Expense in South Africa
South Africa: Expense was 2.23 trillion current LCU in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2022)
2.23 trillion current LCU
Change on year
up 3.7%
World rank
45th
of 157 countries
All-time high
2.23 trillion current LCU
in 2022
All-time low
2.91 billion current LCU
in 1972
Years of data
51
1972–2022
Expense in South Africa, 1972–2022
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in current LCU.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 2.23 trillion current LCU for expense in 2022. That is the highest value across all 51 years on record.
The figure is up 3.7% on the previous year and up 105.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expense in South Africa peaked at 2.23 trillion current LCU in 2022 and was at its lowest, 2.91 billion current LCU, in 1972.
South Africa ranks 45th of 157 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Expense in South Africa, year by year
| Year | current LCU | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 2.91 billion current LCU | — |
| 1973 | 3.48 billion current LCU | +19.5% |
| 1974 | 4.51 billion current LCU | +29.6% |
| 1975 | 5.59 billion current LCU | +23.9% |
| 1976 | 6.63 billion current LCU | +18.6% |
| 1977 | 7.43 billion current LCU | +12.1% |
| 1978 | 8.54 billion current LCU | +14.9% |
| 1979 | 10.23 billion current LCU | +19.8% |
| 1980 | 12.30 billion current LCU | +20.3% |
| 1981 | 15.32 billion current LCU | +24.5% |
| 1982 | 19.35 billion current LCU | +26.3% |
| 1983 | 24.06 billion current LCU | +24.3% |
| 1984 | 28.32 billion current LCU | +17.7% |
| 1985 | 34.52 billion current LCU | +21.9% |
| 1986 | 42.31 billion current LCU | +22.6% |
| 1987 | 49.98 billion current LCU | +18.1% |
| 1988 | 60.73 billion current LCU | +21.5% |
| 1989 | 70.83 billion current LCU | +16.6% |
| 1990 | 82.85 billion current LCU | +17.0% |
| 1991 | 93.09 billion current LCU | +12.4% |
| 1992 | 117.03 billion current LCU | +25.7% |
| 1993 | 140.23 billion current LCU | +19.8% |
| 1994 | 140.69 billion current LCU | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 162.53 billion current LCU | +15.5% |
| 1996 | 189.62 billion current LCU | +16.7% |
| 1997 | 200.97 billion current LCU | +6.0% |
| 1998 | 217.16 billion current LCU | +8.1% |
| 1999 | 234.23 billion current LCU | +7.9% |
| 2000 | 257.34 billion current LCU | +9.9% |
| 2001 | 283.81 billion current LCU | +10.3% |
| 2002 | 322.21 billion current LCU | +13.5% |
| 2003 | 369.18 billion current LCU | +14.6% |
| 2004 | 423.06 billion current LCU | +14.6% |
| 2005 | 470.30 billion current LCU | +11.2% |
| 2006 | 531.72 billion current LCU | +13.1% |
| 2007 | 612.02 billion current LCU | +15.1% |
| 2008 | 709.77 billion current LCU | +16.0% |
| 2009 | 813.17 billion current LCU | +14.6% |
| 2010 | 903.77 billion current LCU | +11.1% |
| 2011 | 1.03 trillion current LCU | +14.3% |
| 2012 | 1.08 trillion current LCU | +4.8% |
| 2013 | 1.21 trillion current LCU | +11.7% |
| 2014 | 1.32 trillion current LCU | +9.1% |
| 2015 | 1.49 trillion current LCU | +12.9% |
| 2016 | 1.53 trillion current LCU | +2.9% |
| 2017 | 1.69 trillion current LCU | +10.2% |
| 2018 | 1.82 trillion current LCU | +8.0% |
| 2019 | 1.95 trillion current LCU | +6.9% |
| 2020 | 2.10 trillion current LCU | +8.0% |
| 2021 | 2.15 trillion current LCU | +2.1% |
| 2022 | 2.23 trillion current LCU | +3.7% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 2.23 trillion current LCU is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 310.25 billion current LCU, 7.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 2.23 trillion current LCU is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 972.73 billion current LCU, 2.3× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6.17 billion current LCU | 2.91 billion current LCU | 10.23 billion current LCU | 8 |
| 1980s | 35.77 billion current LCU | 12.30 billion current LCU | 70.83 billion current LCU | 10 |
| 1990s | 157.84 billion current LCU | 82.85 billion current LCU | 234.23 billion current LCU | 10 |
| 2000s | 479.26 billion current LCU | 257.34 billion current LCU | 813.17 billion current LCU | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.40 trillion current LCU | 903.77 billion current LCU | 1.95 trillion current LCU | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.16 trillion current LCU | 2.10 trillion current LCU | 2.23 trillion current LCU | 3 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More public sector data for South Africa
- Democracy, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Democracy 7 (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected 1 (2025)
- Elected parliament 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is expense in South Africa?
- Expense in South Africa was 2.23 trillion current LCU in 2022, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest expense recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 2.23 trillion current LCU in 2022.
- What is the lowest expense recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.91 billion current LCU in 1972.
- How does South Africa rank for expense?
- South Africa ranks 45th out of 157 countries with data for 2022.
- Is expense rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 105.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Expense (current LCU). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 51 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Expense is a decrease in net worth resulting from a transaction. 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.