Remittance inflows to GDP in South Africa
South Africa: Remittance inflows to GDP was 0.2% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Remittance inflows to GDP in South Africa, 1970–2020
Source: World Development Indicators (WDI), World Bank. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 0.2% for remittance inflows to gdp in 2020.
That represents a change of up 5.4% on the previous year and down 5.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, remittance inflows to gdp in South Africa peaked at 0.3% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1996.
That places South Africa 159th out of 197 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Remittance inflows to GDP in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0.1% | — |
| 1971 | 0.1% | -9.5% |
| 1972 | 0.1% | +4.8% |
| 1973 | 0.0% | -30.6% |
| 1974 | 0.1% | +33.7% |
| 1975 | 0.1% | +30.1% |
| 1976 | 0.1% | -15.9% |
| 1977 | 0.1% | -9.2% |
| 1978 | 0.1% | +33.5% |
| 1979 | 0.1% | -4.2% |
| 1980 | 0.1% | -7.5% |
| 1981 | 0.1% | +24.3% |
| 1982 | 0.1% | +0.4% |
| 1983 | 0.1% | -18.3% |
| 1984 | 0.1% | -0.2% |
| 1985 | 0.1% | -21.3% |
| 1986 | 0.0% | -19.4% |
| 1987 | 0.0% | -3.2% |
| 1988 | 0.0% | +2.0% |
| 1989 | 0.1% | +71.5% |
| 1990 | 0.1% | +31.3% |
| 1991 | 0.1% | -11.2% |
| 1992 | 0.1% | -15.0% |
| 1993 | 0.1% | -14.9% |
| 1994 | 0.1% | -6.9% |
| 1995 | 0.0% | -25.2% |
| 1996 | 0.0% | -4.7% |
| 1997 | 0.1% | +127.0% |
| 1998 | 0.2% | +62.3% |
| 1999 | 0.2% | +19.8% |
| 2000 | 0.2% | +5.6% |
| 2001 | 0.2% | -2.8% |
| 2002 | 0.2% | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 0.2% | -4.5% |
| 2004 | 0.2% | -7.7% |
| 2005 | 0.2% | +16.1% |
| 2006 | 0.2% | +7.2% |
| 2007 | 0.2% | +4.5% |
| 2008 | 0.2% | +4.2% |
| 2009 | 0.3% | +5.5% |
| 2010 | 0.3% | -2.0% |
| 2011 | 0.3% | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 0.2% | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 0.2% | -3.0% |
| 2014 | 0.2% | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 0.2% | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 0.2% | -1.9% |
| 2017 | 0.2% | -1.9% |
| 2018 | 0.2% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 0.2% | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 0.2% | +5.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 1 |
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 remittance inflows to gdp in South Africa?
- Remittance inflows to gdp in South Africa was 0.2% in 2020, according to World Development Indicators (WDI), World Bank.
- What is the highest remittance inflows to gdp recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 0.3% in 2009.
- What is the lowest remittance inflows to gdp recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1996.
- How does South Africa rank for remittance inflows to gdp?
- South Africa ranks 159th out of 197 countries with data for 2020.
- Is remittance inflows to gdp rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from World Development Indicators (WDI), World Bank, published as part of Remittance inflows to GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Workers' remittances and compensation of employees comprise current transfers by migrant workers and wages and salaries earned by nonresident workers. Data are the sum of three items defined in the fifth edition of the IMF's Balance of Payments Manual: workers' remittances, compensation of employees, and migrants' transfers. Remittances are classified as current private transfers from migrant workers resident in the host country for more than a year, irrespective of their immigration status, to recipients in their country of origin. Migrants' transfers are defined as the net worth of migrants who are expected to remain in the host country for more than one year that is transferred from one country to another at the time of migration. Compensation of employees is the income of migrants who have lived in the host country for less than a year.