South Africa vs Sudan: GDP growth

GDP growth: 1.1% a year in South Africa in 2025 and -2.5% a year in Sudan in 2019, by IMF estimates. In 2019 the value was higher in South Africa, by 2.8 percentage points.

Watch it change on the map

% a year · IMF

South AfricaSudanIMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026)

What the numbers say

South Africa has been higher since 2017, when it overtook Sudan.
The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts South Africa at 1.8% a year and Sudan at 8% a year in 2031.

Every year

% a year · IMF

Year	South Africa	Sudan
2025	1.1	–
2024	0.5	-19.3
2023	0.8	-23.5
2022	2.1	-2.5
2021	4.9	0.5
2020	-6.2	-3.6
2019	0.3	-2.5
2018	1.6	-2.3
2017	1.2	0.8
2016	0.7	4.7
2015	1.3	4.9
2014	1.4	4.7
2013	2.5	2
2012	2.4	-17
2011	3.2	-3.2
2010	3	3.9
2009	-1.5	-2.8
2008	3.2	3.8
2007	5.4	5.7
2006	5.6	6.5
2005	5.3	5.6
2004	4.6	5.1
2003	2.9	6.3
2002	3.7	5.9
2001	2.7	10.9
2000	4.2	8.4
1999	2.4	4.2
1998	0.5	8.2
1997	2.6	6.1
1996	4.3	5.5
1995	3.1	8.9
1994	3.2	3.5
1993	1.2	2.8
1992	-2.1	5.5
1991	-1	7
1990	-0.3	0.8
1989	2.4	1.4
1988	4.2	4.3
1987	2.1	6.5
1986	0	9.9
1985	-1.2	-0.6
1984	5.1	-5.6
1983	-1.8	-1.5
1982	-0.4	4.1
1981	5.4	6.3
1980	6.6	2.5

12.3Projected

IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031

Year	South Africa	Sudan
2026	1	7
2027	1.3	15
2028	1.5	10
2029	1.7	8
2030	1.8	8
2031	1.8	8

Each country on its own

Good to know

How much the economy grew or shrank in a year, after inflation.
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 143 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

South Africa vs Sudan: GDP growth

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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