All countries · ZAF
South Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa · Upper middle income · capital Pretoria
Reports 21 of 21 indicators tracked here.
Every figure below is the most recent year this country reported — the years differ, sometimes by a decade. Nothing is interpolated or carried forward.
Health
Life expectancy
2024 · 2 years old66.3years
Ranks 183 of 217 in 2024
11% below world median · 3% above Sub-Saharan Africa
Medians computed across 217 countries reporting in 2024 — not a published figure
Under-5 mortality
2024 · 2 years old35.1per 1,000 live births
Ranks 144 of 196 in 2024
1.3× above world median · 28% below Sub-Saharan Africa
Medians computed across 196 countries reporting in 2024 — not a published figure
Maternal mortality
2023 · 3 years old118per 100,000 live births
Ranks 133 of 194 in 2023
1.5× above world median · 54% below Sub-Saharan Africa
Medians computed across 194 countries reporting in 2023 — not a published figure
Child stunting
2017 · 9 years old21.3% of under-5s
Ranks 19 of 30 in 2017
22% above world median · 12% below Sub-Saharan Africa
Medians computed across 30 countries reporting in 2017 — not a published figure
Health spending
2023 · 3 years old8.91% of GDP
Not ranked — no better end
41% above world median
Medians computed across 192 countries reporting in 2023 — not a published figure
Fertility rate
2024 · 2 years old2.21births per woman
Not ranked — no better end
16% above world median
Medians computed across 217 countries reporting in 2024 — not a published figure
Education
Adult literacy
2024 · 2 years old91.2% of adults 15+
Ranks 19 of 29 in 2024
3% below world median · 18% above Sub-Saharan Africa
Medians computed across 29 countries reporting in 2024 — not a published figure
Primary enrolment
2023 · 3 years old101.8% gross
Ranks 66 of 166 in 2023
about the same world median · 5% above Sub-Saharan Africa
Medians computed across 166 countries reporting in 2023 — not a published figure
Education spending
2024 · 2 years old6.02% of GDP
Ranks 9 of 40 in 2024
41% above world median · 30% above Sub-Saharan Africa
Medians computed across 40 countries reporting in 2024 — not a published figure
Economy
GDP per capita
2025 · 1 year old6,598current US$
Ranks 104 of 186 in 2025
16% below world median · 3.9× above Sub-Saharan Africa
Medians computed across 186 countries reporting in 2025 — not a published figure
GDP per capita (PPP)
2025 · 1 year old15,906international $
Ranks 109 of 185 in 2025
21% below world median · 2.6× above Sub-Saharan Africa
Medians computed across 185 countries reporting in 2025 — not a published figure
Extreme poverty
2022 · 4 years old17.4% of population
Ranks 67 of 73 in 2022
14.8× above world median · 58% below Sub-Saharan Africa
Medians computed across 73 countries reporting in 2022 — not a published figure
Income inequality (Gini)
2022 · 4 years old54.1index, 0–100
Ranks 72 of 73 in 2022
60% above world median · 41% above Sub-Saharan Africa
Medians computed across 73 countries reporting in 2022 — not a published figure
Unemployment
2025 · 1 year old32.4% of labour force
Ranks 181 of 182 in 2025
5.4× above world median · 5.3× above Sub-Saharan Africa
Medians computed across 182 countries reporting in 2025 — not a published figure
Inflation
2025 · 1 year old3.2% per year
Not ranked — no better end
5% above world median
Medians computed across 165 countries reporting in 2025 — not a published figure
Military spending
2024 · 2 years old0.70% of GDP
Not ranked — no better end
56% below world median
Medians computed across 147 countries reporting in 2024 — not a published figure
Infrastructure
Electricity access
2024 · 2 years old90.2% of population
Ranks 161 of 215 in 2024
10% below world median · 56% above Sub-Saharan Africa
Medians computed across 215 countries reporting in 2024 — not a published figure
Safe drinking water
2024 · 2 years old68.0% of population
Ranks 90 of 148 in 2024
16% below world median · 1.5× above Sub-Saharan Africa
Medians computed across 148 countries reporting in 2024 — not a published figure
Internet use
2024 · 2 years old78.4% of population
Ranks 102 of 182 in 2024
5% below world median · 1.1× above Sub-Saharan Africa
Medians computed across 182 countries reporting in 2024 — not a published figure
Environment
CO₂ per person
2024 · 2 years old6.88t CO₂e per person
Not ranked — no better end
1.7× above world median
Medians computed across 203 countries reporting in 2024 — not a published figure
Society
Population
2025 · 1 year old64.7mpeople
Not ranked — no better end
8.9× above world median
Medians computed across 217 countries reporting in 2025 — not a published figure
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators. Retrieved into this site's own database; see methodology.