South Africa vs United States
South Africa vs United States: Inflation
Inflation in 2025: 3.2% a year in South Africa and 2.7% a year in United States, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in South Africa, by 0.5 percentage points, or 1.18 times that in United States.
% a year · IMF
What the numbers say
- South Africa has been higher since 2023, when it overtook United States.
- In 2025, South Africa ranked 79 and United States ranked 93 of 179 countries, counting from the highest.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts South Africa at 3% a year and United States at 1.9% a year in 2031.
Every year
% a year · IMF
| Year | South Africa | United States |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3.2 | 2.7 |
| 2024 | 4.4 | 3 |
| 2023 | 5.9 | 4.1 |
| 2022 | 6.9 | 8 |
| 2021 | 4.6 | 4.7 |
| 2020 | 3.3 | 1.3 |
| 2019 | 4.1 | 1.8 |
| 2018 | 4.6 | 2.4 |
| 2017 | 5.3 | 2.1 |
| 2016 | 6.3 | 1.3 |
| 2015 | 4.6 | 0.1 |
| 2014 | 6.1 | 1.6 |
| 2013 | 5.7 | 1.5 |
| 2012 | 5.7 | 2.1 |
| 2011 | 5 | 3.1 |
| 2010 | 4.2 | 1.6 |
| 2009 | 7.2 | -0.3 |
| 2008 | 10.9 | 3.8 |
| 2007 | 7.1 | 2.9 |
| 2006 | 4.7 | 3.2 |
| 2005 | 3.4 | 3.4 |
| 2004 | 1.4 | 2.7 |
| 2003 | 5.9 | 2.3 |
| 2002 | 9.1 | 1.6 |
| 2001 | 5.7 | 2.8 |
| 2000 | 5.3 | 3.4 |
| 1999 | 5.1 | 2.2 |
| 1998 | 7 | 1.5 |
| 1997 | 8.6 | 2.3 |
| 1996 | 7.4 | 2.9 |
| 1995 | 8.8 | 2.8 |
| 1994 | 8.9 | 2.6 |
| 1993 | 9.6 | 3 |
| 1992 | 14 | 3 |
| 1991 | 15.1 | 4.2 |
| 1990 | 14.4 | 5.4 |
| 1989 | 14.8 | 4.8 |
| 1988 | 12.6 | 4.1 |
| 1987 | 16.4 | 3.6 |
| 1986 | 18.2 | 1.9 |
| 1985 | 16.5 | 3.5 |
| 1984 | 11.3 | 4.4 |
| 1983 | 12.7 | 3.2 |
| 1982 | 14 | 6.2 |
| 1981 | 15.9 | 10.4 |
| 1980 | 14.2 | 13.5 |
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | South Africa | United States |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 4.4 | 3.6 |
| 2027 | 3.9 | 2.8 |
| 2028 | 3.3 | 2.1 |
| 2029 | 3 | 1.9 |
| 2030 | 3 | 1.9 |
| 2031 | 3 | 1.9 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- How much consumer prices rose in a year, on average.
- 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 179 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 United States
Health
- Life expectancySouth Africa: 66.1 years in 2023United States: 79.3 years in 2023
- Child mortalitySouth Africa: 3.5 per 100 live births in 2024United States: 0.7 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalitySouth Africa: 27.9 per 1,000 live births in 2023United States: 5.3 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionSouth Africa: 3.75% in 2017United States: 4.84% in 2017
- Suicide rateSouth Africa: 11.2 per 100,000 people in 2017United States: 12.8 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationSouth Africa: 63.2 million people in 2023United States: 344 million people in 2023
- Population growthSouth Africa: 1.32% a year in 2023United States: 0.58% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateSouth Africa: 2.22 births per woman in 2023United States: 1.62 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationSouth Africa: 63.8% in 2025United States: 80.2% in 2025
- Median ageSouth Africa: 28.2 years in 2023United States: 38 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overSouth Africa: 6.5% in 2023United States: 17.4% in 2023
- Net migration rateSouth Africa: 3.6 per 1,000 people in 2023United States: 3.9 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingSouth Africa: 0.74% of GDP in 2025United States: 3.12% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsSouth Africa: $3B in 2025United States: $929B in 2025
- Military spending per personSouth Africa: $49 in 2025United States: $2,755 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingSouth Africa: 2.2% of government spending in 2025United States: 8.3% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelSouth Africa: 89,000 people in 2020United States: 1.4 million people in 2020
- National powerSouth Africa: 0.55% of world capability in 2022United States: 12.36% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersSouth Africa: 0.4% of the labour force in 2020United States: 0.84% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsSouth Africa: 30 million TIV in 2025United States: 745 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsSouth Africa: 115 million TIV in 2025United States: 14 billion TIV in 2025