North America vs South Africa: Total reserves in months of imports
Total reserves in months of imports over time
- North America
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 6.22 against 2.73 in North America, a difference of 3.49.
That makes South Africa's figure about 2.3 times North America's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 56 shared years of data; in 1970 it was North America ahead.
North America ranks 47th and South Africa ranks 46th of 47 groups.
Across the 6 decades both report, North America averaged higher in 3 and South Africa in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | North America | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.6 | 2.85 | 0.7536 | North America |
| 1980s | 3.45 | 1.77 | 1.68 | North America |
| 1990s | 1.85 | 1.51 | 0.3374 | North America |
| 2000s | 1.11 | 3.03 | 1.91 | South Africa |
| 2010s | 1.6 | 4.74 | 3.14 | South Africa |
| 2020s | 2.01 | 5.8 | 3.8 | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher total reserves in months of imports, North America or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 6.22 against 2.73 in North America as of 2025.
- What is the difference in total reserves in months of imports between North America and South Africa?
- 3.49, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for North America and South Africa?
- 56 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2025.
- How do North America and South Africa rank globally for total reserves in months of imports?
- North America ranks 47th and South Africa ranks 46th of 47 groups.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as Total reserves in months of imports. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Reserve assets are external assets, including monetary gold, that are readily available to and controlled by monetary authorities for meeting balance of payments financing needs, for intervention in exchange markets to affect the currency exchange rate, and for other related purposes (such as maintaining confidence in the currency and the economy, and serving as a basis for foreign borrowing). Reserve assets must be denominated and settled in foreign currency. This item is expressed in terms of the number of months of imports of goods and services they could pay for [X/(Imports/12)].