How does South Africa rank for reserve assets (assets, positions, us dollar), per unit of gdp?

South Africa ranks 79th out of 169 countries with data for 2025.

Is reserve assets (assets, positions, us dollar), per unit of gdp rising or falling in South Africa?

Over the last ten years it is up 34.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Reserve assets (Assets, Positions, US dollar), per unit of GDP in South Africa

Name: Reserve assets (Assets, Positions, US dollar), per unit of GDP in South Africa
Creator: Statizoid (derived)
License: Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page

South Africa: Reserve assets (Assets, Positions, US dollar), per unit of GDP was 0.1776 US dollar per US$ of GDP in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)

0.1776 US dollar per US$ of GDP

Change on year

up 8.9%

World rank

79th

of 169 countries

All-time high

0.1776 US dollar per US$ of GDP

in 2025

All-time low

0.0135 US dollar per US$ of GDP

in 1996

Years of data

1960–2025

Reserve assets (Assets, Positions, US dollar), per unit of GDP in South Africa, 1960–2025

Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in US dollar per US$ of GDP.

Analysis

The most recent figure for reserve assets (assets, positions, us dollar), per unit of gdp in South Africa is 0.1776 US dollar per US$ of GDP, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.

The figure is up 8.9% on the previous year and up 34.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, reserve assets (assets, positions, us dollar), per unit of gdp in South Africa peaked at 0.1776 US dollar per US$ of GDP in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.0135 US dollar per US$ of GDP, in 1996.

That places South Africa 79th out of 169 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

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

Reserve assets (Assets, Positions, US dollar), per unit of GDP in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Reserve assets (Assets, Positions, US dollar), per unit of GDP in South Africa, 1960 to 2025.
Year	US dollar per US$ of GDP	Change
1960	0.0298 US dollar per US$ of GDP	—
1961	0.0444 US dollar per US$ of GDP	+49.1%
1962	0.0704 US dollar per US$ of GDP	+58.8%
1963	0.0738 US dollar per US$ of GDP	+4.8%
1964	0.0569 US dollar per US$ of GDP	-23.0%
1965	0.0469 US dollar per US$ of GDP	-17.5%
1966	0.054 US dollar per US$ of GDP	+15.1%
1967	0.0466 US dollar per US$ of GDP	-13.7%
1968	0.0868 US dollar per US$ of GDP	+86.2%
1969	0.0696 US dollar per US$ of GDP	-19.8%
1970	0.0506 US dollar per US$ of GDP	-27.3%
1971	0.0327 US dollar per US$ of GDP	-35.4%
1972	0.053 US dollar per US$ of GDP	+62.2%
1973	0.041 US dollar per US$ of GDP	-22.6%
1974	0.0295 US dollar per US$ of GDP	-28.2%
1975	0.0297 US dollar per US$ of GDP	+0.9%
1976	0.025 US dollar per US$ of GDP	-16.0%
1977	0.0208 US dollar per US$ of GDP	-16.8%
1978	0.0511 US dollar per US$ of GDP	+146.4%
1979	0.0832 US dollar per US$ of GDP	+62.7%
1980	0.0854 US dollar per US$ of GDP	+2.6%
1981	0.0465 US dollar per US$ of GDP	-45.6%
1982	0.0468 US dollar per US$ of GDP	+0.8%
1983	0.0415 US dollar per US$ of GDP	-11.3%
1984	0.0311 US dollar per US$ of GDP	-25.2%
1985	0.0356 US dollar per US$ of GDP	+14.5%
1986	0.0343 US dollar per US$ of GDP	-3.7%
1987	0.0406 US dollar per US$ of GDP	+18.4%
1988	0.0255 US dollar per US$ of GDP	-37.1%
1989	0.0242 US dollar per US$ of GDP	-5.2%
1990	0.0212 US dollar per US$ of GDP	-12.3%
1991	0.0267 US dollar per US$ of GDP	+25.7%
1992	0.026 US dollar per US$ of GDP	-2.5%
1993	0.0236 US dollar per US$ of GDP	-9.3%
1994	0.0261 US dollar per US$ of GDP	+10.8%
1995	0.029 US dollar per US$ of GDP	+11.0%
1996	0.0135 US dollar per US$ of GDP	-53.5%
1997	0.0346 US dollar per US$ of GDP	+156.6%
1998	0.0352 US dollar per US$ of GDP	+1.8%
1999	0.0487 US dollar per US$ of GDP	+38.1%
2000	0.0496 US dollar per US$ of GDP	+2.0%
2001	0.0552 US dollar per US$ of GDP	+11.1%
2002	0.0592 US dollar per US$ of GDP	+7.2%
2003	0.0404 US dollar per US$ of GDP	-31.6%
2004	0.0575 US dollar per US$ of GDP	+42.2%
2005	0.0714 US dollar per US$ of GDP	+24.1%
2006	0.0842 US dollar per US$ of GDP	+17.9%
2007	0.0989 US dollar per US$ of GDP	+17.5%
2008	0.1078 US dollar per US$ of GDP	+9.0%
2009	0.1203 US dollar per US$ of GDP	+11.6%
2010	0.105 US dollar per US$ of GDP	-12.7%
2011	0.1066 US dollar per US$ of GDP	+1.5%
2012	0.1167 US dollar per US$ of GDP	+9.4%
2013	0.1237 US dollar per US$ of GDP	+6.0%
2014	0.1288 US dollar per US$ of GDP	+4.1%
2015	0.1325 US dollar per US$ of GDP	+2.9%
2016	0.1463 US dollar per US$ of GDP	+10.4%
2017	0.133 US dollar per US$ of GDP	-9.1%
2018	0.1274 US dollar per US$ of GDP	-4.2%
2019	0.1414 US dollar per US$ of GDP	+11.0%
2020	0.1627 US dollar per US$ of GDP	+15.1%
2021	0.137 US dollar per US$ of GDP	-15.8%
2022	0.1486 US dollar per US$ of GDP	+8.4%
2023	0.1639 US dollar per US$ of GDP	+10.3%
2024	0.1631 US dollar per US$ of GDP	-0.4%
2025	0.1776 US dollar per US$ of GDP	+8.9%

