International Rankings of South Africa 2022, country comparisons

This table lists the international rankings of South Africa, in all categories that are published in the CIA World Factbook, and those that we derived from them. Additional international rankings of South Africa, can be found in the main country ranks menu.
For a definition of each entry, visit the Definitions page.

Ranked Data	Rank	Value	Year
Communications
Broadband - fixed subscriptions - subscriptions per 100 inhabitants	51	2	2020
Broadband - fixed subscriptions - total	67	1.303 million	2020
Internet users - percent of population	37	70 %	2020
Internet users - total	23	41.516 million	2020
Telephones - fixed lines - subscriptions per 100 inhabitants	51	4	2020
Telephones - fixed lines - total subscriptions	54	2.099 million	2020
Telephones - mobile cellular - subscriptions per 100 inhabitants	9	165.6	2019
Telephones - mobile cellular - total subscriptions	18	96.973 million	2019
Economy
Budget - expenditures	31	108.300 billion US Dollars	2017
Budget - revenues	33	92.860 billion US Dollars	2017
Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)	67	4.4 % of GDP	0
Exports	65	N/A US Dollars	2022
GDP (official exchange rate)	39	350.032 billion US Dollars	2019
GDP - composition by end use - exports of goods and services	109	29.8 % of GDP	2017
GDP - composition by end use - government consumption	39	20.9 % of GDP	2017
GDP - composition by end use - household consumption	109	59.4 % of GDP	2017
GDP - composition by end use - imports of goods and services	39	28.4 % of GDP	2017
GDP - composition by end use - investment in fixed capital	92	18.7 % of GDP	2017
GDP - composition by end use - investment in inventories	56	0.1 % of GDP	2017
GDP - composition by sector of origin - agriculture	117	2.8 % of GDP	2017
GDP - composition by sector of origin - industry	62	29.7 % of GDP	2017
GDP - composition by sector of origin - services	60	67.5 % of GDP	2017
Household income or consumption by percentage share - highest 10%	2	51.3 % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population	2011
Household income or consumption by percentage share - lowest 10%	39	1.2 % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population	0
Industrial production growth rate	74	1.2 %	2017
Labor force	36	14.687 million US Dollars	2020
Labor force - by occupation - agriculture	109	4.6 %	0
Labor force - by occupation - industry	44	23.5 %	0
Labor force - by occupation - services	41	71.9 %	2014
Population below poverty line	12	55.5	2014
Public debt	58	N/A % of GDP	2022
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)	30	680.040 billion US Dollars	2020
Real GDP per capita	86	11500 US Dollars	2020
Taxes and other revenues	84	26.6 % of GDP	0
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24) - female	8	54.3	2021
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24) - male	3	45.5	0
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24) - total	3	49.6	0
Energy
Carbon dioxide emissions - from coal and metallurgical coke	7	387.835 million metric tonnes of CO2	2019
Carbon dioxide emissions - from consumed natural gas	61	9.361 million metric tonnes of CO2	2019
Carbon dioxide emissions - from petroleum and other liquids	31	73.163 million metric tonnes of CO2	2019
Coal - consumption	6	170.308 million metric tons	2020
Coal - exports	4	74.965 million metric tons	2020
Coal - imports	44	2.054 million metric tons	2020
Coal - production	7	248.388 million metric tons	2020
Coal - proven reserves	11	9.893 billion metric tons	2019
Electricity - consumption	20	202.286 billion kWh	2019
Electricity - exports	14	14.482 billion kWh	2019
Electricity - imports	29	7.823 billion kWh	2019
Electricity - installed generating capacity	20	62.728 million kWh	2020
Electricity - transmission/distribution losses	19	22.904 billion kWh	2019
Electricity generation sources - biomass and waste	55	0.2 %	2020
Electricity generation sources - fossil fuels	40	87.9 %	2020
Electricity generation sources - geothermal	16	0 %	2020
Electricity generation sources - hydroelectricity	115	2.5 %	2020
