South Africa

Note: This column mainly includes countries along the Belt and Road and countries that have signed cooperation agreements with China on Belt and Road Initiative.

Population	54.96 million	2015
GDP	$312.8 billion	2015
GDP growth	1.3%	2015
Inflation	4.6%	2015

Due to consistent and sound budgetary policies South Africa has been able to tap into international bond markets with reasonable sovereign risk spreads. The 2012 Open Budget Index prepared by the International Budget Partnership ranked South Africa second among 94 countries surveyed. In 2014 and 2015 however, South Africa’s ratings have been downgraded by most rating agencies citing poor growth prospects and rising government debt as well as high deficits on the current account.

South Africa remains a dual economy with one of the highest inequality rates in the world, perpetuating inequality and exclusion. With an income Gini that ranges between 0.66 to 0.70, the top decile of the population accounts for 58% of the country’s income, while the bottom decile accounts for 0.5% and the bottom half less than 8%. This makes South Africa one of the most consistently unequal countries in the world.

The current administration is acutely aware of the immense challenges to accelerate progress and build a more inclusive society. Its vision and priorities to address them are outlined in the 2030 National Development Plan (NDP) which outlines two main strategic goals to double the GDP by 2030 and eliminate poverty, and reduce inequality, as measured by the income Gini coefficient, from 0.70 to 0.60.

Last Updated: Oct 04, 2016