Government debt in South Africa

Government debt in South Africa: 37.9% of GDP in 2000 and 76% of GDP in 2024, by IMF estimates.

Latest, 2024: 76% of GDP
Since 2000: +38 percentage points
Projected, 2031: 79.8% of GDP; IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026)

% of GDP · IMF

Estimates, IMFIMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026)

What the numbers say

The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts it at 79.8% of GDP in 2031.
The highest was 76% of GDP in 2024, the lowest 24.1% of GDP in 2008.

% of GDP · IMF

IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2025–2031

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.

How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time