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South Africa
Index
Before South Africa's vast mineral wealth was discovered in the late nineteenth century, there was a general belief that southern Africa was almost devoid of the riches that had drawn Europeans to the rest of the continent. South Africa had no known gold deposits such as those the Portuguese had sought in West Africa in the fifteenth century. The region did not attract many slave traders, in part because local populations were sparsely settled. Valuable crops such as palm oil, rubber, and cocoa, which were found elsewhere on the continent, were absent. Although the local economy was rich in some areas--based on mixed farming and herding--only ivory was traded to any extent. Most local products were not sought for large-scale consumption in Europe.
Instead, Europeans first settled southern Africa to resupply their trading expeditions bound for other parts of the world (see Origins of Settlement, ch. 1). In 1652 the Dutch East India Company settled a few employees at a small fort at present-day Cape Town and ordered them to provide fresh food for the company's ships that rounded the Cape on their way to East Africa and Asia. This nucleus of European settlement quickly spread outward from the fort, first to trade with the local Khoikhoi hunting populations and later to seize their land for European farmers. Smallpox epidemics swept the area in the late eighteenth century, and Europeans who had come to rely on Khoikhoi labor enslaved many of the survivors of the epidemics.
By the early nineteenth century, when the Cape settlement came under British rule, 26,000 Dutch farmers had settled the area from Stellenbosch to the Great Fish River (see fig. 7). In 1820 the British government sponsored 5,000 more settlers who also established large cattle ranches, relying on African labor. But the European immigrants, like earlier arrivals in the area, engaged primarily in subsistence farming and produced little for export.
The discovery of diamonds in 1869 and of gold in 1886 revolutionized the economy. European investment flowed in; by the end of the nineteenth century, it was equivalent to all European investment in the rest of Africa. International banks and private lenders increased cash and credit available to local farmers, miners, and prospectors, and they, in turn, placed growing demands for land and labor on the local African populations. The Europeans resorted to violence to defend their economic interests, sometimes clashing with those who refused to relinquish their freedom or their land. Eventually, as the best land became scarce, groups of settlers clashed with one another, and rival Dutch and British populations fought for control over the land (see Industrialization and Imperialism, 1870-1910, ch. 1).
South Africa was drawn into the international economy through its exports, primarily diamonds and gold, and through its own increasing demand for a variety of agricultural imports. The cycle of economic growth was stimulated by the continual expansion of the mining industry, and with newfound wealth, consumer demand fueled higher levels of trade.
In the first half of the twentieth century, government economic policies were designed to meet local consumer demand and to reduce the nation's reliance on its mining sector by providing incentives for farming and for establishing manufacturing enterprises. But the government also saw its role as helping to defend white farmers and businessmen from African competition. In 1913 the Natives Land Act reserved most of the land for white ownership, forcing many black farmers to work as wage laborers on land they had previously owned. When the act was amended in 1936, black land ownership was restricted to 13 percent of the country, much of it heavily eroded.
White farmers received other privileges, such as loans from a government Land Bank (created in 1912), labor law protection, and crop subsidies. Marketing boards, which were established to stabilize production of many crops, paid more for produce from white farmers than for produce from black farmers. All farm activity suffered from the cyclical droughts that swept the subcontinent, but white farmers received greater government protection against economic losses.
During the 1920s, to encourage the fledgling manufacturing industries, the government established state corporations to provide inexpensive electricity and steel for industrial use, and it imposed import tariffs to protect local manufacturers. Again black entrepreneurs were discouraged, and new laws limited the rights of black workers, creating a large pool of low-cost industrial labor. By the end of the 1930s, the growing number of state-owned enterprises dominated the manufacturing sector, and black entrepreneurs continued to be pressured to remain outside the formal economy.
Manufacturing experienced new growth during and after World War II. Many of the conditions necessary for economic expansion had been present before the war--cities were growing, agriculture was being consolidated into large farms with greater emphasis on commercial production, and mine owners and shareholders had begun to diversify their investments into other sectors. As the war ended, local consumer demand rose to new highs, and with strong government support--and international competitors at bay--local agriculture and manufacturing began to expand.
The government increased its role in the economy, especially in manufacturing, during the 1950s and the 1960s. It also initiated large-scale programs to promote the commercial cultivation of corn and wheat. Government investments through the state-owned Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) helped to establish local textile and pulp and paper industries, as well as state corporations to produce fertilizers, chemicals, oil, and armaments. Both manufacturing and agricultural production expanded rapidly, and by 1970 manufacturing output exceeded that of mining.
Despite the appearance of self-sustaining economic growth during the postwar period, the country's economy continued to be susceptible to its historical limitations: recurrent drought, overreliance on gold exports, and the costs and consequences of the use of disenfranchised labor. While commercial agriculture developed into an important source of export revenue, production plummeted during two major droughts, from 1960 to 1966 and from 1981 to 1985. Gold continued to be the most important export and revenue earner; yet, as the price of gold fluctuated, especially during the 1980s, South Africa's exchange rate and ability to import goods suffered.
