Subsidies and other transfers (% of expense) in South Africa
South Africa: Subsidies and other transfers (% of expense) was 54.8% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Subsidies and other transfers in South Africa, 1985–2022
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of expense.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 54.8% for subsidies and other transfers in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.6% on the previous year and down 11.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, subsidies and other transfers in South Africa peaked at 62.5% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 6.3%, in 1995.
South Africa ranks 35th of 152 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 38 years of available data.
Subsidies and other transfers (% of expense) in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % of expense | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 15.7% | — |
| 1986 | 14.8% | -5.6% |
| 1987 | 14.6% | -1.4% |
| 1988 | 6.8% | -53.4% |
| 1989 | 6.9% | +1.7% |
| 1990 | 25.6% | +270.9% |
| 1991 | 27.0% | +5.2% |
| 1992 | 26.7% | -0.9% |
| 1993 | 29.2% | +9.3% |
| 1994 | 40.9% | +40.1% |
| 1995 | 6.3% | -84.7% |
| 1996 | 54.2% | +766.8% |
| 1997 | 53.4% | -1.5% |
| 1998 | 54.2% | +1.5% |
| 1999 | 52.7% | -2.8% |
| 2000 | 52.9% | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 53.2% | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 54.0% | +1.6% |
| 2003 | 54.6% | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 55.5% | +1.6% |
| 2005 | 56.7% | +2.2% |
| 2006 | 59.7% | +5.3% |
| 2007 | 60.1% | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 62.5% | +4.0% |
| 2009 | 61.7% | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 59.2% | -4.0% |
| 2011 | 59.2% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 61.5% | +3.9% |
| 2013 | 61.4% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 59.6% | -3.0% |
| 2015 | 58.3% | -2.3% |
| 2016 | 58.3% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 57.4% | -1.5% |
| 2018 | 58.0% | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 54.4% | -6.2% |
| 2020 | 56.7% | +4.2% |
| 2021 | 54.4% | -4.0% |
| 2022 | 54.8% | +0.6% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 54.8% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 35.7%, 1.5× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 54.8% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 25.7%, 2.1× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Subsidies and other transfers (% of expense) 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.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | +766.8% | 6.3% | 54.2% |
| 1990 | +270.9% | 6.9% | 25.6% |
| 1995 | -84.7% | 40.9% | 6.3% |
| 1988 | -53.4% | 14.6% | 6.8% |
| 1994 | +40.1% | 29.2% | 40.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 11.7% | 6.8% | 15.7% | 5 |
| 1990s | 37.0% | 6.3% | 54.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 57.1% | 52.9% | 62.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 58.7% | 54.4% | 61.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 55.3% | 54.4% | 56.7% | 3 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More public sector data for South Africa
- Democracy, 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)
- Elected parliament, 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)
- Arms imports 30.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.4746 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0001 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is subsidies and other transfers in South Africa?
- Subsidies and other transfers in South Africa was 54.8% in 2022, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest subsidies and other transfers recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 62.5% in 2008.
- What is the lowest subsidies and other transfers recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.3% in 1995.
- How does South Africa rank for subsidies and other transfers?
- South Africa ranks 35th out of 152 countries with data for 2022.
- Is subsidies and other transfers rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 Subsidies and other transfers (% of expense). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 38 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Subsidies are current unrequited payments that government units, including nonresident government units, make to enterprises on the basis of the levels of their production activities or the quantities or values of the goods or services that they produce, sell, export or import. This indicator is expressed as percentage of total expenses which is any decrease in net worth resulting from a transaction.