Insurance indicators — Penetration in South Africa

South Africa: Insurance indicators — Penetration was 12.66 Percentage of GDP in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
12.66 Percentage of GDP
Change on year
up 80.8%
World rank
4th
of 52 countries
All-time high
13.28 Percentage of GDP
in 2015
All-time low
7 Percentage of GDP
in 2022
Years of data
10
2010–2023

Insurance indicators — Penetration in South Africa, 2010–2023

0510152010201620232010: 12 Percentage of GDP2011: 12.2 Percentage of GDP2013: 13.2 Percentage of GDP2014: 13.2 Percentage of GDP2015: 13.3 Percentage of GDP2016: 12.7 Percentage of GDP2020: 12.4 Percentage of GDP2021: 12.5 Percentage of GDP2022: 7 Percentage of GDP2023: 12.7 Percentage of GDP

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of GDP.

Analysis

The most recent figure for insurance indicators — penetration in South Africa is 12.66 Percentage of GDP, measured in 2023.

The figure is up 80.8% on the previous year and down 4.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, insurance indicators — penetration in South Africa peaked at 13.28 Percentage of GDP in 2015 and was at its lowest, 7 Percentage of GDP, in 2022.

South Africa ranks 4th of 52 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 10 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 12.79 Percentage of GDP 12.04 Percentage of GDP 13.28 Percentage of GDP 6
2020s 11.13 Percentage of GDP 7 Percentage of GDP 12.66 Percentage of GDP 4

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 1 Luxembourg 32.99 Percentage of GDP compare
  2. 2 Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People's Republic of China 18.53 Percentage of GDP compare
  3. 3 United States 12.68 Percentage of GDP compare
  4. 5 Sweden 12.38 Percentage of GDP compare
  5. 6 United Kingdom 11.75 Percentage of GDP compare
  6. 7 Ireland 11.69 Percentage of GDP compare

See the full ranking of 62 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is insurance indicators — penetration in South Africa?
Insurance indicators — penetration in South Africa was 12.66 Percentage of GDP in 2023, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest insurance indicators — penetration recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 13.28 Percentage of GDP in 2015.
What is the lowest insurance indicators — penetration recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 7 Percentage of GDP in 2022.
How does South Africa rank for insurance indicators — penetration?
South Africa ranks 4th out of 52 countries with data for 2023.
Is insurance indicators — penetration rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 4.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Insurance indicators — Penetration. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Insurance indicators — Penetration in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 19 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/insurance-indicators-penetration/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Insurance indicators — Penetration
Unit
Percentage of GDP
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
62 places, 1,565 data points, 1983–2024
Last refreshed

This dataset includes key indicators on the insurance industry, such as insurance penetration (gross written premiums as a percentage of GDP), insurance density (gross written premiums in USD per capita), the share of life and non-life insurance in the total insurance business (life and non-life gross written premiums as a percentage of gross premiums), the retention ratio (net written premiums as a percentage of gross premiums) and the reinsurance share (reinsurance accepted as a percentage of gross premiums). This dataset also shows the domestic market share of foreign-controlled undertakings and branches/agencies in each reporting jurisdiction, and the geographical distribution of premiums written within the OECD.