South Africa vs United States: Net foreign assets
Net foreign assets over time
- South Africa
- United States
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 1.43 trillion current LCU against 1.26 trillion current LCU in United States, a difference of 168.44 billion current LCU.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times United States's.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 60 shared years of data; in 1965 it was United States ahead.
South Africa ranks 51st and United States ranks 54th of 186 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 3 and United States in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 620.81 million current LCU | 4.04 billion current LCU | 3.42 billion current LCU | United States |
| 1970s | 783.83 million current LCU | 27.42 billion current LCU | 26.64 billion current LCU | United States |
| 1980s | 803.34 million current LCU | 128.06 billion current LCU | 127.25 billion current LCU | United States |
| 1990s | -16.50 billion current LCU | -11.36 billion current LCU | 5.13 billion current LCU | United States |
| 2000s | 191.63 billion current LCU | 91.04 billion current LCU | 100.59 billion current LCU | South Africa |
| 2010s | 667.20 billion current LCU | -28.26 billion current LCU | 695.46 billion current LCU | South Africa |
| 2020s | 1.37 trillion current LCU | 436.61 billion current LCU | 931.87 billion current LCU | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher net foreign assets, South Africa or United States?
- South Africa, at 1.43 trillion current LCU against 1.26 trillion current LCU in United States as of 2025.
- What is the difference in net foreign assets between South Africa and United States?
- 168.44 billion current LCU, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and United States?
- 60 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2025.
- How do South Africa and United States rank globally for net foreign assets?
- South Africa ranks 51st and United States ranks 54th 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.
Individual pages
About this data
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.