Total Reserves in South Africa

South Africa: Total Reserves was 75,892 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
75,892
Change on year
up 15.9%
World rank
34th
of 164 countries
All-time high
75,892
in 2025
All-time low
2,203
in 1996
Years of data
36
1990–2025

Total Reserves in South Africa, 1990–2025

020.0k40.0k60.0k80.0k1990200720251990: 2.4k1991: 3.0k1992: 3.0k1993: 2.7k1994: 3.1k1995: 4.3k1996: 2.2k1997: 5.8k1998: 5.5k1999: 7.5k2000: 7.7k2001: 7.6k2002: 7.8k2003: 8.2k2004: 14.9k2005: 20.6k2006: 25.6k2007: 33.0k2008: 34.1k2009: 39.7k2010: 43.8k2011: 48.9k2012: 50.7k2013: 49.6k2014: 49.1k2015: 45.8k2016: 47.4k2017: 50.7k2018: 51.6k2019: 55.1k2020: 55.0k2021: 57.6k2022: 60.6k2023: 62.5k2024: 65.5k2025: 75.9k

Source: World Bank staff calculations based on Datastream data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for total reserves in South Africa is 75,892, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.

That represents a change of up 15.9% on the previous year and up 65.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, total reserves in South Africa peaked at 75,892 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 2,203, in 1996.

South Africa ranks 34th of 164 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 3,954 2,203 7,498 10
2000s 19,923 7,629 39,706 10
2010s 49,264 43,825 55,058 10
2020s 62,840 55,013 75,892 6

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 31 Spain 89,759 compare
  2. 32 Norway 85,554 compare
  3. 33 United Arab Emirates 85,129 compare
  4. 35 Colombia 66,379 compare
  5. 36 Uzbekistan 66,312 compare
  6. 37 Libya 66,071 compare

See the full ranking of 175 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is total reserves in South Africa?
Total reserves in South Africa was 75,892 in 2025, according to World Bank staff calculations based on Datastream data.
What is the highest total reserves recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 75,892 in 2025.
What is the lowest total reserves recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 2,203 in 1996.
How does South Africa rank for total reserves?
South Africa ranks 34th out of 164 countries with data for 2025.
Is total reserves rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 65.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from World Bank staff calculations based on Datastream data, published as part of Total Reserves. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator
Total Reserves
Source
World Bank staff calculations based on Datastream data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
175 places, 4,420 data points, 1990–2025
Last refreshed

Total reserves comprise holdings of monetary gold, special drawing rights, reserves of IMF members held by the IMF, and holdings of foreign exchange under the control of monetary authorities.