Electricity generation sources - nuclear	25	5.2 %	2020
Electricity generation sources - solar	51	1.6 %	2020
Electricity generation sources - tide and wave	5	0 %	2020
Electricity generation sources - wind	50	2.6 %	2020
Energy consumption per capita	61	98.474 million Btu/person	2019
Natural gas - consumption	63	4.772 billion cubic meters	2019
Natural gas - exports	55	0 cubic meters	2021
Natural gas - imports	42	3.542 billion cubic meters	2019
Natural gas - production	64	1.230 billion cubic meters	2019
Natural gas - proven reserves	90	0 cubic meters	2021
Petroleum - crude oil and lease condensate exports	54	9000 bbl/day	2018
Petroleum - crude oil and lease condensate imports	20	397700 bbl/day	2018
Petroleum - crude oil estimated reserves	74	15.000 million bbl/day	2021
Petroleum - refined petroleum consumption	30	622500 bbl/day	2019
Petroleum - total petroleum production	44	97900 bbl/day	2021
Refined petroleum products - exports	41	105600 bbl/day	2015
Refined petroleum products - imports	34	195200 bbl/day	2015
Refined petroleum products - production	33	487100 bbl/day	2015
Environment
Air pollutants - carbon dioxide emissions	13	476.64 megatons	2016
Air pollutants - methane emissions	29	55.89 megatons	2020
Air pollutants - particulate matter emissions	74	23.58 micrograms per cubic meter	2016
Land use - agricultural land	5	79.4	2018
Land use - arable land	92	9.9	2018
Land use - forest	142	7.6	2018
Land use - other	139	13	2018
Land use - permanent crops	76	0.3	2018
Land use - permanent pasture	6	69.2	2018
Revenue from coal	3	2.4 % of GDP	2018
Revenue from forest resources	95	N/A % of GDP	2022
Total renewable water resources	88	51.350 billion cubic meters	2017
Total water withdrawal - agricultural	33	11.390 billion cubic meters	2017
Total water withdrawal - industrial	22	4.100 billion cubic meters	2017
Total water withdrawal - municipal	23	3.890 billion cubic meters	2017
Urbanization - rate of urbanization	74	1.72	2025
Urbanization - urban population	67	68.3	2022
Waste and recycling - municipal solid waste generated annually	17	18.457 million tons	2011
Waste and recycling - municipal solid waste recycled annually	10	5.168 million tons	2011
Waste and recycling - percent of municipal solid waste recycled	21	28 %	2011
Geography
Area - land	27	1.214 million sq km	0
Area - total	27	1.219 million sq km	0
Area - water	138	4620 sq km	0
Coastline	41	2798 km	0
Elevation - highest point	187	N/A meters	0
Elevation - lowest point	32	0 meters	0
Elevation - mean elevation	27	1034 meters	0
Irrigated land	26	16700 sq km	2012
Land boundaries - total	34	5244 km	0
Land use - agricultural land	5	79.4	2018
Land use - arable land	92	9.9	2018
Land use - forest	142	7.6	2018
Land use - other	139	13	2018
Land use - permanent crops	76	0.3	2018
Land use - permanent pasture	6	69.2	2018
Population
Age structure - 15-24 years	79	16.8	4337
Age structure - 25-54 years	62	42.37	5193
Age structure - 55-64 years	127	6.8	6988
Alcohol consumption per capita - beer	25	3.99 liters of pure alcohol	2019
Alcohol consumption per capita - other alcohols	27	0.7 liters of pure alcohol	2019
Alcohol consumption per capita - spirits	68	1.31 liters of pure alcohol	2019
Alcohol consumption per capita - total	51	7.21 liters of pure alcohol	2019
Alcohol consumption per capita - wine	46	1.21 liters of pure alcohol	2019
Birth rate	72	18.56 births/1,000 population	2022
Children under the age of 5 years underweight	62	5.5 %	2017
Contraceptive prevalence rate	60	54.6 %	2016
Current health expenditure	26	9.1 % of GDP	2019
Death rate	46	9.26 deaths/1,000 population	2022
Dependency ratios - elderly dependency ratio	106	8.4 %	0
Dependency ratios - potential support ratio	63	10.9 %	2021
Dependency ratios - total dependency ratio	101	52.2 %	0
Dependency ratios - youth dependency ratio	77	43.9 %	0
Drinking water source - improved	4	99.7 % of population	0
Drinking water source - rural	63	9.7 % of population	0
Drinking water source - total	69	3.3 % of population	2020
Drinking water source - unimproved	58	0.3 % of population	0
Education expenditures	18	6.6 % of GDP	2021
