South Africa vs Zimbabwe
South Africa vs Zimbabwe: Government debt
Government debt: 76% of GDP in South Africa in 2024 and 38% of GDP in Zimbabwe in 2025, by IMF estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in South Africa, by 5.5 percentage points, or 1.08 times that in Zimbabwe.
% of GDP · IMF
What the numbers say
- South Africa has been higher since 2024, when it overtook Zimbabwe.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts South Africa at 79.8% of GDP and Zimbabwe at 25.7% of GDP in 2031.
Every year
% of GDP · IMF
| Year | South Africa | Zimbabwe |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 78.4 | 38 |
| 2024 | 76 | 70.4 |
| 2023 | 73.2 | 76.1 |
| 2022 | 70.7 | 66.8 |
| 2021 | 68.8 | 39.9 |
| 2020 | 68.9 | 56.8 |
| 2019 | 56.1 | 53.9 |
| 2018 | 51.5 | 33 |
| 2017 | 48.6 | 49 |
| 2016 | 47.1 | 35.1 |
| 2015 | 45.2 | 34.1 |
| 2014 | 43.3 | 29.2 |
| 2013 | 40.4 | 26.4 |
| 2012 | 37.4 | 27.2 |
| 2011 | 34.7 | 30 |
| 2010 | 31.2 | 33.2 |
| 2009 | 27 | 39.7 |
| 2008 | 24.1 | 41.3 |
| 2007 | 24.3 | 30.2 |
| 2006 | 28 | 26.7 |
| 2005 | 29.6 | 22.4 |
| 2004 | 30.7 | – |
| 2003 | 31.5 | – |
| 2002 | 31.8 | – |
| 2001 | 38.1 | – |
| 2000 | 37.9 | – |
- 12.3Projected
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | South Africa | Zimbabwe |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 78 | 33.5 |
| 2027 | 78.1 | 30.6 |
| 2028 | 78.8 | 30.2 |
| 2029 | 79.5 | 28.2 |
| 2030 | 79.7 | 26.7 |
| 2031 | 79.8 | 25.7 |
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
South Africa vs Zimbabwe
Health
- Life expectancySouth Africa: 66.1 years in 2023Zimbabwe: 62.8 years in 2023
- Child mortalitySouth Africa: 3.5 per 100 live births in 2024Zimbabwe: 6.5 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalitySouth Africa: 27.9 per 1,000 live births in 2023Zimbabwe: 33.2 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionSouth Africa: 3.75% in 2017Zimbabwe: 3.19% in 2017
- Suicide rateSouth Africa: 11.2 per 100,000 people in 2017Zimbabwe: 26.4 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationSouth Africa: 63.2 million people in 2023Zimbabwe: 16.3 million people in 2023
- Population growthSouth Africa: 1.32% a year in 2023Zimbabwe: 1.68% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateSouth Africa: 2.22 births per woman in 2023Zimbabwe: 3.72 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationSouth Africa: 63.8% in 2025Zimbabwe: 40.5% in 2025
- Median ageSouth Africa: 28.2 years in 2023Zimbabwe: 17.8 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overSouth Africa: 6.5% in 2023Zimbabwe: 3.6% in 2023
- Net migration rateSouth Africa: 3.6 per 1,000 people in 2023Zimbabwe: -6 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingSouth Africa: 0.74% of GDP in 2025Zimbabwe: 0.56% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsSouth Africa: $3B in 2025Zimbabwe: $134M in 2025
- Military spending per personSouth Africa: $49 in 2025Zimbabwe: $10 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingSouth Africa: 2.2% of government spending in 2025Zimbabwe: 5.3% of government spending in 2005
- Armed forces personnelSouth Africa: 89,000 people in 2020Zimbabwe: 51,000 people in 2020
- National powerSouth Africa: 0.55% of world capability in 2022Zimbabwe: 0.08% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersSouth Africa: 0.4% of the labour force in 2020Zimbabwe: 0.88% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsSouth Africa: 30 million TIV in 2025Zimbabwe: 20 million TIV in 2023
- Arms exportsSouth Africa: 115 million TIV in 2025Zimbabwe: 4 million TIV in 2001