Foreign assets in South Africa

South Africa: Foreign assets was 543.77 billion current US$ in 2020. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2020)
543.77 billion current US$
Change on year
up 10.6%
World rank
34th
of 150 countries
All-time high
553.75 billion current US$
in 2017
All-time low
34.20 billion current US$
in 1996
Years of data
26
1995–2020

Foreign assets in South Africa, 1995–2020

0200.0B400.0B600.0B1995200720201995: 36.8B current US$1996: 34.2B current US$1997: 43.3B current US$1998: 51.1B current US$1999: 85.3B current US$2000: 88.1B current US$2001: 61.6B current US$2002: 72.3B current US$2003: 101.8B current US$2004: 130.1B current US$2005: 150.7B current US$2006: 177.6B current US$2007: 221.4B current US$2008: 211.7B current US$2009: 263.0B current US$2010: 320.0B current US$2011: 331.1B current US$2012: 369.2B current US$2013: 389.5B current US$2014: 395.1B current US$2015: 393.3B current US$2016: 418.7B current US$2017: 553.7B current US$2018: 485.8B current US$2019: 491.6B current US$2020: 543.8B current US$

Source: World Bank. Measured in current US$.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 543.77 billion current US$ for foreign assets in 2020.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 10.6% on the previous year and up 69.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, foreign assets in South Africa peaked at 553.75 billion current US$ in 2017 and was at its lowest, 34.20 billion current US$, in 1996.

South Africa ranks 34th of 150 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 50.15 billion current US$ 34.20 billion current US$ 85.34 billion current US$ 5
2000s 147.85 billion current US$ 61.65 billion current US$ 263.05 billion current US$ 10
2010s 414.82 billion current US$ 320.03 billion current US$ 553.75 billion current US$ 10
2020s 543.77 billion current US$ 543.77 billion current US$ 543.77 billion current US$ 1

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 31 Thailand 597.73 billion current US$ compare
  2. 32 Israel 596.43 billion current US$ compare
  3. 33 Hungary 561.95 billion current US$ compare
  4. 35 Mauritius 487.05 billion current US$ compare
  5. 36 Malaysia 471.91 billion current US$ compare
  6. 37 Portugal 419.66 billion current US$ compare

See the full ranking of 151 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is foreign assets in South Africa?
Foreign assets in South Africa was 543.77 billion current US$ in 2020, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest foreign assets recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 553.75 billion current US$ in 2017.
What is the lowest foreign assets recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 34.20 billion current US$ in 1996.
How does South Africa rank for foreign assets?
South Africa ranks 34th out of 150 countries with data for 2020.
Is foreign assets rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 69.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from the World Bank, published as part of Foreign assets (current US$). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator
Foreign assets (current US$)
Unit
current US$
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
151 places, 3,851 data points, 1995–2020
Last refreshed