Bank concentration in South Africa
South Africa: Bank concentration was 79.4% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Bank concentration in South Africa, 2000–2021
Source: Bankscope, Bureau van Dijk (BvD). Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for bank concentration in South Africa is 79.4%, measured in 2021.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.7% on the previous year and up 2.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, bank concentration in South Africa peaked at 99.5% in 2004 and was at its lowest, 76.0%, in 2016.
That places South Africa 62nd out of 170 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 20 years of available data.
Bank concentration in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 87.0% | — |
| 2001 | 81.2% | -6.7% |
| 2004 | 99.5% | +22.7% |
| 2005 | 97.3% | -2.2% |
| 2006 | 77.3% | -20.6% |
| 2007 | 77.3% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 78.4% | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 77.8% | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 79.2% | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 77.8% | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 77.0% | -1.0% |
| 2013 | 76.7% | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 77.4% | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 78.6% | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 76.0% | -3.4% |
| 2017 | 76.8% | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 77.8% | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 77.3% | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 77.4% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 79.4% | +2.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 84.5% | 77.3% | 99.5% | 8 |
| 2010s | 77.5% | 76.0% | 79.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 78.4% | 77.4% | 79.4% | 2 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More financial sector data for South Africa
- Total reserves in months of imports, annual growth rate 9.76 % change on previous year (2025)
- Total reserves in months of imports, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Total reserves in months of imports, per capita 0 units per person (2025)
- Reserves excluding gold, foreign exchange (SDR), annual growth rate 1.24 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserves excluding gold, foreign exchange (SDR), per unit of GDP 0.0877 SDR per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserves excluding gold, foreign exchange (SDR), per capita 578.61 SDR per person (2025)
- Reserves excluding gold (SDR), annual growth rate 1.27 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserves excluding gold (SDR), per capita 658.6 SDR per person (2025)
- Total reserves (gold at market value) (SDR), annual growth rate 10.64 % change on previous year (2025)
- Total reserves (gold at market value) (SDR), per capita 857.36 SDR per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is bank concentration in South Africa?
- Bank concentration in South Africa was 79.4% in 2021, according to Bankscope, Bureau van Dijk (BvD).
- What is the highest bank concentration recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 99.5% in 2004.
- What is the lowest bank concentration recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 76.0% in 2016.
- How does South Africa rank for bank concentration?
- South Africa ranks 62nd out of 170 countries with data for 2021.
- Is bank concentration rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Bankscope, Bureau van Dijk (BvD), published as part of Bank concentration (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Raw data are from Bankscope. (Sum(data2025) for three largest banks in Bankscope) / (Sum(data2025) for all banks in Bankscope). Only reported if number of banks in Bankscope is 3 or more. Calculated from underlying bank-by-bank unconsolidated data from Bankscope.