Hospital bed density	70	N/A beds/1,000 population	2022
Infant mortality rate - female	59	22.82 deaths/1,000 live births	2022
Infant mortality rate - male	61	28.86 deaths/1,000 live births	0
Infant mortality rate - total	61	25.87 deaths/1,000 live births	0
Life expectancy at birth - female	168	66.68 years	2022
Life expectancy at birth - male	164	63.99 years	0
Life expectancy at birth - total population	167	65.32 years	0
Literacy - female	38	94.5 %	2019
Literacy - male	33	95.5 %	0
Literacy - total population	38	95 %	0
Maternal mortality ratio	59	119 deaths/100,000 live births	2017
Median age - female	99	28.1 years	2020
Median age - male	92	27.9 years	0
Median age - total	91	28 years	0
Mother's mean age at first birth	85	N/A	2022
Net migration rate	74	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population	0
Obesity - adult prevalence rate	25	28.3 %	2016
Physicians density	113	0.79 physicians/1,000 population	2019
Population	24	57.517 million	2022
Population growth rate	81	0.93 %	2022
Sanitation facility access - improved	26	96.6 % of population	0
Sanitation facility access - rural	74	13.6 % of population	0
Sanitation facility access - total	78	6.8 % of population	2020
Sanitation facility access - unimproved	67	3.4 % of population	0
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) - female	9	14 years	2020
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) - male	7	13 years	0
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) - total	9	13 years	0
Sex ratio - 0-14 years	15	1 male(s)/female	0
Sex ratio - 15-24 years	25	0.98	0
Sex ratio - 25-54 years	19	1.02	0
Sex ratio - 55-64 years	34	0.87	0
Sex ratio - 65 years and over	39	0.58 male(s)/female	0
Sex ratio - at birth	11	1.02 male(s)/female	0
Sex ratio - total population	19	0.98 male(s)/female	0
Tobacco use - female	62	6.5 %	2020
Tobacco use - male	53	34 %	2020
Tobacco use - total	64	20.3 %	2020
Total fertility rate	70	2.18 children born/woman	2022
Urbanization - rate of urbanization	74	1.72	2025
Urbanization - urban population	67	68.3	2022
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24) - female	8	54.3	2021
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24) - male	3	45.5	0
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24) - total	3	49.6	0
Transportation
Airports	20	407	2021
Airports - with paved runways - 1524 to 2437 m	15	46	0
Airports - with paved runways - 2438 to 3047 m	32	6	0
Airports - with paved runways - 914 to 1523 m	13	60	0
Airports - with paved runways - over 3047 m	15	11	0
Airports - with paved runways - total	17	130	0
Airports - with paved runways - under 914 m	28	7	2021
Airports - with unpaved runways - 1524 to 2437 m	15	19	0
Airports - with unpaved runways - 914 to 1523 m	8	178	0
Airports - with unpaved runways - total	15	277	0
Airports - with unpaved runways - under 914 m	23	79	2021
Heliports	23	N/A	2022
Merchant marine - total	79	105	0
National air transport system - annual freight traffic on registered air carriers	34	716.250 million	2018
National air transport system - annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers	32	23.922 million	2018
National air transport system - inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers	23	243	0
National air transport system - number of registered air carriers	11	17	2020
Railways - standard gauge	62	80	2014
Railways - total	13	20986 km	2014
Roadways - paved	18	158124 km	2016
Roadways - total	9	750000 km	2016
Waterways	105	N/A km	2022

*CALCULATED FIGURES are those that we calculated from data presented by the CIA World Factbook. For example, we calculated population density by dividing the total population by the land area, the electricity consumption per capita by dividing electricity consumption by the total population, etc.

NOTE: The information regarding South Africa on this page is re-published from the 2022 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of South Africa 2022 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about South Africa 2022 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.