Brazil vs South Africa
Brazil vs South Africa: Government debt
Government debt: 93.3% of GDP in Brazil in 2025 and 76% of GDP in South Africa in 2024, by IMF estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in Brazil, by 11.1 percentage points, or 1.15 times that in South Africa.
% of GDP · IMF
What the numbers say
- Brazil has been higher in every year both have figures for since 2000.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Brazil at 105.3% of GDP and South Africa at 79.8% of GDP in 2031.
Every year
% of GDP · IMF
| Year | Brazil | South Africa |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 93.3 | 78.4 |
| 2024 | 87 | 76 |
| 2023 | 84 | 73.2 |
| 2022 | 83.9 | 70.7 |
| 2021 | 88.9 | 68.8 |
| 2020 | 96 | 68.9 |
| 2019 | 87.1 | 56.1 |
| 2018 | 84.8 | 51.5 |
| 2017 | 82.8 | 48.6 |
| 2016 | 77.4 | 47.1 |
| 2015 | 71.7 | 45.2 |
| 2014 | 61.6 | 43.3 |
| 2013 | 59.6 | 40.4 |
| 2012 | 61.6 | 37.4 |
| 2011 | 60.6 | 34.7 |
| 2010 | 62.4 | 31.2 |
| 2009 | 64.7 | 27 |
| 2008 | 61.4 | 24.1 |
| 2007 | 63 | 24.3 |
| 2006 | 64.6 | 28 |
| 2005 | 67 | 29.6 |
| 2004 | 68 | 30.7 |
| 2003 | 71.5 | 31.5 |
| 2002 | 76.1 | 31.8 |
| 2001 | 67.3 | 38.1 |
| 2000 | 62.2 | 37.9 |
- 12.3Projected
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Brazil | South Africa |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 97 | 78 |
| 2027 | 99.3 | 78.1 |
| 2028 | 101.3 | 78.8 |
| 2029 | 103.2 | 79.5 |
| 2030 | 104.5 | 79.7 |
| 2031 | 105.3 | 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
Brazil vs South Africa
Health
- Life expectancyBrazil: 75.9 years in 2023South Africa: 66.1 years in 2023
- Child mortalityBrazil: 1.4 per 100 live births in 2024South Africa: 3.5 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityBrazil: 12.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023South Africa: 27.9 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionBrazil: 3.3% in 2017South Africa: 3.75% in 2017
- Suicide rateBrazil: 6.1 per 100,000 people in 2017South Africa: 11.2 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationBrazil: 211 million people in 2023South Africa: 63.2 million people in 2023
- Population growthBrazil: 0.41% a year in 2023South Africa: 1.32% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateBrazil: 1.62 births per woman in 2023South Africa: 2.22 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationBrazil: 88.2% in 2025South Africa: 63.8% in 2025
- Median ageBrazil: 33.9 years in 2023South Africa: 28.2 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overBrazil: 10.6% in 2023South Africa: 6.5% in 2023
- Net migration rateBrazil: -1.1 per 1,000 people in 2023South Africa: 3.6 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingBrazil: 1.05% of GDP in 2025South Africa: 0.74% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsBrazil: $23.6B in 2025South Africa: $3B in 2025
- Military spending per personBrazil: $113 in 2025South Africa: $49 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingBrazil: 2.2% of government spending in 2025South Africa: 2.2% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelBrazil: 762,000 people in 2020South Africa: 89,000 people in 2020
- National powerBrazil: 2.01% of world capability in 2022South Africa: 0.55% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersBrazil: 0.76% of the labour force in 2020South Africa: 0.4% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsBrazil: 462 million TIV in 2025South Africa: 30 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsBrazil: 153 million TIV in 2025South Africa: 115 million TIV in 2025