Saudi Arabia vs South Africa: Net foreign assets

Saudi Arabia
2.00 trillion current LCU
in 2017
South Africa
1.43 trillion current LCU
in 2025
Saudi Arabia rank
48th
South Africa rank
51st

Net foreign assets over time

  • Saudi Arabia
  • South Africa
01.0T2.0T3.0T196019922025

How they compare

Saudi Arabia currently reports 2.00 trillion current LCU against 1.43 trillion current LCU in South Africa, a difference of 571.37 billion current LCU.

That makes Saudi Arabia's figure about 1.4 times South Africa's.

Across all 52 years both countries report, Saudi Arabia has been ahead every year.

Saudi Arabia ranks 48th and South Africa ranks 51st of 186 countries.

Saudi Arabia has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Saudi Arabia South Africa Difference Ahead
1960s 3.73 billion current LCU 620.81 million current LCU 3.11 billion current LCU Saudi Arabia
1970s 107.65 billion current LCU 783.83 million current LCU 106.87 billion current LCU Saudi Arabia
1980s 394.49 billion current LCU 803.34 million current LCU 393.69 billion current LCU Saudi Arabia
1990s 252.29 billion current LCU -16.50 billion current LCU 268.79 billion current LCU Saudi Arabia
2000s 728.03 billion current LCU 191.63 billion current LCU 536.40 billion current LCU Saudi Arabia
2010s 2.36 trillion current LCU 625.05 billion current LCU 1.73 trillion current LCU Saudi Arabia

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher net foreign assets, Saudi Arabia or South Africa?
Saudi Arabia, at 2.00 trillion current LCU against 1.43 trillion current LCU in South Africa as of 2017.
What is the difference in net foreign assets between Saudi Arabia and South Africa?
571.37 billion current LCU, with Saudi Arabia ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Saudi Arabia and South Africa?
52 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2017.
How do Saudi Arabia and South Africa rank globally for net foreign assets?
Saudi Arabia ranks 48th and South Africa ranks 51st of 186 countries.
Where does this data come from?
International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as Net foreign assets (current LCU). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Saudi Arabia vs South Africa: Net foreign assets. Statizoid, drawing on International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://financial-sector.statizoid.com/compare/net-foreign-assets-current-lcu/saudi-arabia/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Net foreign assets (current LCU)
Unit
current LCU
Source
International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
186 places, 9,009 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed

Net foreign assets are the sum of foreign assets held by monetary authorities and deposit money banks, less their foreign liabilities. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This series is expressed in local currency units.