GDP (constant LCU) (UNESCO Institute) in South Africa
South Africa: GDP (constant LCU) (UNESCO Institute) was 4.66 trillion constant LCU in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
4.66 trillion constant LCU
Change on year
up 0.6%
World rank
59th
of 212 countries
All-time high
4.66 trillion constant LCU
in 2024
All-time low
1.46 trillion constant LCU
in 1970
Years of data
55
1970–2024
GDP in South Africa, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in constant LCU.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 4.66 trillion constant LCU for gdp in 2024. That is the highest value across all 55 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.6% on the previous year and up 6.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gdp in South Africa peaked at 4.66 trillion constant LCU in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1.46 trillion constant LCU, in 1970.
That places South Africa 59th out of 212 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 55 years of available data.
GDP (constant LCU) (UNESCO Institute) in South Africa, year by year
| Year | constant LCU | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1.46 trillion constant LCU | — |
| 1971 | 1.52 trillion constant LCU | +4.3% |
| 1972 | 1.55 trillion constant LCU | +1.7% |
| 1973 | 1.62 trillion constant LCU | +4.6% |
| 1974 | 1.72 trillion constant LCU | +6.1% |
| 1975 | 1.75 trillion constant LCU | +1.7% |
| 1976 | 1.78 trillion constant LCU | +2.2% |
| 1977 | 1.78 trillion constant LCU | -0.1% |
| 1978 | 1.84 trillion constant LCU | +3.0% |
| 1979 | 1.91 trillion constant LCU | +3.8% |
| 1980 | 2.03 trillion constant LCU | +6.6% |
| 1981 | 2.14 trillion constant LCU | +5.4% |
| 1982 | 2.13 trillion constant LCU | -0.4% |
| 1983 | 2.09 trillion constant LCU | -1.8% |
| 1984 | 2.20 trillion constant LCU | +5.1% |
| 1985 | 2.17 trillion constant LCU | -1.2% |
| 1986 | 2.17 trillion constant LCU | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 2.22 trillion constant LCU | +2.1% |
| 1988 | 2.31 trillion constant LCU | +4.2% |
| 1989 | 2.37 trillion constant LCU | +2.4% |
| 1990 | 2.36 trillion constant LCU | -0.3% |
| 1991 | 2.34 trillion constant LCU | -1.0% |
| 1992 | 2.29 trillion constant LCU | -2.1% |
| 1993 | 2.32 trillion constant LCU | +1.2% |
| 1994 | 2.39 trillion constant LCU | +3.2% |
| 1995 | 2.46 trillion constant LCU | +3.1% |
| 1996 | 2.57 trillion constant LCU | +4.3% |
| 1997 | 2.64 trillion constant LCU | +2.6% |
| 1998 | 2.65 trillion constant LCU | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 2.71 trillion constant LCU | +2.4% |
| 2000 | 2.83 trillion constant LCU | +4.2% |
| 2001 | 2.90 trillion constant LCU | +2.7% |
| 2002 | 3.01 trillion constant LCU | +3.7% |
| 2003 | 3.10 trillion constant LCU | +2.9% |
| 2004 | 3.24 trillion constant LCU | +4.6% |
| 2005 | 3.41 trillion constant LCU | +5.3% |
| 2006 | 3.60 trillion constant LCU | +5.6% |
| 2007 | 3.80 trillion constant LCU | +5.4% |
| 2008 | 3.92 trillion constant LCU | +3.2% |
| 2009 | 3.86 trillion constant LCU | -1.5% |
| 2010 | 3.97 trillion constant LCU | +3.0% |
| 2011 | 4.10 trillion constant LCU | +3.2% |
| 2012 | 4.20 trillion constant LCU | +2.4% |
| 2013 | 4.30 trillion constant LCU | +2.5% |
| 2014 | 4.36 trillion constant LCU | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 4.42 trillion constant LCU | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 4.45 trillion constant LCU | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 4.50 trillion constant LCU | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 4.57 trillion constant LCU | +1.6% |
| 2019 | 4.58 trillion constant LCU | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 4.30 trillion constant LCU | -6.2% |
| 2021 | 4.51 trillion constant LCU | +5.0% |
| 2022 | 4.60 trillion constant LCU | +1.9% |
| 2023 | 4.63 trillion constant LCU | +0.7% |
| 2024 | 4.66 trillion constant LCU | +0.6% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 4.66 trillion constant LCU is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 563.52 billion constant LCU, 8.3× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 4.66 trillion constant LCU is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.34 trillion constant LCU, 2.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.69 trillion constant LCU | 1.46 trillion constant LCU | 1.91 trillion constant LCU | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.18 trillion constant LCU | 2.03 trillion constant LCU | 2.37 trillion constant LCU | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.47 trillion constant LCU | 2.29 trillion constant LCU | 2.71 trillion constant LCU | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.37 trillion constant LCU | 2.83 trillion constant LCU | 3.92 trillion constant LCU | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.35 trillion constant LCU | 3.97 trillion constant LCU | 4.58 trillion constant LCU | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.54 trillion constant LCU | 4.30 trillion constant LCU | 4.66 trillion constant LCU | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 56 Dominican Republic 5.23 trillion constant LCU compare
- 57 Equatorial Guinea 4.83 trillion constant LCU compare
- 58 Congo 4.71 trillion constant LCU compare
- 60 Saudi Arabia 4.65 trillion constant LCU compare
- 61 Brazil 4.63 trillion constant LCU compare
- 62 Norway 3.79 trillion constant LCU compare
More population data for South Africa
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.2264 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -0.7997 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.2264 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.1847 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 73,530 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.8824 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.0148 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate 0.23 (2100)
- Population density 77.75 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 5.55 million (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gdp in South Africa?
- Gdp in South Africa was 4.66 trillion constant LCU in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest gdp recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 4.66 trillion constant LCU in 2024.
- What is the lowest gdp recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.46 trillion constant LCU in 1970.
- How does South Africa rank for gdp?
- South Africa ranks 59th out of 212 countries with data for 2024.
- Is gdp rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of GDP (constant LCU). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release