in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on International Monetary Fund. Retrieved 07 September 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/expenditure-general-government-percent-of-gdp/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/expenditure-general-government-percent-of-gdp/south-africa/">Expenditure, General government, Percent of GDP in South Africa</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Expenditure, General government, Percent of GDP
Source
International Monetary Fund
Licence
IMF Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
213 places, 7,647 data points, 1991–2030
Last refreshed

Fiscal Monitor (FM) 2025 October