Manufacturing, in particular, was seriously affected by downswings in the price of gold, in part because it relied on imported machinery and capital. Some capital-intensive industries were able to expand, but only with massive foreign loans. As a result, many industries were insulated from the rising labor militancy, especially among black workers, which sparked disputes and slowed productivity in the late 1980s. As black labor increasingly voiced its frustrations, and foreign banks cut short their loans because of mounting instability, even capital-intensive industries felt the impact of apartheid on profits.
The economy was in recession from March 1989 through most of 1993, largely in response to worldwide economic conditions and the long-term effects of apartheid. It registered only negligible, or negative, growth in most quarters. High inflation had become chronic, driving up costs in all sectors. Living standards of the majority of black citizens either fell or remained dangerously low, while those of many whites also began to decline. Economic growth continued to depend on decent world prices for gold and on the availability of foreign loans. Even as some sectors of the economy began to recover in late 1993, intense violence and political uncertainty in the face of reform slowed overall growth through 1994.
Data as of May 1996
- South Africa-Health and Welfare
- South Africa-Higher Education
- South Africa-Regional Issues Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Weapons
- South Africa-Economic Distortions and Apartheid Inflation
- South Africa-Chapter 1 - Historical Setting
- South Africa-European Union
- South Africa-The Arrival of Bantu-Speaking Africans The Earliest South Africans
- South Africa-Banking Banking and Currency
- South Africa-Limited Reforms
- South Africa-Chapter 4 - Government and Politics
- South Africa-Formation of the Union of South Africa, 1910
- South Africa-Segregation, 1910-48
- South Africa-Kenya
- South Africa-Introduction
- South Africa-Railroads Transportation and Telecommunications
- South Africa-Government and Politics
- South Africa-Energy Minerals and Petroleum Ferrous and Nonferrous Metals
- South Africa-Formation of the African National Congress, 1912 Building the Legal Structure of Racial Discrimination
- South Africa-Afrikaans Speakers
- South Africa-Geographic Regions Physical Setting
- South Africa-The 1948 Election
- South Africa-Apartheid, 1948-76
- South Africa-Heavy Industry Electric Power
- South Africa-International Organizations
- South Africa-Relations with Other Countries
- South Africa-Tsonga
- South Africa-The Rise of Black Consciousness
- South Africa-Radio and Television Communications Media
- South Africa-Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) Incidence of Disease
- South Africa-Crime and Violence
- South Africa-Defense Budget
- South Africa-Military Intelligence and Intelligence Coordination
- South Africa-Preparing for Elections "Irreversible Progress" Toward Democracy
- South Africa-Chapter 2 - The Society and Its Environment
- South Africa-Government in Crisis, 1978-89
- South Africa-Soweto, 1976
- South Africa-Drafting a Final Constitution
- South Africa-The Legal System
- South Africa-The School System in the 1990s Soweto and Its Aftermath
- South Africa-Crops Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing
- South Africa-Road System and Transport Ports and Shipping
- South Africa-Historical Development
- South Africa-Swaziland
- South Africa-Provincial and Local Government Volkstaat Council
- South Africa-Social Welfare Health Care Services
- South Africa-The New Legal System The Apartheid-Era Legal System
- South Africa-Constitutional and Legal Framework
- South Africa-Military Organization
- South Africa-Distribution Size and Growth
- South Africa-Education and Employment
- South Africa-Extractive Industries
- South Africa-Emergence of a Settler Society Establishing a Slave Economy
- South Africa-Separate and Unequal
- South Africa-The Quest for Peace Dismantling Apartheid, 1990-94
- South Africa-Consolidating Apartheid in the 1960s The Pan-Africanist Congress and Sharpeville
- South Africa-Pipelines Civil Aviation
- South Africa-South Africa
- South Africa-Extending European Control
- South Africa-National Security
- South Africa-Acknowledgments
- South Africa-Women in the Military Homeland Militaries
- South Africa-Foreword
- South Africa-Early Development
- South Africa-Transportation and Telecommunications
- South Africa-Language Groups Ethnic Groups and Language
- South Africa-National Party
- South Africa-Zion Christian Church Other Religious Organizations
- South Africa-The South African War
- South Africa-Labor and Politics
- South Africa-Consumer Goods Chemicals Industry
- South Africa-Army
- South Africa-Environmental Protection and Tourism
- South Africa-Telecommunications and Postal Service
- South Africa-Environmental Trends
- South Africa-Population
- South Africa-The Legislative Implementation of Apartheid
- South Africa-Balance of Payments Investment
- South Africa-Chapter 3 - The Economy
- South Africa-Foreign Trade Foreign Trade and Investment
- South Africa-Zambia
- South Africa-British Colonialism The Expansion of European Settlement
- South Africa-Education
- South Africa-Islam
- South Africa-Economy
- South Africa-Northern Sotho
- South Africa-Budgets Parastatals
- South Africa-The Congress Youth League and the Programme of Action
- South Africa-Tourism Environmental Protection
- South Africa-Executive and Legislative Authority
- South Africa-Swazi
