South Africa
ISO3: ZAF • Sub-Saharan Africa • Upper middle income • G20 Member
South Africa is a upper middle income economy in Sub-Saharan Africa. It has a population of about 64,007,187 and a GDP of $401.14 billion.
Explore 264 World Bank indicators for South Africa below.
South Africa at a Glance
- Capital
- Pretoria
- Population
- 64,007,187
- Area
- 1,221,037 km²
- 52.4 /km²
- Currency
- ZAR South African rand
- Languages
- Afrikaans, English, Southern Ndebele …
- ISO codes
- ZAF · ZA
Key Development Indicators
Economy
GDP (current US$)
401.14B
2024
Economy
GDP per capita (current US$)
6,267.19
2024
Health & Population
Population, total
64.01M
2024
Health & Population
Life expectancy at birth, total (years)
66.31
2024
Economy
Inflation, consumer prices (annual %)
4.36
2024
Labor & Business
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate)
32.39
2025
Education
Literacy rate, adult total (% of people ages 15 and above)
91.15
2024
Technology
Individuals using the Internet (% of population)
78.36
2024
Energy
Access to electricity (% of population)
87.70
2023
Economy
Trade (% of GDP)
61.65
2024
Health & Population
Maternal mortality ratio (modeled estimate, per 100,000 live births)
118.00
2023
Health & Population
Urban population (% of total population)
63.69
2024
Popular South Africa Comparisons
Side-by-side data for South Africa and the countries it's most often compared with.
Other Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa
The World Bank's Sub-Saharan Africa region covers countries at various stages of economic development. Compare South Africa with its regional peers using the comparison tool.
Frequently asked questions about South Africa
- What is the population of South Africa?
- South Africa has a population of approximately 64,007,187, according to the most recent World Bank data.
- What is the capital of South Africa?
- The capital of South Africa is Pretoria.
- What region is South Africa in?
- The World Bank places South Africa in the Sub-Saharan Africa region.
- What income group is South Africa in?
- The World Bank classifies South Africa as a Upper middle income economy.
- What currency does South Africa use?
- South Africa uses the South African rand (ZAR).
Data sourced from the World Bank Open Data portal. Values represent the most recent available year. NULL or missing values indicate data is suppressed, not collected, or not applicable for this country.