Outstanding international public debt securities to GDP in South Africa
South Africa: Outstanding international public debt securities to GDP was 6.9% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Outstanding international public debt securities to GDP in South Africa, 1980–2020
Source: Bank for International Settlements (BIS). Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, outstanding international public debt securities to gdp in South Africa stood at 6.9%. That is the highest value across all 41 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 6.5% on the previous year and up 155.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, outstanding international public debt securities to gdp in South Africa peaked at 6.9% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 1993.
That places South Africa 69th out of 116 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 public debt securities to GDP in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 0.7% | — |
| 1981 | 0.5% | -18.7% |
| 1982 | 0.6% | +1.0% |
| 1983 | 0.6% | +14.4% |
| 1984 | 1.1% | +71.0% |
| 1985 | 1.7% | +61.6% |
| 1986 | 1.8% | +1.7% |
| 1987 | 1.4% | -19.1% |
| 1988 | 1.1% | -21.1% |
| 1989 | 1.0% | -11.2% |
| 1990 | 0.8% | -25.3% |
| 1991 | 0.6% | -16.6% |
| 1992 | 0.6% | -2.2% |
| 1993 | 0.5% | -18.1% |
| 1994 | 1.1% | +113.6% |
| 1995 | 1.1% | +5.3% |
| 1996 | 1.5% | +29.9% |
| 1997 | 1.7% | +15.3% |
| 1998 | 1.9% | +15.0% |
| 1999 | 2.3% | +20.9% |
| 2000 | 2.6% | +10.3% |
| 2001 | 3.8% | +45.0% |
| 2002 | 5.4% | +42.8% |
| 2003 | 4.5% | -15.7% |
| 2004 | 3.7% | -18.3% |
| 2005 | 3.1% | -17.1% |
| 2006 | 3.0% | -3.2% |
| 2007 | 2.9% | -3.2% |
| 2008 | 2.7% | -5.7% |
| 2009 | 2.8% | +4.3% |
| 2010 | 2.7% | -3.8% |
| 2011 | 2.6% | -3.8% |
| 2012 | 2.9% | +10.0% |
| 2013 | 3.2% | +11.2% |
| 2014 | 3.5% | +8.5% |
| 2015 | 3.8% | +9.0% |
| 2016 | 5.2% | +37.7% |
| 2017 | 5.1% | -1.8% |
| 2018 | 5.4% | +5.4% |
| 2019 | 6.5% | +20.6% |
| 2020 | 6.9% | +6.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.1% | 0.5% | 1.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.2% | 0.5% | 2.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.4% | 2.6% | 5.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.1% | 2.6% | 6.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.9% | 6.9% | 6.9% | 1 |
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 outstanding international public debt securities to gdp in South Africa?
- Outstanding international public debt securities to gdp in South Africa was 6.9% in 2020, according to Bank for International Settlements (BIS).
- What is the highest outstanding international public debt securities to gdp recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 6.9% in 2020.
- What is the lowest outstanding international public debt securities to gdp recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 1993.
- How does South Africa rank for outstanding international public debt securities to gdp?
- South Africa ranks 69th out of 116 countries with data for 2020.
- Is outstanding international public debt securities to gdp rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 155.2%. 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 public debt securities to GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 41 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Amount of public 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 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 international public 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.