South Africa vs Uganda

South Africa vs Uganda: GDP growth

GDP growth in 2025: 1.1% a year in South Africa and 6.7% a year in Uganda, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Uganda, by 5.6 percentage points, or 6 times that in South Africa.

Watch it change on the map

% a year · IMF

South Africa vs Uganda: GDP growthGDP growth in 2025: 1.1% a year in South Africa and 6.7% a year in Uganda, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Uganda, by 5.6 percentage points, or 6 times that in South Africa.
South AfricaUgandaIMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026)

What the numbers say

  • Uganda has been higher since 2017, when it overtook South Africa.
  • In 2025, South Africa ranked 120 and Uganda ranked 18 of 143 countries, counting from the highest.
  • The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts South Africa at 1.8% a year and Uganda at 5.7% a year in 2031.

Every year

% a year · IMF

YearSouth AfricaUganda
20251.16.7
20240.56
20230.85
20222.16.2
20214.95.5
2020-6.2-1.2
20190.37.6
20181.65.6
20171.26.8
20160.70.2
20151.38
20141.45.7
20132.53.9
20122.42.3
20113.27.7
201037.5
2009-1.58.1
20083.210.4
20075.48.1
20065.67
20055.310
20044.65.8
20032.96.2
20023.77.1
20012.78.8
20004.23.9
19992.48
19980.56.1
19972.64.6
19964.36.6
19953.19.2
19943.27.7
19931.26.7
1992-2.15.9
1991-11.8
1990-0.36.5
19892.46.4
19884.28.3
19872.14
198600.9
1985-1.2-3
19845.1-3
1983-1.84.9
1982-0.48.2
19815.43.9
19806.6-3.4
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
YearSouth AfricaUganda
202616.2
20271.39.9
20281.57.1
20291.76.3
20301.86
20311.85.7

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 Uganda

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