China (People's Republic of) vs South Africa: GDP

China (People's Republic of)
18.74 trillion current US$
in 2024
South Africa
400.26 billion current US$
in 2024
China (People's Republic of) rank
2nd
South Africa rank
1st

GDP over time

  • China (People's Republic of)
  • South Africa
05.0T10.0T15.0T20.0T197019972024

How they compare

China (People's Republic of) currently reports 18.74 trillion current US$ against 400.26 billion current US$ in South Africa, a difference of 18.34 trillion current US$.

That makes China (People's Republic of)'s figure about 46.8 times South Africa's.

Across all 55 years both countries report, China (People's Republic of) has been ahead every year.

China (People's Republic of) ranks 2nd and South Africa ranks 1st of 208 countries.

China (People's Republic of) has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade China (People's Republic of) South Africa Difference Ahead
1970s 141.12 billion current US$ 38.78 billion current US$ 102.34 billion current US$ China (People's Republic of)
1980s 263.09 billion current US$ 89.59 billion current US$ 173.49 billion current US$ China (People's Republic of)
1990s 690.35 billion current US$ 151.74 billion current US$ 538.61 billion current US$ China (People's Republic of)
2000s 2.63 trillion current US$ 244.08 billion current US$ 2.39 trillion current US$ China (People's Republic of)
2010s 10.69 trillion current US$ 393.84 billion current US$ 10.30 trillion current US$ China (People's Republic of)
2020s 17.71 trillion current US$ 389.35 billion current US$ 17.32 trillion current US$ China (People's Republic of)

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher gdp, China (People's Republic of) or South Africa?
China (People's Republic of), at 18.74 trillion current US$ against 400.26 billion current US$ in South Africa as of 2024.
What is the difference in gdp between China (People's Republic of) and South Africa?
18.34 trillion current US$, with China (People's Republic of) ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for China (People's Republic of) and South Africa?
55 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2024.
How do China (People's Republic of) and South Africa rank globally for gdp?
China (People's Republic of) ranks 2nd and South Africa ranks 1st of 208 countries.
Where does this data come from?
UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as GDP (current US$). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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China (People's Republic of) vs South Africa: GDP. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 17 August 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/compare/gdp-current-us-2/china/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
GDP (current US$)
Unit
current US$
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
211 places, 10,315 data points, 1970–2024
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release