As of April 2025, South Africa's GDP was estimated at over 410 billion U.S. dollars, the highest in Africa. Egypt followed, with a GDP worth around 347 billion U.S. dollars, and ranked as the second-highest on the continent. Algeria ranked third, with nearly 269 billion U.S. dollars. These African economies are among some of the fastest-growing economies worldwide. Dependency on oil For some African countries, the oil industry represents an enormous source of income. In Nigeria, oil generates over five percent of the country’s GDP in the third quarter of 2023. However, economies such as the Libyan, Algerian, or Angolan are even much more dependent on the oil sector. In Libya, for instance, oil rents account for over 40 percent of the GDP. Indeed, Libya is one of the economies most dependent on oil worldwide. Similarly, oil represents for some of Africa’s largest economies a substantial source of export value. The giants do not make the ranking Most of Africa’s largest economies do not appear in the leading ten African countries for GDP per capita. The GDP per capita is calculated by dividing a country’s GDP by its population. Therefore, a populated country with a low total GDP will have a low GDP per capita, while a small rich nation has a high GDP per capita. For instance, South Africa has Africa’s highest GDP, but also counts the sixth-largest population, so wealth has to be divided into its big population. The GDP per capita also indicates how a country’s wealth reaches each of its citizens. In Africa, Seychelles has the greatest GDP per capita.

This dataset provides values for GDP reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in South Africa was worth 400.26 billion US dollars in 2024, according to official data from the World Bank. The GDP value of South Africa represents 0.38 percent of the world economy. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - South Africa GDP - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Seychelles had the largest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita in Africa as of 2024. The value amounted to 21,630 U.S. dollars. Mauritius followed with around 12,330 U.S. dollars, whereas Gabon registered 8,840 U.S. dollars. GDP per capita is calculated by dividing a country’s GDP by its population, meaning that some of the largest economies are not ranked within the leading ten. Impact of COVID-19 on North Africa’s GDP When looking at the GDP growth rate in Africa in 2024, Libya had the largest estimated growth in Northern Africa, a value of 7.8 percent compared to the previous year. Niger and Senegal were at the top of the list with rates of 10.4 percent and 8.3 percent, respectively. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact on the economy was severe. The growth of the North African real GDP was estimated at minus 1.1 percent in 2020. However, estimations for 2022 looked much brighter, as it was set that the region would see a GDP growth of six percent, compared to four percent in 2021.
Contribution of Tourism Various countries in Africa are dependent on tourism, contributing to the economy. In 2023, travel and tourism were estimated to contribute 182.6 billion U.S. dollars, a clear increase from 96.5 in 2020 following COVID-19. As of 2024, South Africa, Mauritius, and Egypt led tourism in the continent according to the Travel & Tourism Development Index.

As of 2023, the GDP of Africa was estimated at roughly 3.1 trillion U.S. dollars. This was the highest value since 2010 when the continent's GDP amounted to approximately 2.1 trillion U.S. dollars. The GDP value in Africa generally followed an upward trend in recent years and was estimated to exceed 4.2 trillion U.S. dollars by 2027.

Leading the charge: the three leading African economies

Among the African countries, in 2021, Nigeria had the highest GDP with approximately 442 billion U.S. dollars. South Africa and Egypt followed. These three countries have the largest economies for various reasons. The most notable factors are their population size, natural resources, and level of economic development. Furthermore, Africa was projected to have a real GDP growth rate of 3.9 percent in 2023. Libya was the economy experiencing the highest growth rate in that year.

The Sub-Saharan African economy on the rise

A global comparison showed that Sub-Saharan Africa had the smallest GDP among all world regions in 2021, amounting to 1.87 trillion U.S. dollars. A closer look revealed that Sub-Saharan Africa had a GDP per capita of 1,626.3 U.S. dollars in 2021, again the lowest worldwide. However, the region's economy was forecast to experience continued growth in the following years, with the real GDP increasing by 3.7 percent in 2023.

South Africa's GDP amounted to just over 418 billion U.S. dollars in 2025, the highest in Southern Africa. Zimbabwe ranked second, with a GDP worth around 37 billion U.S. dollars. Lesotho, on the other hand, ranked the lowest with a GDP of over 2.4 billion U.S. dollars.

