Total natural resource rents in South Africa
South Africa: Total natural resource rents was 7.3% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Total natural resource rents in South Africa, 1970–2021
Source: The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for total natural resource rents in South Africa is 7.3%, measured in 2021.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 82.4% on the previous year and down 6.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total natural resource rents in South Africa peaked at 13.5% in 1980 and was at its lowest, 1.7%, in 1970.
South Africa ranks 61st of 211 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 52 years of available data.
Total natural resource rents in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1.7% | — |
| 1971 | 2.3% | +36.6% |
| 1972 | 2.3% | -0.9% |
| 1973 | 2.5% | +9.3% |
| 1974 | 4.2% | +69.6% |
| 1975 | 4.6% | +9.4% |
| 1976 | 5.1% | +12.8% |
| 1977 | 5.5% | +7.4% |
| 1978 | 4.7% | -14.4% |
| 1979 | 7.9% | +66.3% |
| 1980 | 13.5% | +72.0% |
| 1981 | 11.0% | -18.5% |
| 1982 | 10.8% | -2.2% |
| 1983 | 9.1% | -15.5% |
| 1984 | 5.4% | -41.1% |
| 1985 | 10.8% | +102.3% |
| 1986 | 8.7% | -20.1% |
| 1987 | 7.1% | -18.0% |
| 1988 | 6.9% | -2.9% |
| 1989 | 6.5% | -5.8% |
| 1990 | 5.7% | -12.3% |
| 1991 | 5.4% | -4.4% |
| 1992 | 4.5% | -18.2% |
| 1993 | 4.5% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 4.8% | +7.0% |
| 1995 | 4.0% | -15.3% |
| 1996 | 4.6% | +15.0% |
| 1997 | 3.7% | -20.5% |
| 1998 | 3.1% | -15.7% |
| 1999 | 2.5% | -20.1% |
| 2000 | 3.7% | +49.4% |
| 2001 | 4.9% | +33.1% |
| 2002 | 4.7% | -5.4% |
| 2003 | 3.0% | -36.1% |
| 2004 | 4.8% | +59.8% |
| 2005 | 4.6% | -4.4% |
| 2006 | 5.2% | +14.4% |
| 2007 | 6.4% | +21.8% |
| 2008 | 12.0% | +88.4% |
| 2009 | 4.9% | -58.8% |
| 2010 | 6.8% | +38.7% |
| 2011 | 7.8% | +14.1% |
| 2012 | 6.4% | -18.0% |
| 2013 | 6.1% | -4.6% |
| 2014 | 4.7% | -23.7% |
| 2015 | 2.8% | -39.8% |
| 2016 | 3.6% | +26.8% |
| 2017 | 3.8% | +7.7% |
| 2018 | 3.9% | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 4.2% | +8.2% |
| 2020 | 4.0% | -4.1% |
| 2021 | 7.3% | +82.4% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 7.3% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.8%, 4.0× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 7.3% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 7.7%, 96% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.1% | 1.7% | 7.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 9.0% | 5.4% | 13.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.3% | 2.5% | 5.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.4% | 3.0% | 12.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.0% | 2.8% | 7.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.7% | 4.0% | 7.3% | 2 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
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 total natural resource rents in South Africa?
- Total natural resource rents in South Africa was 7.3% in 2021, according to The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest total natural resource rents recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 13.5% in 1980.
- What is the lowest total natural resource rents recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.7% in 1970.
- How does South Africa rank for total natural resource rents?
- South Africa ranks 61st out of 211 countries with data for 2021.
- Is total natural resource rents rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Total natural resource rents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 52 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Natural resources rents are estimated as the difference between the price of a commodity and the average cost of producing it. Total natural resources rents are the sum of oil rents, natural gas rents, coal rents, mineral rents, and forest rents.