Jamaica vs South Africa: Total reserves
Total reserves over time
- Jamaica
- South Africa
How they compare
Jamaica currently reports 38.0% against 37.2% in South Africa, a difference of 0.8%.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 31 shared years of data; in 1994 it was Jamaica ahead.
Jamaica ranks 53rd and South Africa ranks 54th of 112 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Jamaica | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 17.0% | 18.6% | 1.6% | South Africa |
| 2000s | 25.0% | 36.3% | 11.3% | South Africa |
| 2010s | 19.5% | 33.5% | 14.0% | South Africa |
| 2020s | 31.1% | 35.1% | 4.0% | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher total reserves, Jamaica or South Africa?
- Jamaica, at 38.0% against 37.2% in South Africa as of 2024.
- What is the difference in total reserves between Jamaica and South Africa?
- 0.8%, with Jamaica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Jamaica and South Africa?
- 31 years are reported by both, from 1994 to 2024.
- How do Jamaica and South Africa rank globally for total reserves?
- Jamaica ranks 53rd and South Africa ranks 54th of 112 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB), published as Total reserves (% of total external debt). 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 indicator is expressed as a percentage of total external debt which are all liabilities that require payment(s) of interest and/or principal by the debtor at some point(s) in the future and that are owed to non-residents by residents of an economy.