Claims on central government, etc. in South Africa
South Africa: Claims on central government, etc. was 6.3% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Claims on central government, etc. in South Africa, 1965–2025
Source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, claims on central government, etc. in South Africa stood at 6.3%. That is the lowest value across all 60 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 76.7% on the previous year and down 54.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, claims on central government, etc. in South Africa peaked at 30.8% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 6.3%, in 2025.
That places South Africa 119th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 60 years of available data.
Claims on central government, etc. in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 9.7% | — |
| 1966 | 10.7% | +10.7% |
| 1967 | 10.3% | -4.5% |
| 1968 | 9.2% | -10.3% |
| 1969 | 9.1% | -1.4% |
| 1970 | 9.7% | +6.7% |
| 1971 | 11.2% | +15.6% |
| 1972 | 12.0% | +6.9% |
| 1973 | 10.9% | -9.1% |
| 1974 | 10.8% | -1.0% |
| 1975 | 12.9% | +20.1% |
| 1976 | 14.5% | +12.1% |
| 1977 | 15.5% | +6.9% |
| 1978 | 14.9% | -3.7% |
| 1979 | 15.0% | +0.7% |
| 1980 | 11.9% | -20.8% |
| 1981 | 12.4% | +4.1% |
| 1982 | 11.2% | -9.8% |
| 1983 | 11.1% | -1.0% |
| 1984 | 10.6% | -3.8% |
| 1985 | 12.1% | +14.1% |
| 1986 | 11.4% | -6.4% |
| 1987 | 10.4% | -8.3% |
| 1988 | 10.2% | -2.0% |
| 1989 | 8.5% | -16.4% |
| 1990 | 9.8% | +15.2% |
| 1992 | 11.0% | +11.8% |
| 1993 | 13.3% | +21.2% |
| 1994 | 14.6% | +9.6% |
| 1995 | 14.1% | -3.2% |
| 1996 | 14.4% | +1.8% |
| 1997 | 16.0% | +11.3% |
| 1998 | 15.9% | -0.8% |
| 1999 | 14.3% | -10.3% |
| 2000 | 14.5% | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 26.9% | +86.4% |
| 2002 | 30.8% | +14.4% |
| 2003 | 27.9% | -9.6% |
| 2004 | 26.8% | -3.8% |
| 2005 | 22.2% | -17.2% |
| 2006 | 17.8% | -19.9% |
| 2007 | 14.6% | -17.9% |
| 2008 | 13.3% | -9.2% |
| 2009 | 18.0% | +35.8% |
| 2010 | 16.9% | -5.9% |
| 2011 | 13.9% | -17.8% |
| 2012 | 16.1% | +15.6% |
| 2013 | 15.3% | -5.0% |
| 2014 | 17.1% | +11.6% |
| 2015 | 13.9% | -18.4% |
| 2016 | 16.9% | +21.2% |
| 2017 | 18.2% | +7.9% |
| 2018 | 18.2% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 19.4% | +6.9% |
| 2020 | 21.8% | +12.4% |
| 2021 | 20.5% | -6.3% |
| 2022 | 19.3% | -5.9% |
| 2023 | 21.7% | +12.8% |
| 2024 | 27.0% | +24.5% |
| 2025 | 6.3% | -76.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 9.8% | 9.1% | 10.7% | 5 |
| 1970s | 12.7% | 9.7% | 15.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 11.0% | 8.5% | 12.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 13.7% | 9.8% | 16.0% | 9 |
| 2000s | 21.3% | 13.3% | 30.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.6% | 13.9% | 19.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.4% | 6.3% | 27.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More financial sector data for South Africa
- Net domestic credit (current LCU), per capita 95,301 current LCU per person (2025)
- Net domestic credit (current LCU), per unit of GDP 14.44 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Net domestic credit (current LCU), annual growth rate 11.21 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gold reserves at 35 SDRs per ounce 141.22 million SDR (2025)
- Gold reserves at market value 12.87 billion SDR (2025)
- Reserves excluding gold, foreign exchange 37.46 billion SDR (2025)
- Reserves excluding gold 42.64 billion SDR (2025)
- Total reserves (gold at market value) 55.51 billion SDR (2025)
- Total reserves (gold at national valuation) 55.42 billion SDR (2025)
- Total reserves (gold at national valuation) (SDR), per capita 855.88 SDR per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is claims on central government, etc. in South Africa?
- Claims on central government, etc. in South Africa was 6.3% in 2025, according to International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest claims on central government, etc. recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 30.8% in 2002.
- What is the lowest claims on central government, etc. recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.3% in 2025.
- How does South Africa rank for claims on central government, etc.?
- South Africa ranks 119th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is claims on central government, etc. rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 54.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Claims on central government, etc. (% GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Claims on central government include loans to central government institutions net of deposits. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.