OECD Economic Surveys: South Africa 2022

Basic statistics of South Africa, 2021

(Numbers in parentheses refer to the OECD average)¹

LAND, PEOPLE AND ELECTORAL CYCLE
Population (million, 2020)	59.3		Population density per km²	48.9	(38.6)
Under 15 (%, 2020)	28.8	(17.8)	Life expectancy at birth (years, 2020)	64.4	(79.7)
Over 65 (%, 2020)	5.5	(17.4)	Men (2020)	61.0	(77.0)
International migrant stock (% of population, 2019)	7.2	(13.2)	Women (2020)	67.9	(82.5)
Latest 5-year average growth (%)	1.4	(0.6)	Latest general election	May 2019
ECONOMY
Gross domestic product (GDP)			Value added shares (%, 2020)
In current prices (billion USD)	420.3		Agriculture, forestry and fishing	2.8	(2.7)
In current prices (billion ZAR)	6 206.3		Industry including construction	25.9	(26.2)
Latest 5-year average real growth (%)	0.2	(1.5)	Services	71.3	(71.1)
Per capita (thousand USD PPP, 2020)	13.4	(46.1)
GENERAL GOVERNMENT
Per cent of GDP
Expenditure (OECD: 2020)	36.5	(48.5)	Gross financial debt (OECD: 2020)	69.1	(133.6)
Revenue (OECD: 2020)	30.1	(38.1)	Net financial debt (OECD: 2020)	63.3	(81.2)
EXTERNAL ACCOUNTS
Exchange rate (ZAR per USD)	14.77		Main exports (% of total merchandise exports, 2020)
PPP exchange rate (USA = 1)	7.04		Manufactured goods	26.1
In per cent of GDP			Machinery and transport equipment	17.9
Exports of goods and services	31.1	(54.6)	Crude materials, inedible, except fuels	17.9
Imports of goods and services	25.0	(51.1)	Main imports (% of total merchandise imports, 2020)
Current account balance	3.7	(0.1)	Machinery and transport equipment	30.7
Net international investment position (2020)	33.4		Chemicals and related products, n.e.s.	14.6
			Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials	13.8
LABOUR MARKET, SKILLS AND INNOVATION
Employment rate (aged 15 and over, %, 2020)	35.8	(55.1)	Unemployment rate, Labour Force Survey (aged 15 and over, %, 2020)	29.2	(7.1)
Men (2020)	41.5	(63.0)	Youth (aged 15-24, %, 2020)	59.0	(15.2)
Women (2020)	30.4	(47.7)	Long-term unemployed (1 year and over, %, OECD: 2020)	22.2	(1.3)
Participation rate (aged 15 and over, %, 2020)	50.5	(59.5)	Tertiary educational attainment (aged 25-64, %, 2020)	15.8	(39.0)
Average hours worked per year (2019, OECD: 2020)	2,191	(1,666)	Gross domestic expenditure on R&D (% of GDP, 2019, OECD: 2018)	0.6	(2.6)
ENVIRONMENT
Total primary energy supply per capita (toe, 2019, OECD: 2020)	2.4	(3.7)	CO2 emissions from fuel combustion per capita (tonnes, 2018, OECD: 2019)	7.4	( 8.3)
Renewables (%, 2019, OECD: 2020)	6.6	(11.9)
Exposure to air pollution (more than 10 µg/m³ of PM 2.5, % of population, 2019)	100.0	(61.7)	Renewable internal freshwater resources per capita (1 000 m³, 2017)	0.8
SOCIETY
Income inequality (Gini coefficient, 2017, OECD: latest available)	0.618	(0.317)	Public and private spending (% of GDP)
Relative poverty rate (%, 2017, OECD: 2018)	27.7	(11.7)	Health care (2018, OECD: 2019)	8.3	(8.8)
Median disposable household income (thousand USD PPP, 2017, OECD: 2018)	5.5	(25.4)	Education (% of GNI, 2019)	6.4	(4.4)
			Share of women in parliament (%, 2020)	46.8	(31.5)

Note: The year is indicated in parenthesis if it deviates from the year in the main title of this table.

1. Where the OECD aggregate is not provided in the source database, a simple OECD average of latest available data is calculated where data exist for at least 80% of member countries.

Source: Calculations based on data extracted from databases of the following organisations: OECD, International Energy Agency, International Labour Organisation, International Monetary Fund, United Nations, World Bank, Human Sciences Research Council of South Africa.