Argentina vs South Africa
Argentina vs South Africa: Government debt
Government debt: 80.1% of GDP in Argentina in 2025 and 76% of GDP in South Africa in 2024, by IMF estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in Argentina, by 8.6 percentage points, or 1.11 times that in South Africa.
% of GDP · IMF
What the numbers say
- Argentina has been higher in every year both have figures for since 2000.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Argentina at 53.9% of GDP and South Africa at 79.8% of GDP in 2031.
Every year
% of GDP · IMF
| Year | Argentina | South Africa |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 80.1 | 78.4 |
| 2024 | 84.6 | 76 |
| 2023 | 153.4 | 73.2 |
| 2022 | 84.3 | 70.7 |
| 2021 | 81 | 68.8 |
| 2020 | 103.8 | 68.9 |
| 2019 | 89.8 | 56.1 |
| 2018 | 85.3 | 51.5 |
| 2017 | 57 | 48.6 |
| 2016 | 53.1 | 47.1 |
| 2015 | 52.6 | 45.2 |
| 2014 | 44.7 | 43.3 |
| 2013 | 43.5 | 40.4 |
| 2012 | 40.4 | 37.4 |
| 2011 | 38.9 | 34.7 |
| 2010 | 43.5 | 31.2 |
| 2009 | 55.4 | 27 |
| 2008 | 53.8 | 24.1 |
| 2007 | 62.1 | 24.3 |
| 2006 | 70.8 | 28 |
| 2005 | 80.3 | 29.6 |
| 2004 | 117.9 | 30.7 |
| 2003 | 125.2 | 31.5 |
| 2002 | 147.2 | 31.8 |
| 2001 | 48 | 38.1 |
| 2000 | 40.8 | 37.9 |
| 1999 | 38.9 | – |
| 1998 | 34.2 | – |
| 1997 | 31.7 | – |
| 1996 | 32.6 | – |
| 1995 | 30.8 | – |
| 1994 | 28.4 | – |
| 1993 | 26.9 | – |
| 1992 | 25 | – |
- 12.3Projected
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Argentina | South Africa |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 69.4 | 78 |
| 2027 | 70.4 | 78.1 |
| 2028 | 65.6 | 78.8 |
| 2029 | 60.3 | 79.5 |
| 2030 | 56.7 | 79.7 |
| 2031 | 53.9 | 79.8 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- What the government owes, as a share of the economy’s yearly output.
- Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook, October 2026.
- The dashed line is the IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026), a scenario rather than a forecast.
- Ranks count the 149 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Argentina vs South Africa
Health
- Life expectancyArgentina: 77.4 years in 2023South Africa: 66.1 years in 2023
- Child mortalityArgentina: 1 per 100 live births in 2024South Africa: 3.5 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityArgentina: 9 per 1,000 live births in 2023South Africa: 27.9 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionArgentina: 3.67% in 2017South Africa: 3.75% in 2017
- Suicide rateArgentina: 10.6 per 100,000 people in 2017South Africa: 11.2 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationArgentina: 45.5 million people in 2023South Africa: 63.2 million people in 2023
- Population growthArgentina: 0.35% a year in 2023South Africa: 1.32% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateArgentina: 1.5 births per woman in 2023South Africa: 2.22 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationArgentina: 92.4% in 2025South Africa: 63.8% in 2025
- Median ageArgentina: 32.1 years in 2023South Africa: 28.2 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overArgentina: 12.2% in 2023South Africa: 6.5% in 2023
- Net migration rateArgentina: 0.1 per 1,000 people in 2023South Africa: 3.6 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingArgentina: 0.56% of GDP in 2025South Africa: 0.74% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsArgentina: $3.73B in 2025South Africa: $3B in 2025
- Military spending per personArgentina: $85 in 2025South Africa: $49 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingArgentina: 1.8% of government spending in 2025South Africa: 2.2% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelArgentina: 103,000 people in 2020South Africa: 89,000 people in 2020
- National powerArgentina: 0.45% of world capability in 2022South Africa: 0.55% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersArgentina: 0.53% of the labour force in 2020South Africa: 0.4% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsArgentina: 108 million TIV in 2025South Africa: 30 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsArgentina: 1 million TIV in 2011South Africa: 115 million TIV in 2025