Human capital in South Africa

South Africa: Human capital was 1.72 trillion current US$ in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
1.72 trillion current US$
Change on year
down 13.1%
World rank
38th
of 150 countries
All-time high
2.26 trillion current US$
in 2013
All-time low
602.34 billion current US$
in 2002
Years of data
26
1995–2020

Human capital in South Africa, 1995–2020

500.0B1.0T1.5T2.0T2.5T1995200720201995: 925.5B current US$1996: 876.4B current US$1997: 882.5B current US$1998: 790.4B current US$1999: 763.8B current US$2000: 719.2B current US$2001: 614.7B current US$2002: 602.3B current US$2003: 868.7B current US$2004: 1.1T current US$2005: 1.2T current US$2006: 1.3T current US$2007: 1.4T current US$2008: 1.4T current US$2009: 1.5T current US$2010: 1.9T current US$2011: 2.1T current US$2012: 2.1T current US$2013: 2.3T current US$2014: 2.2T current US$2015: 1.9T current US$2016: 1.8T current US$2017: 2.1T current US$2018: 2.1T current US$2019: 2.0T current US$2020: 1.7T current US$

Source: World Bank. Measured in current US$.

Analysis

The most recent figure for human capital in South Africa is 1.72 trillion current US$, measured in 2020.

That represents a change of down 13.1% on the previous year and down 9.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, human capital in South Africa peaked at 2.26 trillion current US$ in 2013 and was at its lowest, 602.34 billion current US$, in 2002.

That places South Africa 38th out of 150 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 847.73 billion current US$ 763.82 billion current US$ 925.53 billion current US$ 5
2000s 1.06 trillion current US$ 602.34 billion current US$ 1.46 trillion current US$ 10
2010s 2.04 trillion current US$ 1.78 trillion current US$ 2.26 trillion current US$ 10
2020s 1.72 trillion current US$ 1.72 trillion current US$ 1.72 trillion current US$ 1

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 35 Chile 1.81 trillion current US$ compare
  2. 36 United Arab Emirates 1.78 trillion current US$ compare
  3. 37 Colombia 1.77 trillion current US$ compare
  4. 39 Bangladesh 1.57 trillion current US$ compare
  5. 40 New Zealand 1.49 trillion current US$ compare
  6. 41 Pakistan 1.48 trillion 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 human capital in South Africa?
Human capital in South Africa was 1.72 trillion current US$ in 2020, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest human capital recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 2.26 trillion current US$ in 2013.
What is the lowest human capital recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 602.34 billion current US$ in 2002.
How does South Africa rank for human capital?
South Africa ranks 38th out of 150 countries with data for 2020.
Is human capital rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 9.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from the World Bank, published as part of Human capital (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
Human capital (current US$)
Unit
current US$
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
151 places, 3,885 data points, 1995–2020
Last refreshed