Annual scholarly publications on artificial intelligence in South Africa
South Africa: Annual scholarly publications on artificial intelligence was 1,117 publications in 2024. ▲ Rising
Annual scholarly publications on artificial intelligence in South Africa, 2016–2024
Source: Center for Security and Emerging Technology (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in publications.
Analysis
The most recent figure for annual scholarly publications on artificial intelligence in South Africa is 1,117 publications, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 0.2% on the previous year and up 212.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual scholarly publications on artificial intelligence in South Africa peaked at 1,119 publications in 2023 and was at its lowest, 320 publications, in 2017.
That places South Africa 50th out of 165 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
Annual scholarly publications on artificial intelligence in South Africa, year by year
| Year | publications | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 358 publications | — |
| 2017 | 320 publications | -10.6% |
| 2018 | 403 publications | +25.9% |
| 2019 | 511 publications | +26.8% |
| 2020 | 729 publications | +42.7% |
| 2021 | 833 publications | +14.3% |
| 2022 | 845 publications | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 1,119 publications | +32.4% |
| 2024 | 1,117 publications | -0.2% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 1,117 publications is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 130 publications, 8.6× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 1,117 publications is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 33 publications, 33.8× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 398 publications | 320 publications | 511 publications | 4 |
| 2020s | 928.6 publications | 729 publications | 1,119 publications | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More reference data data for South Africa
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5111 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7468 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 41.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 63.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.07 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual scholarly publications on artificial intelligence in South Africa?
- Annual scholarly publications on artificial intelligence in South Africa was 1,117 publications in 2024, according to Center for Security and Emerging Technology (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual scholarly publications on artificial intelligence recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1,119 publications in 2023.
- What is the lowest annual scholarly publications on artificial intelligence recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 320 publications in 2017.
- How does South Africa rank for annual scholarly publications on artificial intelligence?
- South Africa ranks 50th out of 165 countries with data for 2024.
- Is annual scholarly publications on artificial intelligence rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 212.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Center for Security and Emerging Technology (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual scholarly publications on artificial intelligence. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Scholarly publications on AI, including journal articles, conference papers, working papers, and preprints. The data only covers articles with an English-language title or abstract.