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 151 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
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$, in 2002.
That places South Africa 38th out of 151 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Human capital in South Africa, year by year
| Year | current US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 925.53 billion current US$ | — |
| 1996 | 876.43 billion current US$ | -5.3% |
| 1997 | 882.52 billion current US$ | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 790.37 billion current US$ | -10.4% |
| 1999 | 763.82 billion current US$ | -3.4% |
| 2000 | 719.16 billion current US$ | -5.8% |
| 2001 | 614.67 billion current US$ | -14.5% |
| 2002 | 602.34 billion current US$ | -2.0% |
| 2003 | 868.66 billion current US$ | +44.2% |
| 2004 | 1.07 trillion current US$ | +23.3% |
| 2005 | 1.22 trillion current US$ | +14.0% |
| 2006 | 1.26 trillion current US$ | +3.5% |
| 2007 | 1.39 trillion current US$ | +10.4% |
| 2008 | 1.36 trillion current US$ | -2.7% |
| 2009 | 1.46 trillion current US$ | +7.8% |
| 2010 | 1.90 trillion current US$ | +29.9% |
| 2011 | 2.09 trillion current US$ | +9.9% |
| 2012 | 2.10 trillion current US$ | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 2.26 trillion current US$ | +7.8% |
| 2014 | 2.18 trillion current US$ | -3.6% |
| 2015 | 1.94 trillion current US$ | -11.0% |
| 2016 | 1.78 trillion current US$ | -8.2% |
| 2017 | 2.05 trillion current US$ | +15.3% |
| 2018 | 2.13 trillion current US$ | +3.7% |
| 2019 | 1.98 trillion current US$ | -7.2% |
| 2020 | 1.72 trillion current US$ | -13.1% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 1.72 trillion current US$ is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 268.70 billion current US$, 6.4× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 1.72 trillion current US$ is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 74.23 billion current US$, 23.2× the median. (42 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 847.73 billion current US$ | 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
- 35 Chile 1.81 trillion current US$ compare
- 36 United Arab Emirates 1.78 trillion current US$ compare
- 37 Colombia 1.77 trillion current US$ compare
- 39 Bangladesh 1.57 trillion current US$ compare
- 40 New Zealand 1.49 trillion current US$ compare
- 41 Pakistan 1.48 trillion current US$ compare
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 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 151 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.
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CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).