This dataset provides values for GDP PER CAPITA reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

In 2024, Niger's real GDP is estimated to grow by 10.4 percent compared to the previous year. During 2023, the GDP is estimated to have increased by only 1.4 percent, nevertheless a positive trend. The country's real GDP is forecast to continue growing but at a slower pace. Between 2025 and 2029, it is expected to grow annually by roughly six percent. Furthermore, the GDPs of Senegal, Libya, and Rwanda might increase by around 8.3 percent, 7.8 percent, and 6.9 percent during 2024, respectively. Niger: A dependence on agriculture A large portion of Niger's economy comes from agriculture. In 2022, agriculture accounted for almost 40 percent of the GDP. Niger is not the only country in Africa where agriculture plays a crucial role. For example, agriculture made up nearly 60 percent of Sierra Leone’s GDP in 2022. Such dependence could mean that any disruptions in the agricultural products market could have significant effects on the country's GDP. Sub-Saharan Africa's economy will be among the fastest-growing regions worldwide Three African countries have significantly larger economies, namely, Nigeria, South Africa, and Egypt. As of 2022, these countries' GDP stood at nearly 477.4 billion, 475.2 billion, and 405.7 billion U.S. dollars. Furthermore, it is anticipated that Sub-Saharan Africa's GDP growth in 2026 will rank as the second-fastest growing economic region in the world after the ASEAN-5 countries, with a growth rate of approximately four percent. In contrast, economic areas such as the European Union are forecast to grow at only about 1.5 percent in the same year.

The average for 2023 based on 45 countries was 0.04 percent. The highest value was in South Africa: 0.36 percent and the lowest value was in Burundi: 0 percent. The indicator is available from 1980 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

The average for 2022 based on 14 countries was 101.01 billion U.S. dollars. The highest value was in South Africa: 1171.75 billion U.S. dollars and the lowest value was in the Seychelles: 1.22 billion U.S. dollars. The indicator is available from 1975 to 2024. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Explore the World Competitiveness Ranking dataset for 2016, including key indicators such as GDP per capita, fixed telephone tariffs, and pension funding. Discover insights on social cohesion, scientific research, and digital transformation in various countries.

Social cohesion, The image abroad of your country encourages business development, Scientific articles published by origin of author, International Telecommunication Union, World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators database, Data reproduced with the kind permission of ITU, National sources, Fixed telephone tariffs, GDP (PPP) per capita, Overall, Exports of goods - growth, Pension funding is adequately addressed for the future, Companies are very good at using big data and analytics to support decision-making, Gross fixed capital formation - real growth, Economic Performance, Scientific research legislation, Percentage of GDP, Health infrastructure meets the needs of society, Estimates based on preliminary data for the most recent year., Singapore: including re-exports., Value, Laws relating to scientific research do encourage innovation, % of GDP, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Health Infrastructure, Digital transformation in companies is generally well understood, Industrial disputes, EE, Female / male ratio, State ownership of enterprises, Total expenditure on R&D (%), Score, Colombia, Estimates for the most recent year., Percentage change, based on US$ values, Number of listed domestic companies, Tax evasion is not a threat to your economy, Scientific articles, Tax evasion, % change, Use of big data and analytics, National sources, Disposable Income, Equal opportunity, Listed domestic companies, Government budget surplus/deficit (%), Pension funding, US$ per capita at purchasing power parity, Estimates; US$ per capita at purchasing power parity, Image abroad or branding, Equal opportunity legislation in your economy encourages economic development, Number, Article counts are from a selection of journals, books, and conference proceedings in S&E from Scopus. Articles are classified by their year of publication and are assigned to a region/country/economy on the basis of the institutional address(es) listed in the article. Articles are credited on a fractional-count basis. The sum of the countries/economies may not add to the world total because of rounding. Some publications have incomplete address information for coauthored publications in the Scopus database. The unassigned category count is the sum of fractional counts for publications that cannot be assigned to a country or economy. Hong Kong: research output items by the higher education institutions funded by the University Grants Committee only., State ownership of enterprises is not a threat to business activities, Protectionism does not impair the conduct of your business, Digital transformation in companies, Total final energy consumption per capita, Social cohesion is high, Rank, MTOE per capita, Percentage change, based on constant prices, US$ billions, National sources, World Trade Organization Statistics database, Rank, Score, Value, World Rankings

Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Venezuela

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Since the beginning of the 21st century, the BRICS countries have been considered the five foremost developing economies in the world. Originally, the term BRIC was used by economists when talking about the emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India, and China, however these countries have held annual summits since 2009, and the group has expanded to include South Africa since 2010. China has the largest GDP of the BRICS country, at 16.86 trillion U.S. dollars in 2021, while the others are all below three trillion. Combined, the BRICS bloc has a GDP over 25.85 trillion U.S. dollars in 2022, which is slightly more than the United States. BRICS economic development China has consistently been the largest economy of this bloc, and its rapid growth has seen it become the second largest economy in the world, behind the U.S.. China's growth has also been much faster than the other BRICS countries; for example, when compared with the second largest BRICS economy, its GDP was less than double the size of Brazil's in 2000, but is almost six times larger than India's in 2021. Since 2000, the country with the second largest GDP has fluctuated between Brazil, Russia, and India, due to a variety of factors, although India has held this position since 2015 (when the other two experienced recession), and it's growth rate is on track to surpass China's in the coming decade. South Africa has consistently had the smallest economy of the BRICS bloc, and it has just the third largest economy in Africa; its inclusion in this group is due to the fact that it is the most advanced and stable major economy in Africa, and it holds strategic importance due to the financial potential of the continent in the coming decades. Future developments It is predicted that China's GDP will overtake that of the U.S. by the end of the 2020s, to become the largest economy in the world, while some also estimate that India will also overtake the U.S. around the middle of the century. Additionally, the BRICS group is more than just an economic or trading bloc, and its New Development Bank was established in 2014 to invest in sustainable infrastructure and renewable energy across the globe. While relations between its members were often strained or of less significance in the 20th century, their current initiatives have given them a much greater international influence. The traditional great powers represented in the Group of Seven (G7) have seen their international power wane in recent decades, while BRICS countries have seen theirs grow, especially on a regional level. Today, the original BRIC countries combine with the Group of Seven (G7), to make up 11 of the world's 12 largest economies, but it is predicted that they will move further up on this list in the coming decades.

This statistic shows the distribution of the gross domestic product (GDP) across economic sectors in South Africa from 2013 to 2023. In 2023, agriculture had contributed around 2.62 percent to the GDP of South Africa, whereas industry and services had contributed 24.62 and 62.61 percent of the total value added, respectively.

Government Effectiveness: Percentile Rank in South Africa was reported at 40.57 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Africa - Government Effectiveness: Percentile Rank - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on November of 2025.

This dataset provides values for CORRUPTION RANK reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

South Africa is the 82 least corrupt nation out of 180 countries, according to the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index reported by Transparency International. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - South Africa Corruption Rank - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

The average for 2022 based on 14 countries was 4.84 percent. The highest value was in South Africa: 57.76 percent and the lowest value was in Tanzania: 0.04 percent. The indicator is available from 1975 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

The mining sector forms an important part of the South African economy. In 2024, the industry contributed an added value of approximately ****** billion South African rand (around ***** billion U.S. dollars) to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). In recent years, the overall growth rate of value-added GDP has followed a declining trend due to the general challenges the global mining industry is facing coupled with the additional burden of deteriorating infrastructure, port congestion, illegal mining activities, among many others. How does mining contribute to local employment? In 2024, the mining trade provided direct employment to almost **** a million people in South Africa. The largest employer of all mineral commodities produced was the platinum group metals (PGMs), which employed nearly ** percent of the total. In terms of production volume, coal was South Africa’s largest produced commodity over the past decade. Revenue and leading mining companies Although PGMs generated close to ** percent of the accumulated revenue from South African mining activities, it suffered a significant decline in 2024. On the other hand, the proceeds made from gold mining have increased by roughly **** percent from the previous year. As a result of global geopolitical precariousness, rising inflation, and economic growth concerns, gold has strengthened its position as a resilient and trusted asset. Gold Fields is the leading mining company in South Africa, with a market capitalization amounting to about *** billion South African rand (nearly **** billion U.S. dollars. The firm has agreed to form a joint venture with Anglo Gold with the aim of creating the largest gold mine in Africa, whereby Goldfields will hold ********** of its stake.

The average for 2024 based on 45 countries was 38.61 billion U.S. dollars. The highest value was in South Africa: 400.26 billion U.S. dollars and the lowest value was in Sao Tome and Principe: 0.76 billion U.S. dollars. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2024. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

This statistic shows the 20 countries with the highest growth of the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2024. In 2024, Guyana ranked 1st with an estimated GDP growth of approximately 43.57 percent compared to the previous year. GDP around the world Gross domestic product (GDP) is an indicator of the monetary value of all goods and services produced by a nation in a specific time period. GDP is a strong index of a country’s economic strength - the higher the GDP of a nation, the stronger that country’s economy. The countries in the world with the highest GDP or GDP per capita are mainly developed and emerging countries, with global gross domestic product amounting to nearly 75 trillion U.S. dollars. As of 2016, the United States is the nation in the world with the highest GDP with more than 18.56 trillion U.S. dollars, which makes up more than 15.7 percent of the global GDP. The countries with the lowest gross domestic product per capita in 2014 were mainly African nations. The country in the world with the lowest GDP per capita in 2016 was South Sudan, followed by Malawi, and Burundi. However, several economically struggling African and Asian countries such as Myanmar, Côte d'Ivoire, Bhutan, and India reported the highest growth of the gross domestic product in 2016. Also in the top 20 nations with the highest growth of the GDP is China. In 2016, the GDP in China was the second highest GDP in the world. It is estimated that by 2019 the GDP in China will grow by 6 percent. Based on this estimate, GDP in China will be at around 14.6 trillion U.S. dollars by 2019.