Foreign banks among total banks in South Africa
South Africa: Foreign banks among total banks was 24.0% in 2013. ▲ Rising
Foreign banks among total banks in South Africa, 1995–2013
Source: Stijn Claessens and Neeltje van Horen, 2012. "Foreign Banks: Trends, Impact and Financial Stability" IMF Working Paper, WP/12/10. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 24.0% for foreign banks among total banks in 2013. That is the highest value across all 19 years on record.
The figure is up 41.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, foreign banks among total banks in South Africa peaked at 24.0% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 13.0%, in 2000.
South Africa ranks 94th of 137 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.
Foreign banks among total banks in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 17.0% | — |
| 1996 | 16.0% | -5.9% |
| 1997 | 15.0% | -6.2% |
| 1998 | 16.0% | +6.7% |
| 1999 | 15.0% | -6.2% |
| 2000 | 13.0% | -13.3% |
| 2001 | 15.0% | +15.4% |
| 2002 | 16.0% | +6.7% |
| 2003 | 17.0% | +6.2% |
| 2004 | 17.0% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 21.0% | +23.5% |
| 2006 | 22.0% | +4.8% |
| 2007 | 22.0% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 23.0% | +4.5% |
| 2009 | 23.0% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 24.0% | +4.3% |
| 2011 | 24.0% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 24.0% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 24.0% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 15.8% | 15.0% | 17.0% | 5 |
| 2000s | 18.9% | 13.0% | 23.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 24.0% | 24.0% | 24.0% | 4 |
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 foreign banks among total banks in South Africa?
- Foreign banks among total banks in South Africa was 24.0% in 2013, according to Stijn Claessens and Neeltje van Horen, 2012. "Foreign Banks: Trends, Impact and Financial Stability" IMF Working Paper, WP/12/10.
- What is the highest foreign banks among total banks recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 24.0% in 2010.
- What is the lowest foreign banks among total banks recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.0% in 2000.
- How does South Africa rank for foreign banks among total banks?
- South Africa ranks 94th out of 137 countries with data for 2013.
- Is foreign banks among total banks rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 41.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Stijn Claessens and Neeltje van Horen, 2012. "Foreign Banks: Trends, Impact and Financial Stability" IMF Working Paper, WP/12/10, published as part of Foreign banks among total banks (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of the number of foreign owned banks to the number of the total banks in an Economy. A foreign bank is a bank where 50 percent or more of its shares are owned by foreigners.