Deposit interest rate (%) in South Africa
South Africa: Deposit interest rate (%) was 7.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Deposit interest rate in South Africa, 2001–2025
Source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in %.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 7.5% for deposit interest rate in 2025.
The figure is down 5.6% on the previous year and up 21.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, deposit interest rate in South Africa peaked at 11.6% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 3.8%, in 2021.
South Africa ranks 31st of 153 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Deposit interest rate (%) in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 9.0% | — |
| 2002 | 10.8% | +19.8% |
| 2003 | 9.8% | -9.4% |
| 2004 | 6.6% | -32.9% |
| 2005 | 6.0% | -7.8% |
| 2006 | 7.1% | +18.2% |
| 2007 | 9.2% | +28.2% |
| 2008 | 11.6% | +26.8% |
| 2009 | 8.5% | -26.5% |
| 2010 | 6.5% | -24.3% |
| 2011 | 5.7% | -12.3% |
| 2012 | 5.4% | -4.2% |
| 2013 | 5.2% | -5.2% |
| 2014 | 5.8% | +12.6% |
| 2015 | 6.2% | +6.1% |
| 2016 | 7.2% | +16.5% |
| 2017 | 7.2% | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 7.0% | -3.4% |
| 2019 | 7.0% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 4.9% | -30.4% |
| 2021 | 3.8% | -21.8% |
| 2022 | 5.1% | +32.8% |
| 2023 | 6.7% | +31.3% |
| 2024 | 7.9% | +19.1% |
| 2025 | 7.5% | -5.6% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 7.5% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.1%, 1.8× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 7.5% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.7%, 1.3× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 8.7% | 6.0% | 11.6% | 9 |
| 2010s | 6.3% | 5.2% | 7.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.0% | 3.8% | 7.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More financial sector data for South Africa
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, annual growth rate 5.08 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0021 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, per capita 13.81 units per person (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, annual growth rate 0.0607 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0015 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, per capita 10.08 units per person (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, annual growth rate 5.08 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0021 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, per capita 13.81 units per person (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, SDR, annual growth rate 0.0607 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is deposit interest rate in South Africa?
- Deposit interest rate in South Africa was 7.5% in 2025, according to International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest deposit interest rate recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 11.6% in 2008.
- What is the lowest deposit interest rate recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.8% in 2021.
- How does South Africa rank for deposit interest rate?
- South Africa ranks 31st out of 153 countries with data for 2025.
- Is deposit interest rate rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Deposit interest rate (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Deposit interest rate is the rate paid by commercial or similar banks for demand, time, or savings deposits. The terms and conditions attached to these rates differ by country, however, limiting their comparability. This indicator is expressed as a percentage (a÷b)*100.