Other small states vs South Africa: Total reserves in months of imports (reserves International Financial)
Total reserves in months of imports (reserves International Financial) over time
- Other small states
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 6.22 against 4.03 in Other small states, a difference of 2.19.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.5 times Other small states's.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 49 shared years of data; in 1976 it was Other small states ahead.
Other small states ranks 43rd and South Africa ranks 46th of 47 groups.
Across the 6 decades both report, Other small states averaged higher in 5 and South Africa in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Other small states | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 11.15 | 2.56 | 8.59 | Other small states |
| 1980s | 9.17 | 1.77 | 7.4 | Other small states |
| 1990s | 4.31 | 1.51 | 2.8 | Other small states |
| 2000s | 3.92 | 3.03 | 0.8963 | Other small states |
| 2010s | 5.18 | 4.74 | 0.443 | Other small states |
| 2020s | 4.8 | 5.72 | 0.9187 | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher total reserves in months of imports, Other small states or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 6.22 against 4.03 in Other small states as of 2025.
- What is the difference in total reserves in months of imports between Other small states and South Africa?
- 2.19, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Other small states and South Africa?
- 49 years are reported by both, from 1976 to 2024.
- How do Other small states and South Africa rank globally for total reserves in months of imports?
- Other small states ranks 43rd 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)].