What is human capital in South Africa?

Human capital in South Africa was 2.04 trillion real chained 2019 US$ in 2020, according to World Bank. 2021. The Changing Wealth of Nations 2021: Managing Assets for the Future. Washington, DC: World Bank. doi:10.1596/978-1-4648-1590-4.

What is the highest human capital recorded in South Africa?

The highest recorded value was 2.04 trillion real chained 2019 US$ in 2020.

What is the lowest human capital recorded in South Africa?

The lowest recorded value was 965.57 billion real chained 2019 US$ in 1995.

How does South Africa rank for human capital?

South Africa ranks 34th out of 150 countries with data for 2020.

Is human capital rising or falling in South Africa?

Over the last ten years it is up 45.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.

Where does this South Africa data come from?

The figures come from World Bank. 2021. The Changing Wealth of Nations 2021: Managing Assets for the Future. Washington, DC: World Bank. doi:10.1596/978-1-4648-1590-4, published as part of Human capital (real chained 2019 US$). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Human capital in South Africa

Name: Human capital in South Africa
Creator: World Bank. 2021. The Changing Wealth of Nations 2021: Managing Assets for the Future. Washington, DC: World Bank. doi:10.1596/978-1-4648-1590-4
License: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)

South Africa: Human capital was 2.04 trillion real chained 2019 US$ in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)

2.04 trillion real chained 2019 US$

Change on year

up 3.2%

World rank

34th

of 150 countries

All-time high

2.04 trillion real chained 2019 US$

in 2020

All-time low

965.57 billion real chained 2019 US$

in 1995

Years of data

1995–2020

Human capital in South Africa, 1995–2020

Source: World Bank. 2021. The Changing Wealth of Nations 2021: Managing Assets for the Future. Washington, DC: World Bank. doi:10.1596/978-1-4648-1590-4. Measured in real chained 2019 US$.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 2.04 trillion real chained 2019 US$ for human capital in 2020. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.2% on the previous year and up 45.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, human capital in South Africa peaked at 2.04 trillion real chained 2019 US$ in 2020 and was at its lowest, 965.57 billion real chained 2019 US$, in 1995.

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

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

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1990s	1.03 trillion real chained 2019 US$	965.57 billion real chained 2019 US$	1.09 trillion real chained 2019 US$	5
2000s	1.34 trillion real chained 2019 US$	1.13 trillion real chained 2019 US$	1.52 trillion real chained 2019 US$	10
2010s	1.71 trillion real chained 2019 US$	1.41 trillion real chained 2019 US$	1.98 trillion real chained 2019 US$	10
2020s	2.04 trillion real chained 2019 US$	2.04 trillion real chained 2019 US$	2.04 trillion real chained 2019 US$	1

Countries ranked near South Africa

31 Saudi Arabia 2.26 trillion real chained 2019 US$ compare
32 United Arab Emirates 2.19 trillion real chained 2019 US$ compare
33 Malaysia 2.09 trillion real chained 2019 US$ compare
35 Chile 2.04 trillion real chained 2019 US$ compare
36 Philippines 2.02 trillion real chained 2019 US$ compare
37 Vietnam 1.86 trillion real chained 2019 US$ compare

See the full ranking of 151 places →

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)

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is human capital in South Africa?: Human capital in South Africa was 2.04 trillion real chained 2019 US$ in 2020, according to World Bank. 2021. The Changing Wealth of Nations 2021: Managing Assets for the Future. Washington, DC: World Bank. doi:10.1596/978-1-4648-1590-4.
What is the highest human capital recorded in South Africa?: The highest recorded value was 2.04 trillion real chained 2019 US$ in 2020.
What is the lowest human capital recorded in South Africa?: The lowest recorded value was 965.57 billion real chained 2019 US$ in 1995.
How does South Africa rank for human capital?: South Africa ranks 34th out of 150 countries with data for 2020.
Is human capital rising or falling in South Africa?: Over the last ten years it is up 45.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?: The figures come from World Bank. 2021. The Changing Wealth of Nations 2021: Managing Assets for the Future. Washington, DC: World Bank. doi:10.1596/978-1-4648-1590-4, published as part of Human capital (real chained 2019 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 (real chained 2019 US$)
Unit: real chained 2019 US$
Source: World Bank. 2021. The Changing Wealth of Nations 2021: Managing Assets for the Future. Washington, DC: World Bank. doi:10.1596/978-1-4648-1590-4
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 151 places, 3,885 data points, 1995–2020
Last refreshed: 10 August 2026

Human capital is computed as the present value of future earnings for the working population over their lifetimes. Values are measured at market exchange rates in constant 2018 US dollars, using a country-specific GDP deflator.