OHMEGA/MONSTER

South Africa South AfricaSub-Saharan Africa

South Africa: 39th largest economy, 57th in military spending

Head of state Cyril RamaphosaCapital Pretoria
Population64.7M#24 of 194 in the world · 2025
GDP$427B#39 of 193 in the world · 2025
GDP per person$6.6k#106 of 193 in the world · 2025
Fossil fuel output1.6k TWh#18 of 186 in the world · 2024
Military spending$2.8B#57 of 167 in the world · 2024

Bars show the share of states this actor is ahead of. Rank is among states, each at its latest year.

64.7M people, 64% in cities

  • Population64.7M2025
  • Population growth1.1%2025
  • Urban population63.8%2025
  • Land area1.2M km²2023

A $427B economy, $6.6k per person

  • GDP$427B2025
  • GDP (purchasing power)$1T2025
  • GDP per person$6.6k2025
  • GDP per person (purchasing power)$15.9k2025
  • GDP growth1.1%2025

Fuels are 8% of goods exports

  • Exports, share of GDP31.4%2025
  • Imports, share of GDP29.5%2025
  • Fuels, share of goods exports8.2%2025
  • Exports of goods and services$134B2025
  • Imports of goods and services$126B2025

Fossil fuel output of 1.6k TWh, more than it uses in coal

Oilmade 2.7 TWhused 268 TWh
Gasmade 11 TWhused 48 TWh
Coalmade 1.5k TWhused 976 TWh
  • Fossil fuel production (oil + gas + coal)1.6k TWh2024
  • Primary energy consumption1.4k TWh2024
  • Energy use per person21.3 MWh2024
  • Electricity generation243 TWh2025
  • Electricity from fossil fuels82.2%2025

Spends $2.8B on its military, 0.7% of GDP

  • Military spending$2.8B2024
  • Military spending, share of GDP0.7%2024
  • Armed forces personnel89k2020
  • Arms imports (SIPRI trend-indicator value, 1990 US$)$30M2023
  • Arms exports (SIPRI trend-indicator value, 1990 US$)$27M2024

Where these numbers come from

Leaders as of 2026-10-05. Figures fetched 2026-10-05; each shows its own year.