Vertical fiscal imbalance, Percent in South Africa

South Africa: Vertical fiscal imbalance, Percent was -0.2585 in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
-0.2585
Change on year
up 42.5%
World rank
50th
of 64 countries
All-time high
-0.2585
in 2020
All-time low
-1.1
in 2005
Years of data
24
1997–2020

Vertical fiscal imbalance, Percent in South Africa, 1997–2020

-1.2-1-0.8-0.6-0.4-0.21997200820201997: -0.6131998: -0.7191999: -0.7562000: -0.8072001: -0.8672002: -0.8512003: -0.8612004: -0.9512005: -1.12006: -0.8412007: -0.922008: -0.8642009: -0.5582010: -0.5142011: -0.4962012: -0.5932013: -0.6282014: -0.6232015: -0.5562016: -0.5982017: -0.5262018: -0.5322019: -0.452020: -0.259

Source: International Monetary Fund.

Analysis

The most recent figure for vertical fiscal imbalance, percent in South Africa is -0.2585, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.

That represents a change of up 42.5% on the previous year and up 49.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, vertical fiscal imbalance, percent in South Africa peaked at -0.2585 in 2020 and was at its lowest, -1.1, in 2005.

That places South Africa 50th out of 64 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.

Vertical fiscal imbalance, Percent in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Vertical fiscal imbalance, Percent (Central government) in South Africa, 1997 to 2020.
Year Value Change
1997 -0.6129
1998 -0.7194 +17.4%
1999 -0.7562 +5.1%
2000 -0.8071 +6.7%
2001 -0.867 +7.4%
2002 -0.8508 -1.9%
2003 -0.8606 +1.1%
2004 -0.9506 +10.5%
2005 -1.1 +16.0%
2006 -0.8408 -23.8%
2007 -0.9203 +9.5%
2008 -0.8636 -6.2%
2009 -0.5583 -35.4%
2010 -0.5138 -8.0%
2011 -0.496 -3.5%
2012 -0.5926 +19.5%
2013 -0.6283 +6.0%
2014 -0.6234 -0.8%
2015 -0.5562 -10.8%
2016 -0.5978 +7.5%
2017 -0.5256 -12.1%
2018 -0.532 +1.2%
2019 -0.4495 -15.5%
2020 -0.2585 -42.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s -0.6962 -0.7562 -0.6129 3
2000s -0.8622 -1.1 -0.5583 10
2010s -0.5515 -0.6283 -0.4495 10
2020s -0.2585 -0.2585 -0.2585 1

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 47 Kenya -0.2002 compare
  2. 48 Iceland -0.2346 compare
  3. 49 Azerbaijan -0.2522 compare
  4. 51 Uzbekistan -0.2646 compare
  5. 52 Serbia -0.2759 compare
  6. 53 Austria -0.3456 compare

See the full ranking of 64 places →

More public sector data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is vertical fiscal imbalance, percent in South Africa?
Vertical fiscal imbalance, percent in South Africa was -0.2585 in 2020, according to International Monetary Fund.
What is the highest vertical fiscal imbalance, percent recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was -0.2585 in 2020.
What is the lowest vertical fiscal imbalance, percent recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was -1.1 in 2005.
How does South Africa rank for vertical fiscal imbalance, percent?
South Africa ranks 50th out of 64 countries with data for 2020.
Is vertical fiscal imbalance, percent rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 49.7%. 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 Vertical fiscal imbalance, Percent (Central government). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Vertical fiscal imbalance, Percent in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on International Monetary Fund. Retrieved 05 September 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/vertical-fiscal-imbalance-percent-central-government/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Vertical fiscal imbalance, Percent (Central government)
Source
International Monetary Fund
Licence
IMF Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
64 places, 1,123 data points, 1989–2020
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.