International Rankings of South Africa 2023, 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	52	2	2020
Broadband - fixed subscriptions - total	70	1.303 million	2020
Internet users - percent of population	44	72 %	2021
Internet users - total	26	42.480 million	2021
Telephones - fixed lines - subscriptions per 100 inhabitants	57	2	2021
Telephones - fixed lines - total subscriptions	63	1.472 million	2021
Telephones - mobile cellular - subscriptions per 100 inhabitants	10	169	2021
Telephones - mobile cellular - total subscriptions	20	100.328 million	2021
Economy
Average household expenditures - on alcohol and tobacco	17	4.9 % of household expenditures	2018
Average household expenditures - on food	54	21.4 % of household expenditures	2018
Budget - expenditures	34	121.204 billion US Dollars	2020
Budget - revenues	40	84.190 billion US Dollars	2020
Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)	71	4.4 % of GDP	0
Current account balance	24	15.569 billion US Dollars	2021
Debt - external	44	179.871 billion US Dollars	2019
Exports	41	130.885 billion US Dollars	2021
GDP (official exchange rate)	41	350.032 billion US Dollars	2019
GDP - composition by end use - exports of goods and services	117	29.8 % of GDP	2017
GDP - composition by end use - government consumption	44	20.9 % of GDP	2017
GDP - composition by end use - household consumption	114	59.4 % of GDP	2017
GDP - composition by end use - imports of goods and services	41	28.4 % of GDP	2017
GDP - composition by end use - investment in fixed capital	96	18.7 % of GDP	2017
GDP - composition by end use - investment in inventories	57	0.1 % of GDP	2017
GDP - composition by sector of origin - agriculture	123	2.8 % of GDP	2017
GDP - composition by sector of origin - industry	66	29.7 % of GDP	2017
GDP - composition by sector of origin - services	71	67.5 % of GDP	2017
Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income	1	63 %	2014
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
Imports	46	104.806 billion US Dollars	2021
Industrial production growth rate	71	6.12 %	2021
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	72	4.61 %	2021
Labor force	31	22.398 million US Dollars	2021
Labor force - by occupation - agriculture	117	4.6 %	0
Labor force - by occupation - industry	47	23.5 %	0
Labor force - by occupation - services	47	71.9 %	2014
Population below poverty line	14	55.5 %	2014
Public debt	88	53 % of GDP	2017
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)	33	790.625 billion US Dollars	2021
Real GDP growth rate	89	4.91 %	2021
Real GDP per capita	110	13300 US Dollars	2021
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold	42	57.597 billion US Dollars	2021
Taxes and other revenues	58	23.3 % of GDP	0
Unemployment rate	2	33.56 %	2021
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24) - female	3	69.3	2021
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24) - male	2	59.8	0
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24) - total	2	64.2	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	62	9.361 million metric tonnes of CO2	2019
Carbon dioxide emissions - from petroleum and other liquids	32	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	45	2.054 million metric tons	2020
Coal - production	7	248.388 million metric tons	2020
Coal - proven reserves	12	9.893 billion metric tons	2019
Electricity - consumption	21	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	21	62.728 million kWh	2020
Electricity - transmission/distribution losses	20	22.904 billion kWh	2019
Electricity access	2	N/A %	2023
Electricity generation sources - biomass and waste	55	0.2 %	2020
Electricity generation sources - fossil fuels	44	87.9 %	2020
Electricity generation sources - geothermal	17	0 %	2020
Electricity generation sources - hydroelectricity	121	2.5 %	2020
Electricity generation sources - nuclear	25	5.2 %	2020
Electricity generation sources - solar	53	1.6 %	2020
Electricity generation sources - tide and wave	6	0 %	2020
Electricity generation sources - wind	53	2.6 %	2020
Energy consumption per capita	61	98.474 million Btu/person	2019
Natural gas - consumption	64	4.772 billion cubic meters	2019
Natural gas - exports	57	0 cubic meters	2021
Natural gas - imports	43	3.542 billion cubic meters	2019
Natural gas - production	65	1.230 billion cubic meters	2019
Natural gas - proven reserves	92	0 cubic meters	2021
Petroleum - crude oil and lease condensate exports	56	9000 bbl/day	2018
Petroleum - crude oil and lease condensate imports	21	397700 bbl/day	2018
Petroleum - crude oil estimated reserves	76	15.000 million bbl/day	2021
Petroleum - refined petroleum consumption	31	622500 bbl/day	2019
Petroleum - total petroleum production	46	97900 bbl/day	2021
Refined petroleum products - exports	44	105600 bbl/day	2015
Refined petroleum products - imports	36	195200 bbl/day	2015
Refined petroleum products - production	35	487100 bbl/day	2015
Environment
Air pollutants - carbon dioxide emissions	13	476.64 megatons	2016
Air pollutants - methane emissions	30	55.89 megatons	2020
Air pollutants - particulate matter emissions	77	23.58 micrograms per cubic meter	2016
Land use - agricultural land	6	79.4	2018
Land use - arable land	97	9.9	2018
Land use - forest	153	7.6	2018
Land use - other	150	13	2018
Land use - permanent crops	82	0.3	2018
Land use - permanent pasture	7	69.2	2018
Revenue from coal	3	2.4 % of GDP	2018
Revenue from forest resources	99	N/A % of GDP	2023
Total renewable water resources	93	51.350 billion cubic meters	2020
