South Africa vs Sweden: General government total expenditure
South Africa
2.59 trillion current LCU
in 2025
Sweden
3.20 trillion current LCU
in 2025
South Africa rank
59th
Sweden rank
56th
General government total expenditure over time
- South Africa
- Sweden
How they compare
Sweden currently reports 3.20 trillion current LCU against 2.59 trillion current LCU in South Africa, a difference of 615.13 billion current LCU.
That makes Sweden's figure about 1.2 times South Africa's.
Across all 46 years both countries report, Sweden has been ahead every year.
South Africa ranks 59th and Sweden ranks 56th of 195 countries.
Sweden has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Sweden | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0 current LCU | 567.66 billion current LCU | 567.66 billion current LCU | Sweden |
| 1990s | 0 current LCU | 1.13 trillion current LCU | 1.13 trillion current LCU | Sweden |
| 2000s | 453.39 billion current LCU | 1.49 trillion current LCU | 1.03 trillion current LCU | Sweden |
| 2010s | 1.28 trillion current LCU | 2.08 trillion current LCU | 795.78 billion current LCU | Sweden |
| 2020s | 2.23 trillion current LCU | 2.91 trillion current LCU | 677.92 billion current LCU | Sweden |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher general government total expenditure, South Africa or Sweden?
- Sweden, at 3.20 trillion current LCU against 2.59 trillion current LCU in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in general government total expenditure between South Africa and Sweden?
- 615.13 billion current LCU, with Sweden ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Sweden?
- 46 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2025.
- How do South Africa and Sweden rank globally for general government total expenditure?
- South Africa ranks 59th and Sweden ranks 56th of 195 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as General government total expenditure (current LCU). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release