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% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 24.0% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 41.0%, 59% of the median. (40 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 24.0% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 60.0%, 40% of the median. (30 countries reporting)
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
- 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 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 19 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.