Total water withdrawal - agricultural	34	11.990 billion cubic meters	2020
Total water withdrawal - industrial	21	4.090 billion cubic meters	2020
Total water withdrawal - municipal	30	3.110 billion cubic meters	2020
Urbanization - rate of urbanization	77	1.72	2025
Urbanization - urban population	74	68.8	2023
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	23	28 %	2011
Geography
Area - land	29	1.214 million sq km	0
Area - total	29	1.219 million sq km	0
Area - water	145	4620 sq km	0
Coastline	44	2798 km	0
Elevation - highest point	219	N/A meters	0
Elevation - lowest point	35	0 meters	0
Elevation - mean elevation	30	1034 meters	0
Irrigated land	28	16700 sq km	2012
Land boundaries - total	36	5244 km	0
Land use - agricultural land	6	79.4	2018
Land use - arable land	97	9.9	2018
Land use - forest	153	7.6	2018
Land use - other	150	13	2018
Land use - permanent crops	82	0.3	2018
Land use - permanent pasture	7	69.2	2018
Military
Military expenditures	45	0.9 % of GDP	2022
Population
Alcohol consumption per capita - beer	25	3.99 liters of pure alcohol	2019
Alcohol consumption per capita - other alcohols	28	0.7 liters of pure alcohol	2019
Alcohol consumption per capita - spirits	71	1.31 liters of pure alcohol	2019
Alcohol consumption per capita - total	53	7.21 liters of pure alcohol	2019
Alcohol consumption per capita - wine	49	1.21 liters of pure alcohol	2019
Birth rate	74	18.24 births/1,000 population	2023
Children under the age of 5 years underweight	66	5.5 %	2017
Contraceptive prevalence rate	61	54.6 %	2016
Current health expenditure	35	8.6 % of GDP	2020
Currently married women (ages 15-49)	156	36.9 %	2023
Death rate	48	9.25 deaths/1,000 population	2023
Dependency ratios - elderly dependency ratio	116	8.4 %	0
Dependency ratios - potential support ratio	63	10.9 %	2021
Dependency ratios - total dependency ratio	107	52.2 %	0
Dependency ratios - youth dependency ratio	81	43.9 %	0
Drinking water source - improved	4	99.7 % of population	0
Drinking water source - rural	67	9.7 % of population	0
Drinking water source - total	72	3.3 % of population	2020
Drinking water source - unimproved	61	0.3 % of population	0
Education expenditures	20	6.6 % of GDP	2021
Gross reproduction rate	64	1.07 %	2023
Hospital bed density	71	N/A beds/1,000 population	2023
Infant mortality rate - female	66	22.03 deaths/1,000 live births	2023
Infant mortality rate - male	65	27.9 deaths/1,000 live births	0
Infant mortality rate - total	65	24.99 deaths/1,000 live births	0
Life expectancy at birth - female	182	66.96 years	2023
Life expectancy at birth - male	182	64.26 years	0
Life expectancy at birth - total population	182	65.6 years	0
Literacy - female	40	94.5 %	2019
Literacy - male	31	95.5 %	0
Literacy - total population	39	95 %	0
Maternal mortality ratio	58	127 deaths/100,000 live births	2020
Median age - female	107	28.1 years	2020
Median age - male	99	27.9 years	0
Median age - total	100	28 years	0
Mother's mean age at first birth	86	N/A	2023
Net migration rate	79	0.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population	0
Obesity - adult prevalence rate	28	28.3 %	2016
Physicians density	116	0.79 physicians/1,000 population	2019
Population	25	58.048 million	2023
Population growth rate	84	0.91 %	2023
Sanitation facility access - improved	26	96.6 % of population	0
Sanitation facility access - rural	78	13.6 % of population	0
Sanitation facility access - total	83	6.8 % of population	2020
Sanitation facility access - unimproved	69	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	8	13 years	0
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) - total	9	13 years	0
Sex ratio - 0-14 years	16	1 male(s)/female	0
Sex ratio - 15-64 years	23	1 male(s)/female	0
Sex ratio - 65 years and over	40	0.73 male(s)/female	0
Sex ratio - at birth	11	1.02 male(s)/female	0
Sex ratio - total population	21	0.98 male(s)/female	0
Tobacco use - female	66	6.5 %	2020
Tobacco use - male	56	34 %	2020
Tobacco use - total	68	20.3 %	2020
Total fertility rate	75	2.17 children born/woman	2023
Urbanization - rate of urbanization	77	1.72	2025
Urbanization - urban population	74	68.8	2023
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24) - female	3	69.3	2021
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24) - male	2	59.8	0
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24) - total	2	64.2	0
Transportation
Airports	20	407	2021
Airports - with paved runways - civil airports	18	N/A	2023
Airports - with paved runways - joint use (civil-military) airports	1	N/A	2023
Airports - with paved runways - military airports	14	N/A	2023
Airports - with paved runways - other airports	22	N/A	2023
Airports - with unpaved runways	16	2.771 million	3280
Heliports	26	N/A	2023
Merchant marine - total	84	107	0
National air transport system - annual freight traffic on registered air carriers	36	716.250 million	2018
National air transport system - annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers	33	23.922 million	2018
National air transport system - inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers	24	243	0
National air transport system - number of registered air carriers	11	17	2020
Railways	33	N/A km	2023
Roadways - paved	18	158124 km	2016
Roadways - total	11	750000 km	2016
Waterways	109	N/A km	2023

*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 2023 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of South Africa 2023 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about South Africa 2023 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.