Polity · 1932 CE – present
South Africa
Afurika Tshipembe · Suid-Afrika · iNingizimu Afrika
Also recorded as Republic of South Africa
- Peak recorded area
- 2,061,140 km²
- 1949 CE
- Rulers on record
- 14
- from 1994 CE
- Data series
- 479
- 1932 CE–2025 CE
Overview
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. Its nine provinces are bounded to the south by 2,798 kilometres of coastline that stretches along the South Atlantic and Indian Ocean; to the north by the neighbouring countries of Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe; to the east and northeast by Mozambique and Eswatini; and it encloses Lesotho.
Lead section from Wikipedia, reused under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article.
Territory
16 dated territorial extents on record from Cliopatria. Areas are measured off the recorded polygons; the line steps because each extent holds until the next one is recorded — nothing is interpolated. CShapes 2.0 holds 1 further extent, measured on a different basis and deliberately not merged into this series.
The record
The best-attested series in each category; where several projects publish the same quantity, the one with the most observations is shown. Each row is the most recent value the record holds at or before the last complete year, shown with the year that value belongs to. Some statistical series also publish forward projections — the year column is the honest guide. Nothing on this page is interpolated or estimated by us.
People
6 of 63 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Population224 obs · 1 CE–2025 CE | 64.7Mpersons2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Life Expectancy165 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 66.49years2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Net Migration141 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 146.4Kpersons2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Population Growth141 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 1.12% annual2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Life Expectancy Female140 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 69.97years2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Life Expectancy Male140 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 62.96years2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
Economy
6 of 163 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| GDP per capita281 obs · 1700 CE–2022 CE | 11.4K2011 int'l $2022 CE · Maddison Project Database 2023 |
| GDP per capita PPP230 obs · 1790 CE–2019 CE | 13.2Kint'l $ (inflation adj.)2019 CE · Gapminder |
| GDP Current Usd112 obs · 1960 CE–2025 CE | 427.2Bcurrent US$2025 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Total Exports95 obs · 1920 CE–2014 CE | 91Kmillion USD (current)2014 CE · CoW Bilateral Trade v4.0 |
| Total Imports95 obs · 1920 CE–2014 CE | 109.4Kmillion USD (current)2014 CE · CoW Bilateral Trade v4.0 |
| Trade Balance95 obs · 1920 CE–2014 CE | -18.3Kmillion USD (current)2014 CE · CoW Bilateral Trade v4.0 |
Military
6 of 66 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Military Expenditure % GDP139 obs · 1951 CE–2024 CE | 0.7002% of GDP2024 CE · SIPRI Military Expenditure Database |
| CINC Score97 obs · 1920 CE–2016 CE | 0.0066CINC (share of world capability)2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Energy Consumption97 obs · 1920 CE–2016 CE | 273.7Mcoal-ton equivalents2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Iron Steel Production97 obs · 1920 CE–2016 CE | 6.1Mtons2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Military Expenditure97 obs · 1920 CE–2016 CE | 3.1Bcurrent USD2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Military Personnel90 obs · 1923 CE–2016 CE | 67Kpersons2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
Territory & resources
6 of 96 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Arable Land %126 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 9.89% of land area2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Coal Production125 obs · 1900 CE–2024 CE | 1,545.2TWh2024 CE · Our World in Data Energy |
| Forest Area %68 obs · 1990 CE–2023 CE | 13.97% of land area2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Agricultural Land %63 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 79.42%2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Arable Land per capita Ha63 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 0.1898hectares per person2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Fao Agricultural Land63 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 96.3Mha2023 CE · FAOSTAT |
Governance
6 of 28 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Electoral Democracy Index125 obs · 1900 CE–2024 CE | 0.734index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Liberal Democracy Index125 obs · 1900 CE–2024 CE | 0.652index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Participatory Democracy Index125 obs · 1900 CE–2024 CE | 0.468index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Regime Type125 obs · 1900 CE–2024 CE | 3RoW index (0-3)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Rule Of Law Index125 obs · 1900 CE–2024 CE | 0.707index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Polity2103 obs · 1910 CE–2012 CE | 9index (-10 to 10)2012 CE · Clio-Infra |
Development
6 of 63 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Tech Railway Line Km126 obs · 1873 CE–1998 CE | 21Kkm1998 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
| Freedom Of Expression Index125 obs · 1900 CE–2024 CE | 0.836index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Tech Telegraph120 obs · 1873 CE–1993 CE | 5.97count1993 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
| Tech Merchant Shipping Tonnage118 obs · 1871 CE–1993 CE | 337gross tons1993 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
| Tech Mail Items92 obs · 1873 CE–1993 CE | 2,551items1993 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
| Tech Electricity Production78 obs · 1924 CE–2001 CE | 212BGWh2001 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
Rulers
14 on record with dated reigns. Reign years follow the house convention: BCE years are negative.
