General public services, Ratio of this level of government's in South Africa

South Africa: General public services, Ratio of this level of government's was 1.65 in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
1.65
Change on year
down 6.5%
World rank
19th
of 60 countries
All-time high
3.45
in 2008
All-time low
0.8154
in 2007
Years of data
20
2001–2020

General public services, Ratio of this level of government's in South Africa, 2001–2020

1232001201020202001: 2.32002: 2.42003: 2.12004: 2.62005: 1.92006: 2.82007: 0.8152008: 3.52009: 2.12010: 2.22011: 1.82012: 1.92013: 1.22014: 1.22015: 1.72016: 1.52017: 0.8912018: 1.82019: 1.82020: 1.7

Source: International Monetary Fund.

Analysis

The most recent figure for general public services, ratio of this level of government's in South Africa is 1.65, measured in 2020.

The figure is down 6.5% on the previous year and down 25.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, general public services, ratio of this level of government's in South Africa peaked at 3.45 in 2008 and was at its lowest, 0.8154, in 2007.

That places South Africa 19th out of 60 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 20 years of available data.

General public services, Ratio of this level of government's in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for General public services, Ratio of this level of government's expenditure on this item to total general government expenditure on this, Percent (Central government) in South Africa, 2001 to 2020.
Year Value Change
2001 2.32
2002 2.41 +4.0%
2003 2.13 -11.7%
2004 2.61 +23.0%
2005 1.91 -27.0%
2006 2.76 +44.8%
2007 0.8154 -70.5%
2008 3.45 +323.4%
2009 2.15 -37.8%
2010 2.21 +2.8%
2011 1.83 -17.0%
2012 1.87 +2.3%
2013 1.16 -38.0%
2014 1.15 -0.7%
2015 1.7 +47.0%
2016 1.48 -12.6%
2017 0.8907 -40.0%
2018 1.8 +102.2%
2019 1.77 -1.8%
2020 1.65 -6.5%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 1.65 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.17, 1.4× the median. (19 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where General public services, Ratio of this level of government's in South Africa changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2008 +323.4% 0.8154 3.45

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 2.28 0.8154 3.45 9
2010s 1.59 0.8907 2.21 10
2020s 1.65 1.65 1.65 1

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 16 Portugal 1.79 compare
  2. 17 Austria 1.74 compare
  3. 18 Indonesia 1.68 compare
  4. 20 Ukraine 1.61 compare
  5. 21 Japan 1.58 compare
  6. 22 Belarus 1.56 compare

See the full ranking of 60 places →

More public sector data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is general public services, ratio of this level of government's in South Africa?
General public services, ratio of this level of government's in South Africa was 1.65 in 2020, according to International Monetary Fund.
What is the highest general public services, ratio of this level of government's recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 3.45 in 2008.
What is the lowest general public services, ratio of this level of government's recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.8154 in 2007.
How does South Africa rank for general public services, ratio of this level of government's?
South Africa ranks 19th out of 60 countries with data for 2020.
Is general public services, ratio of this level of government's rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 25.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from International Monetary Fund, published as part of General public services, Ratio of this level of government's expenditure on this item to total general government expenditure on this, Percent (Central government). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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General public services, Ratio of this level of government's in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on International Monetary Fund. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/general-public-services-ratio-of-this-level-of-government-s-expenditure-on-this-item-to/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
General public services, Ratio of this level of government's expenditure on this item to total general government expenditure on this, Percent (Central government)
Source
International Monetary Fund
Licence
IMF Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
60 places, 1,211 data points, 1990–2020
Last refreshed

The Fiscal Decentralization dataset includes fiscal decentralization indicators for a sample of IMF member countries. The following indicators are included in the dataset: Revenue and Expenditure Decentralization Shares; Transfer dependency and Vertical Fiscal Imbalances; Deficit and Debt; Allocation of expenditure (economic classification); Allocation of expenditure (functional classification); Allocation of non-Tax Revenues; and Allocation of Taxes.