Stock price volatility in South Africa
South Africa: Stock price volatility was 23.37 in 2021. ▼ Falling
Stock price volatility in South Africa, 1996–2021
Source: Bloomberg.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 23.37 for stock price volatility in 2021.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and up 36.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, stock price volatility in South Africa peaked at 34.38 in 2009 and was at its lowest, 11.07, in 1996.
South Africa ranks 20th of 86 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.
Stock price volatility in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 11.07 | — |
| 1997 | 12.44 | +12.4% |
| 1998 | 23.91 | +92.2% |
| 1999 | 26.23 | +9.7% |
| 2000 | 19.55 | -25.5% |
| 2001 | 19.91 | +1.8% |
| 2002 | 21.08 | +5.9% |
| 2003 | 19.97 | -5.3% |
| 2004 | 17.13 | -14.2% |
| 2005 | 13.77 | -19.6% |
| 2006 | 17.7 | +28.5% |
| 2007 | 20.46 | +15.6% |
| 2008 | 23.62 | +15.5% |
| 2009 | 34.38 | +45.6% |
| 2010 | 23.94 | -30.4% |
| 2011 | 17.1 | -28.6% |
| 2012 | 16.83 | -1.6% |
| 2013 | 13.38 | -20.5% |
| 2014 | 13.54 | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 14.4 | +6.4% |
| 2016 | 17.94 | +24.5% |
| 2017 | 14.87 | -17.1% |
| 2018 | 13.11 | -11.8% |
| 2019 | 15.81 | +20.6% |
| 2020 | 23.45 | +48.3% |
| 2021 | 23.37 | -0.3% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 23.37 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 18.95, 1.2× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 23.37 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16.05, 1.5× the median. (8 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 18.41 | 11.07 | 26.23 | 4 |
| 2000s | 20.76 | 13.77 | 34.38 | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.09 | 13.11 | 23.94 | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.41 | 23.37 | 23.45 | 2 |
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 stock price volatility in South Africa?
- Stock price volatility in South Africa was 23.37 in 2021, according to Bloomberg.
- What is the highest stock price volatility recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 34.38 in 2009.
- What is the lowest stock price volatility recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.07 in 1996.
- How does South Africa rank for stock price volatility?
- South Africa ranks 20th out of 86 countries with data for 2021.
- Is stock price volatility rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 36.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Bloomberg, published as part of Stock price volatility. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Stock price volatility is the average of the 360-day volatility of the national stock market index.