Direct investment, Net acquisition of financial assets, Assets in South Africa

South Africa: Direct investment, Net acquisition of financial assets, Assets was -1.26 billion in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
-1.26 billion
Change on year
up 54.8%
World rank
184th
of 191 countries
All-time high
7.69 billion
in 2014
All-time low
-2.79 billion
in 2023
Years of data
20
2005–2024

Direct investment, Net acquisition of financial assets, Assets in South Africa, 2005–2024

-2.5B02.5B5.0B7.5B2005201420242005: 909.4M2006: 5.9B2007: 3.0B2008: -2.1B2009: 1.3B2010: -161.3M2011: -153.4M2012: 2.9B2013: 6.5B2014: 7.7B2015: 5.5B2016: 4.5B2017: 7.4B2018: 4.0B2019: 3.1B2020: -1.9B2021: 101.6M2022: 2.4B2023: -2.8B2024: -1.3B

Source: International Monetary Fund.

Analysis

South Africa recorded -1.26 billion for direct investment, net acquisition of financial assets, assets in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 54.8% on the previous year and down 116.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, direct investment, net acquisition of financial assets, assets in South Africa peaked at 7.69 billion in 2014 and was at its lowest, -2.79 billion, in 2023.

That places South Africa 184th out of 191 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Direct investment, Net acquisition of financial assets, Assets in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Direct investment, Net acquisition of financial assets, Assets (US dollar) in South Africa, 2005 to 2024.
Year Value Change
2005 909.41 million
2006 5.93 billion +551.9%
2007 2.98 billion -49.7%
2008 -2.12 billion -171.1%
2009 1.31 billion -161.9%
2010 -161.29 million -112.3%
2011 -153.40 million -4.9%
2012 2.90 billion -1989.8%
2013 6.52 billion +124.9%
2014 7.69 billion +18.0%
2015 5.51 billion -28.3%
2016 4.49 billion -18.6%
2017 7.45 billion +65.9%
2018 4.03 billion -45.9%
2019 3.14 billion -22.0%
2020 -1.94 billion -161.6%
2021 101.58 million -105.2%
2022 2.37 billion +2237.8%
2023 -2.79 billion -217.6%
2024 -1.26 billion -54.8%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's -1.26 billion is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 66.29 million. (52 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's -1.26 billion is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.60 million. (42 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Direct investment, Net acquisition of financial assets, Assets in South Africa changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2022 +2237.8% 101.58 million 2.37 billion
2012 +1989.8% -153.40 million 2.90 billion

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 1.80 billion -2.12 billion 5.93 billion 5
2010s 4.14 billion -161.29 million 7.69 billion 10
2020s -703.36 million -2.79 billion 2.37 billion 5

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 181 Oman -142.78 million compare
  2. 182 Russian Federation -170.10 million compare
  3. 183 Kyrgyzstan -454.61 million compare
  4. 185 Uruguay -1.37 billion compare
  5. 186 Kazakhstan -1.92 billion compare
  6. 187 Estonia -3.72 billion compare

See the full ranking of 200 places →

More financial sector data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is direct investment, net acquisition of financial assets, assets in South Africa?
Direct investment, net acquisition of financial assets, assets in South Africa was -1.26 billion in 2024, according to International Monetary Fund.
What is the highest direct investment, net acquisition of financial assets, assets recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 7.69 billion in 2014.
What is the lowest direct investment, net acquisition of financial assets, assets recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was -2.79 billion in 2023.
How does South Africa rank for direct investment, net acquisition of financial assets, assets?
South Africa ranks 184th out of 191 countries with data for 2024.
Is direct investment, net acquisition of financial assets, assets rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 116.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from International Monetary Fund, published as part of Direct investment, Net acquisition of financial assets, Assets (US dollar). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Direct investment, Net acquisition of financial assets, Assets in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on International Monetary Fund. Retrieved 13 September 2026, from https://financial-sector.statizoid.com/stat/direct-investment-net-acquisition-of-financial-assets-assets-us-dollar/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Direct investment, Net acquisition of financial assets, Assets (US dollar)
Source
International Monetary Fund
Licence
IMF Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
200 places, 3,600 data points, 2005–2024
Last refreshed

The World and Country Group Aggregates (historically called BOPSY) is an annual publication, released each November, of major balance of payments and international investment position components for countries, country groups, and the world.