South Africa vs United Arab Emirates: GDP growth

GDP growth in 2025: 1.1% a year in South Africa and 6.2% a year in United Arab Emirates, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in United Arab Emirates, by 5.1 percentage points, or 5.59 times that in South Africa.

Watch it change on the map

% a year · IMF

South AfricaUnited Arab EmiratesIMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026)

What the numbers say

United Arab Emirates has been higher since 2022, when it overtook South Africa.
In 2025, South Africa ranked 120 and United Arab Emirates ranked 23 of 143 countries, counting from the highest.
The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts South Africa at 1.8% a year and United Arab Emirates at 3.5% a year in 2031.

Every year

% a year · IMF

Year	South Africa	United Arab Emirates
2025	1.1	6.2
2024	0.5	6.6
2023	0.8	4.3
2022	2.1	7.5
2021	4.9	4.6
2020	-6.2	-8.7
2019	0.3	1.3
2018	1.6	1.5
2017	1.2	-1.1
2016	0.7	5.7
2015	1.3	7.1
2014	1.4	4.6
2013	2.5	4.9
2012	2.4	4.7
2011	3.2	6.7
2010	3	7.9
2009	-1.5	-5.2
2008	3.2	3.2
2007	5.4	3.2
2006	5.6	9.8
2005	5.3	4.9
2004	4.6	9.6
2003	2.9	8.8
2002	3.7	2.4
2001	2.7	1.4
2000	4.2	12.3
1999	2.4	3.8
1998	0.5	0.9
1997	2.6	8.6
1996	4.3	5.4
1995	3.1	6.6
1994	3.2	7.4
1993	1.2	0.3
1992	-2.1	3.1
1991	-1	2.2
1990	-0.3	23.6
1989	2.4	15.7
1988	4.2	-2.6
1987	2.1	5.3
1986	0	-19.3
1985	-1.2	-2.5
1984	5.1	4.5
1983	-1.8	-5.3
1982	-0.4	-7.2
1981	5.4	8
1980	6.6	-1.8

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

Year	South Africa	United Arab Emirates
2026	1	-3.9
2027	1.3	7.7
2028	1.5	7
2029	1.7	5.9
2030	1.8	3.7
2031	1.8	3.5

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