South Africa vs United States: Risk premium on lending
Risk premium on lending over time
- South Africa
- United States
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 3.5% against 3.2% in United States, a difference of 0.3%.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times United States's.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 62 shared years of data; in 1960 it was South Africa ahead.
South Africa ranks 48th and United States ranks 51st of 86 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.1% | 1.3% | 1.9% | South Africa |
| 1970s | 4.4% | 1.8% | 2.7% | South Africa |
| 1980s | 3.7% | 3.0% | 0.7% | South Africa |
| 1990s | 4.5% | 3.1% | 1.4% | South Africa |
| 2000s | 4.1% | 3.3% | 0.8% | South Africa |
| 2010s | 3.3% | 3.2% | 0.1% | South Africa |
| 2020s | 3.2% | 3.2% | 0.0% | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher risk premium on lending, South Africa or United States?
- South Africa, at 3.5% against 3.2% in United States as of 2025.
- What is the difference in risk premium on lending between South Africa and United States?
- 0.3%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and United States?
- 62 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2021.
- How do South Africa and United States rank globally for risk premium on lending?
- South Africa ranks 48th and United States ranks 51st of 86 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as Risk premium on lending (lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Risk premium on lending is the interest rate charged by banks on loans to private sector customers minus the "risk free" treasury bill interest rate at which short-term government securities are issued or traded in the market. In some countries this spread may be negative, indicating that the market considers its best corporate clients to be lower risk than the government. The terms and conditions attached to lending rates differ by country, however, limiting their comparability.