Outstanding international private debt securities to GDP in South Africa

South Africa: Outstanding international private debt securities to GDP was 20.7% in 2020. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2020)
20.7%
Change on year
up 32.1%
World rank
31st
of 90 countries
All-time high
20.7%
in 2020
All-time low
0.3%
in 1993
Years of data
41
1980–2020

Outstanding international private debt securities to GDP in South Africa, 1980–2020

051015201980200020201980: 1.7 %1981: 1.6 %1982: 1.8 %1983: 1.7 %1984: 2.1 %1985: 3.6 %1986: 3.4 %1987: 2.8 %1988: 2 %1989: 1.7 %1990: 0.843 %1991: 0.507 %1992: 0.536 %1993: 0.348 %1994: 0.714 %1995: 1.3 %1996: 1.5 %1997: 1.5 %1998: 2.4 %1999: 3 %2000: 3.6 %2001: 4.3 %2002: 6 %2003: 6.9 %2004: 7.2 %2005: 7.3 %2006: 9.2 %2007: 11.2 %2008: 9.7 %2009: 10.1 %2010: 9.1 %2011: 9.3 %2012: 10.8 %2013: 12.5 %2014: 12.3 %2015: 15.1 %2016: 15.9 %2017: 14.7 %2018: 14.9 %2019: 15.7 %2020: 20.7 %

Source: Bank for International Settlements (BIS). Measured in %.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 20.7% for outstanding international private debt securities to gdp in 2020. That is the highest value across all 41 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 32.1% on the previous year and up 127.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, outstanding international private debt securities to gdp in South Africa peaked at 20.7% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 1993.

That places South Africa 31st out of 90 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.

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

Outstanding international private debt securities to GDP in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Outstanding international private debt securities to GDP (%) in South Africa, 1980 to 2020.
Year % Change
1980 1.7%
1981 1.6% -7.3%
1982 1.8% +11.1%
1983 1.7% -1.6%
1984 2.1% +23.3%
1985 3.6% +68.1%
1986 3.4% -4.5%
1987 2.8% -18.3%
1988 2.0% -28.0%
1989 1.7% -13.7%
1990 0.8% -51.6%
1991 0.5% -39.9%
1992 0.5% +5.8%
1993 0.3% -35.0%
1994 0.7% +104.9%
1995 1.3% +76.1%
1996 1.5% +18.3%
1997 1.5% -1.5%
1998 2.4% +65.6%
1999 3.0% +24.4%
2000 3.6% +19.9%
2001 4.3% +19.7%
2002 6.0% +38.7%
2003 6.9% +15.0%
2004 7.2% +4.2%
2005 7.3% +0.8%
2006 9.2% +26.5%
2007 11.2% +22.3%
2008 9.7% -13.5%
2009 10.1% +4.1%
2010 9.1% -10.0%
2011 9.3% +2.3%
2012 10.8% +15.9%
2013 12.5% +16.0%
2014 12.3% -1.9%
2015 15.1% +23.0%
2016 15.9% +4.9%
2017 14.7% -7.3%
2018 14.9% +1.6%
2019 15.7% +4.8%
2020 20.7% +32.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 2.3% 1.6% 3.6% 10
1990s 1.3% 0.3% 3.0% 10
2000s 7.6% 3.6% 11.2% 10
2010s 13.0% 9.1% 15.9% 10
2020s 20.7% 20.7% 20.7% 1

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 28 Chile 25.3% compare
  2. 29 Norway 23.4% compare
  3. 30 United States of America 21.4% compare
  4. 32 Mexico 20.2% compare
  5. 33 Malaysia 20.2% compare
  6. 34 Mongolia 19.6% compare

See the full ranking of 90 places →

More financial sector data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is outstanding international private debt securities to gdp in South Africa?
Outstanding international private debt securities to gdp in South Africa was 20.7% in 2020, according to Bank for International Settlements (BIS).
What is the highest outstanding international private debt securities to gdp recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 20.7% in 2020.
What is the lowest outstanding international private debt securities to gdp recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 1993.
How does South Africa rank for outstanding international private debt securities to gdp?
South Africa ranks 31st out of 90 countries with data for 2020.
Is outstanding international private debt securities to gdp rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 127.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Bank for International Settlements (BIS), published as part of Outstanding international private debt securities to GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Outstanding international private debt securities to GDP in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Bank for International Settlements (BIS). Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://financial-sector.statizoid.com/stat/outstanding-international-private-debt-securities-to-gdp-percent/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Outstanding international private debt securities to GDP (%)
Unit
%
Source
Bank for International Settlements (BIS)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
90 places, 2,337 data points, 1980–2020
Last refreshed

Amount of private international debt securities (amounts outstanding), as a share of GDP. It covers long-term bonds and notes and money market instruments placed on international markets. (Table 12A (international debt amount: all issuers) - Table 12D (international debt amount: governments)) / GDP. End of year data (i.e. December data) are considered for debt securities. The figures are deflated using the following methodology: {(0.5)*[Ft/P_et + Ft-1/P_et-1]}/[GDPt/P_at] where F is the level intenational private debt, P_e is end-of period CPI, and P_a is average annual CPI. GDP is from World Development Indicators.End-of period CPI is taken from IFS line 64M..ZF month of December (or if not available Q4). Average annual CPI is constructed from the monthly CPI figure taken from IFS line 64..ZF.