Credit to government and state-owned enterprises to GDP in South Africa

South Africa: Credit to government and state-owned enterprises to GDP was 16.9% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
16.9%
Change on year
up 14.3%
World rank
61st
of 178 countries
All-time high
16.9%
in 2020
All-time low
3.2%
in 1992
Years of data
40
1980–2020

Credit to government and state-owned enterprises to GDP in South Africa, 1980–2020

510151980200020201980: 7.2 %1981: 5.1 %1982: 5.1 %1983: 4.6 %1984: 3.3 %1985: 3.9 %1986: 4.7 %1987: 4.7 %1988: 4.8 %1989: 5.2 %1990: 4 %1992: 3.2 %1993: 4.3 %1994: 3.9 %1995: 4 %1996: 3.9 %1997: 4.8 %1998: 5.5 %1999: 5.4 %2000: 5.1 %2001: 5.1 %2002: 5.6 %2003: 6.3 %2004: 6.3 %2005: 6 %2006: 5.7 %2007: 5.6 %2008: 7.9 %2009: 9.3 %2010: 9.8 %2011: 10.7 %2012: 10.6 %2013: 9.8 %2014: 10.9 %2015: 10.9 %2016: 12.4 %2017: 13.2 %2018: 13.9 %2019: 14.8 %2020: 16.9 %

Source: International Financial Statistics (IFS), International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in %.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 16.9% for credit to government and state-owned enterprises to gdp in 2020. That is the highest value across all 40 years on record.

That represents a change of up 14.3% on the previous year and up 72.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, credit to government and state-owned enterprises to gdp in South Africa peaked at 16.9% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 3.2%, in 1992.

South Africa ranks 61st of 178 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 40 years of available data.

Credit to government and state-owned enterprises to GDP in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Credit to government and state-owned enterprises to GDP (%) in South Africa, 1980 to 2020.
Year % Change
1980 7.2%
1981 5.1% -29.5%
1982 5.1% +1.9%
1983 4.6% -11.4%
1984 3.3% -26.7%
1985 3.9% +17.6%
1986 4.7% +18.3%
1987 4.7% +0.2%
1988 4.8% +3.9%
1989 5.2% +7.2%
1990 4.0% -23.0%
1992 3.2% -19.5%
1993 4.3% +34.5%
1994 3.9% -8.7%
1995 4.0% +1.0%
1996 3.9% -1.9%
1997 4.8% +21.6%
1998 5.5% +14.9%
1999 5.4% -0.9%
2000 5.1% -6.1%
2001 5.1% +0.7%
2002 5.6% +9.8%
2003 6.3% +12.7%
2004 6.3% -0.9%
2005 6.0% -5.2%
2006 5.7% -4.1%
2007 5.6% -2.1%
2008 7.9% +41.3%
2009 9.3% +18.1%
2010 9.8% +5.4%
2011 10.7% +8.3%
2012 10.6% -0.1%
2013 9.8% -7.9%
2014 10.9% +11.3%
2015 10.9% -0.1%
2016 12.4% +13.8%
2017 13.2% +6.2%
2018 13.9% +5.8%
2019 14.8% +6.4%
2020 16.9% +14.3%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 16.9% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 11.9%, 1.4× the median. (52 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 16.9% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 8.9%, 1.9× the median. (46 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 4.9% 3.3% 7.2% 10
1990s 4.3% 3.2% 5.5% 9
2000s 6.3% 5.1% 9.3% 10
2010s 11.7% 9.8% 14.8% 10
2020s 16.9% 16.9% 16.9% 1

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 58 Malta 17.3% compare
  2. 59 Canada 17.2% compare
  3. 60 Serbia 17.2% compare
  4. 62 Greece 16.6% compare
  5. 63 Kenya 16.5% compare
  6. 64 Ukraine 16.4% compare

See the full ranking of 178 places →

More financial sector data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is credit to government and state-owned enterprises to gdp in South Africa?
Credit to government and state-owned enterprises to gdp in South Africa was 16.9% in 2020, according to International Financial Statistics (IFS), International Monetary Fund (IMF).
What is the highest credit to government and state-owned enterprises to gdp recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 16.9% in 2020.
What is the lowest credit to government and state-owned enterprises to gdp recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 3.2% in 1992.
How does South Africa rank for credit to government and state-owned enterprises to gdp?
South Africa ranks 61st out of 178 countries with data for 2020.
Is credit to government and state-owned enterprises to gdp rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 72.2%. 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 (IFS), International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Credit to government and state-owned enterprises to GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 40 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Credit to government and state-owned enterprises to GDP in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on International Financial Statistics (IFS), International Monetary Fund (IMF). Retrieved 14 September 2026, from https://financial-sector.statizoid.com/stat/credit-to-government-and-state-owned-enterprises-to-gdp-percent/south-africa/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://financial-sector.statizoid.com/stat/credit-to-government-and-state-owned-enterprises-to-gdp-percent/south-africa/">Credit to government and state-owned enterprises to GDP in South Africa</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Credit to government and state-owned enterprises to GDP (%)
Unit
%
Source
International Financial Statistics (IFS), International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
178 places, 6,137 data points, 1980–2020
Last refreshed

Raw data are from the electronic version of the IMF’s International Financial Statistics. (IFS line 22A + line 22B + line 22C) / GDP. Local currency GDP is from IFS (line 99B..ZF or, if not available, line 99B.CZF).