Indonesia vs South Africa
Indonesia vs South Africa: Government debt
Government debt: 40.9% of GDP in Indonesia in 2025 and 76% of GDP in South Africa in 2024, by IMF estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in South Africa, by 35.8 percentage points, or 1.89 times that in Indonesia.
% of GDP · IMF
What the numbers say
- South Africa has been higher since 2009, when it overtook Indonesia.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Indonesia at 41.6% of GDP and South Africa at 79.8% of GDP in 2031.
Every year
% of GDP · IMF
| Year | Indonesia | South Africa |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 40.9 | 78.4 |
| 2024 | 40.2 | 76 |
| 2023 | 39.6 | 73.2 |
| 2022 | 40.1 | 70.7 |
| 2021 | 41.1 | 68.8 |
| 2020 | 39.8 | 68.9 |
| 2019 | 30.6 | 56.1 |
| 2018 | 30.4 | 51.5 |
| 2017 | 29.4 | 48.6 |
| 2016 | 28 | 47.1 |
| 2015 | 27 | 45.2 |
| 2014 | 24.6 | 43.3 |
| 2013 | 24.9 | 40.4 |
| 2012 | 23 | 37.4 |
| 2011 | 23.1 | 34.7 |
| 2010 | 26.4 | 31.2 |
| 2009 | 26.5 | 27 |
| 2008 | 30.3 | 24.1 |
| 2007 | 38.1 | 24.3 |
| 2006 | 35.9 | 28 |
| 2005 | 42.6 | 29.6 |
| 2004 | 51.3 | 30.7 |
| 2003 | 55.6 | 31.5 |
| 2002 | 62.3 | 31.8 |
| 2001 | 73.7 | 38.1 |
| 2000 | 87.4 | 37.9 |
- 12.3Projected
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Indonesia | South Africa |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 41.7 | 78 |
| 2027 | 41.6 | 78.1 |
| 2028 | 41.4 | 78.8 |
| 2029 | 41.5 | 79.5 |
| 2030 | 41.6 | 79.7 |
| 2031 | 41.6 | 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
Indonesia vs South Africa
Health
- Life expectancyIndonesia: 71.2 years in 2023South Africa: 66.1 years in 2023
- Child mortalityIndonesia: 1.8 per 100 live births in 2024South Africa: 3.5 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityIndonesia: 17.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023South Africa: 27.9 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionIndonesia: 2.64% in 2017South Africa: 3.75% in 2017
- Suicide rateIndonesia: 3.1 per 100,000 people in 2017South Africa: 11.2 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationIndonesia: 281 million people in 2023South Africa: 63.2 million people in 2023
- Population growthIndonesia: 0.83% a year in 2023South Africa: 1.32% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateIndonesia: 2.13 births per woman in 2023South Africa: 2.22 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationIndonesia: 59.4% in 2025South Africa: 63.8% in 2025
- Median ageIndonesia: 29.8 years in 2023South Africa: 28.2 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overIndonesia: 7% in 2023South Africa: 6.5% in 2023
- Net migration rateIndonesia: -0.1 per 1,000 people in 2023South Africa: 3.6 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingIndonesia: 1.05% of GDP in 2025South Africa: 0.74% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsIndonesia: $15.3B in 2025South Africa: $3B in 2025
- Military spending per personIndonesia: $53 in 2025South Africa: $49 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingIndonesia: 6.3% of government spending in 2025South Africa: 2.2% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelIndonesia: 676,000 people in 2020South Africa: 89,000 people in 2020
- National powerIndonesia: 2.09% of world capability in 2022South Africa: 0.55% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersIndonesia: 0.49% of the labour force in 2020South Africa: 0.4% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsIndonesia: 1.28 billion TIV in 2025South Africa: 30 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsIndonesia: 17 million TIV in 2021South Africa: 115 million TIV in 2025