South Africa compared with similar countries

South Africa's 0.1776 US dollar per US$ of GDP is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.2254 US dollar per US$ of GDP, 79% of the median. (50 countries reporting)
South Africa's 0.1776 US dollar per US$ of GDP is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.1224 US dollar per US$ of GDP, 1.5× the median. (36 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Reserve assets (Assets, Positions, US dollar), per unit of GDP in South Africa changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

Year	Change	From	To
1997	+156.6%	0.0135 US dollar per US$ of GDP	0.0346 US dollar per US$ of GDP
1978	+146.4%	0.0208 US dollar per US$ of GDP	0.0511 US dollar per US$ of GDP

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1960s	0.0579 US dollar per US$ of GDP	0.0298 US dollar per US$ of GDP	0.0868 US dollar per US$ of GDP	10
1970s	0.0417 US dollar per US$ of GDP	0.0208 US dollar per US$ of GDP	0.0832 US dollar per US$ of GDP	10
1980s	0.0411 US dollar per US$ of GDP	0.0242 US dollar per US$ of GDP	0.0854 US dollar per US$ of GDP	10
1990s	0.0284 US dollar per US$ of GDP	0.0135 US dollar per US$ of GDP	0.0487 US dollar per US$ of GDP	10
2000s	0.0744 US dollar per US$ of GDP	0.0404 US dollar per US$ of GDP	0.1203 US dollar per US$ of GDP	10
2010s	0.1261 US dollar per US$ of GDP	0.105 US dollar per US$ of GDP	0.1463 US dollar per US$ of GDP	10
2020s	0.1588 US dollar per US$ of GDP	0.137 US dollar per US$ of GDP	0.1776 US dollar per US$ of GDP	6

Countries ranked near South Africa

76 Bhutan 0.1838 US dollar per US$ of GDP compare
77 Botswana 0.182 US dollar per US$ of GDP compare
78 Tunisia 0.1785 US dollar per US$ of GDP compare
80 Armenia 0.174 US dollar per US$ of GDP compare
81 India 0.1738 US dollar per US$ of GDP compare
82 Italy 0.1683 US dollar per US$ of GDP compare

See the full ranking of 169 places →

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)

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is reserve assets (assets, positions, us dollar), per unit of gdp in South Africa?: Reserve assets (assets, positions, us dollar), per unit of gdp in South Africa was 0.1776 US dollar per US$ of GDP in 2025, according to Statizoid (derived).
What is the highest reserve assets (assets, positions, us dollar), per unit of gdp recorded in South Africa?: The highest recorded value was 0.1776 US dollar per US$ of GDP in 2025.
What is the lowest reserve assets (assets, positions, us dollar), per unit of gdp recorded in South Africa?: The lowest recorded value was 0.0135 US dollar per US$ of GDP in 1996.
How does South Africa rank for reserve assets (assets, positions, us dollar), per unit of gdp?: South Africa ranks 79th out of 169 countries with data for 2025.
Is reserve assets (assets, positions, us dollar), per unit of gdp rising or falling in South Africa?: Over the last ten years it is up 34.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this South Africa data come from?: The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Reserve assets (Assets, Positions, US dollar), per unit of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Reserve assets (Assets, Positions, US dollar), per unit of GDP in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Statizoid (derived). Retrieved 14 September 2026, from https://financial-sector.statizoid.com/stat/reserve-assets-assets-positions-us-dollar-per-unit-of-gdp/south-africa/

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How this figure is calculated

Reserve assets (Assets, Positions, US dollar) divided by GDP (current US$), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.

Reserve assets (Assets, Positions, US dollar) ÷ GDP (current US$)

Computed from

Reserve assets International Monetary Fund
GDP Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks

Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.

About this data

Indicator: Reserve assets (Assets, Positions, US dollar), per unit of GDP
Unit: US dollar per US$ of GDP
Source: Statizoid (derived)
Licence: Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page
Coverage: 169 places, 4,398 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed: 30 August 2026

Reserve assets (Assets, Positions, US dollar) divided by GDP (current US$), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.