- F. W. de KlerkDeputy President of South Africa1994 CE – 1996 CE
- Nelson MandelaPresident of South Africa1994 CE – 1999 CE
- Thabo MbekiDeputy President of South Africa1994 CE – 1999 CE
- Thabo MbekiPresident of South Africa1999 CE – 2008 CE
- Ivy Matsepe-CasaburriPresident of South Africa2005 CE
- Phumzile Mlambo-NgcukaDeputy President of South Africa2005 CE – 2008 CE
- Kgalema MotlanthePresident of South Africa2008 CE – 2009 CE
- Jacob ZumaHead of Government2009 CE – 2018 CE
- Jacob ZumaPresident of South Africa2009 CE – 2018 CE
- Kgalema MotlantheDeputy President of South Africa2009 CE – 2014 CE
- Cyril RamaphosaDeputy President of South Africa2014 CE – 2018 CE
- Cyril RamaphosaHead of State2018 CE –
- Cyril RamaphosaHead of Government2018 CE –
- David MabuzaDeputy President of South Africa2018 CE – 2023 CE
Country profile
From the CIA World Factbook 2024. Long entries are trimmed at a sentence boundary.
- Location
- Southern Africa, at the southern tip of the continent of Africa
- Government type
- parliamentary republic
- Executive branch
- chief of state: President Matamela Cyril RAMAPHOSA (since 19 June 2024); head of government: President Matamela Cyril RAMAPHOSA (since 19 June 2024); cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president; election/appointment process: president indirectly elected by the National Assembly for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term)
- Ethnic groups
- Black African 80.9%, Colored 8.8%, White 7.8%, Indian/Asian 2.6% (2021 est.)
- Natural resources
- gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, rare earth elements, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas
- Economy
- upper-middle-income, largest southern African economy; Government of National Unity facing slow growth, fiscal gaps, and structural challenges; high income inequality, unemployment, and poverty; reforms to address electricity generation, transport, and logistics; leading producer and exporter of critical minerals
Language & currency
- Official & national languages
- Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele or Ndebele, isiXhosa or Xhosa, isiZulu or Zulu, other and Khoi or Khoisan or Khoe languages), Sepedi or Pedi, Sesotho or Sotho
- Currency
- rand (ZAR)
Memberships
- League of NationsLoNInternational organisation · founding member1920 CE – 1946 CE
- Commonwealth of NationsCWInternational organisation · founding member1931 CE –
- United NationsUNInternational organisation · member1961 CE –
- South Africa–Swaziland Non-Aggression Pact (1982)Historical alliance · member1982 CE –
- Mozambique–South Africa Non-Aggression Pact (1984)Historical alliance · member1984 CE – 1994 CE
- African UnionAUInternational organisation · founding member1994 CE –
- SADCSADCEconomic bloc · member1994 CE –
- G20G20Political union · founding member1999 CE –
- BRICSBRICSEconomic bloc · member2010 CE –
Sources
Every figure above comes from one of these. Nothing on this page is estimated, interpolated or model-generated.
CHAT (Comin-Hobijn)2009 (FinalCHAT_72909)
Comin, D. & Hobijn, B. (2009). The CHAT Dataset. NBER Working Paper 15319.
NBER research data, freely downloadable
CIA World Factbook 2024
Clio-Infra2017 datasets
Clio-Infra project (2017). Reconstructions of global inequality and well-being. International Institute of Social History.
Academic use, attribution
Seshat Global History Databank. Cliopatria: a historical basemap of polity borders (cliopatria.geojson).
Correlates of War NMC v6.0v6.0
Singer, J.D. (1987). National Material Capabilities Data (NMC), v6.0. Correlates of War Project.
Free academic use, citation
Barbieri, K. & Keshk, O. (2016). Correlates of War Project Trade Data Set, v4.0.
Free academic use, citation
FAOSTAT2024 release
FAO (2024). FAOSTAT Statistical Database. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome.
CC BY 4.0
Gapminderv14 / systema globalis
Gapminder Foundation. Gapminder systema globalis dataset.
CC BY 4.0
Maddison Project Database 20232023
Bolt, J. & van Zanden, J.L. (2024). Maddison Project Database 2023. University of Groningen GGDC.
CC BY 4.0
Our World in Data (2024). Energy dataset. Based on Energy Institute & Ember.
CC BY 4.0
SIPRI Military Expenditure Database2024
SIPRI (2024). Military Expenditure Database.
Free for non-commercial use, attribution
UN World Population Prospects 20242024
United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024.
CC BY 3.0 IGO
V-Dem v15v15
Coppedge, M. et al. (2025). V-Dem Country-Year Dataset v15. Varieties of Democracy Project.
Free academic/non-commercial use, attribution
Wikipedia contributors. Article lead sections, reused under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
World Bank World Development Indicators2024 release
World Bank (2024). World Development Indicators. Washington, DC.
CC BY 4.0
South Africa is one of the polities with a sourced record deep enough to publish.