- South Africa-The Voortrekker Republics and British Policies The Great Trek
- South Africa-Table B - Chronology of Important Events
- South Africa-Fishing
- South Africa-Manufacturing
- South Africa-The Arrival of Christianity
- South Africa-Chapter 5 - National Security
- South Africa-English Speakers "Coloureds"
- South Africa-Nguni
- South Africa-External Debt Gross Domestic Product
- South Africa-Newspapers, Magazines, and Journals
- South Africa-Women in the 1990s Women and Apartheid
- South Africa-Religion and Apartheid
- South Africa-Origins of Settlement Early European Settlement
- South Africa-Namibia
- South Africa-Rise of the Security Establishment Air and Naval Forces
- South Africa-Europeans
- South Africa-Relations with Non-African States
- South Africa-Early Development
- South Africa-Postapartheid Reconstruction
- South Africa-Structure of the Economy
- South Africa-Currency
- South Africa-Growth Trends and Potential
- South Africa-Legal Restrictions Role of the Government
- South Africa-Growth of the Defense Industry
- South Africa-Historical Background System of Government
- South Africa
- South Africa
- South Africa-The ANC and the PAC Turn to Violence
- South Africa-United Democratic Front
- South Africa-The Interim Constitution Constitutional Change
- South Africa-Country Profile
- South Africa
- South Africa-Labor Force Employment and Labor
- South Africa-Black Resistance in the 1950s White Politics
- South Africa-Background to the Mfecane The Rise of African States
- South Africa-Swazi, Sotho, and Ndebele States Shaka and the Rise of the Zulu State
- South Africa-Uniforms, Ranks, and Insignia Medical Service
- South Africa-Prison System Government Response
- South Africa-Police Internal Security
- South Africa-Early Development of the South African Military
- South Africa-Geography
- South Africa-Society
- South Africa-Human Rights and National Reconciliation
- South Africa-Penal Code
- South Africa-Disabilities and the Aged
- South Africa-Climate and Rainfall Lakes and Rivers
- South Africa-Education under Apartheid
- South Africa-The Mineral Revolution Industrialization and Imperialism, 1870-1910
- South Africa-Africans and Industrialization
- South Africa-Khoisan
- South Africa-Religion
- South Africa-Relations with African States Foreign Relations
- South Africa-Iran
- South Africa-Divisions in the White Community The Contradictions of Apartheid
- South Africa-Arms Trade and the Defense Industry Global and Regional Issues
- South Africa-The 1994 Elections Political Participation
- South Africa-The Impact of World War II The Great Depression and the 1930s
- South Africa-Preface
- South Africa-Narcotics
- South Africa-Table A - Selected Acronyms and Contractions
- South Africa-Botswana
- South Africa-National Security Management System
- South Africa-British Imperialism and the Afrikaners
- South Africa-Political Elites Trade Unions
- South Africa-Integrating Armies in the 1990s
- South Africa
- South Africa-Precolonial Warfare Historical Background
- South Africa-Navy Air Force
- South Africa-Tsonga and Venda Tswana
- South Africa-Interest Groups
- South Africa-Freedom Front
- South Africa-Historical Background
- South Africa-Diamonds and Platinum Gold
- South Africa-Country
- South Africa-Political Parties
- South Africa-South African Communist Party
- South Africa-Women in Society
- South Africa-Southern African Societies to ca - 1600
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Background | | Dutch traders landed at the southern tip of modern day South Africa in 1652 and established a stopover point on the spice route between the Netherlands and the Far East, founding the city of Cape Town. After the British seized the Cape of Good Hope area in 1806, many of the Dutch settlers (the Boers) trekked north to found their own republics. The discovery of diamonds (1867) and gold (1886) spurred wealth and immigration and intensified the subjugation of the native inhabitants. The Boers resisted British encroachments but were defeated in the Boer War (1899-1902); however, the British and the Afrikaners, as the Boers became known, ruled together beginning in 1910 under the Union of South Africa, which became a republic in 1961 after a whites-only referendum. In 1948, the National Party was voted into power and instituted a policy of apartheid - the separate development of the races - which favored the white minority at the expense of the black majority. The African National Congress (ANC) led the opposition to apartheid and many top ANC leaders, such as Nelson MANDELA, spent decades in South Africa's prisons. Internal protests and insurgency, as well as boycotts by some Western nations and institutions, led to the regime's eventual willingness to negotiate a peaceful transition to majority rule. The first multi-racial elections in 1994 brought an end to apartheid and ushered in majority rule under an ANC-led government. South Africa since then has struggled to address apartheid-era imbalances in decent housing, education, and health care. ANC infighting, which has grown in recent years, came to a head in September 2008 when President Thabo MBEKI resigned, and Kgalema MOTLANTHE, the party's General-Secretary, succeeded him as interim president. Jacob ZUMA became president after the ANC won general elections in April 2009.
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Location | | Southern Africa, at the southern tip of the continent of Africa
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Area(sq km) | | total: 1,219,090 sq km
land: 1,214,470 sq km
water: 4,620 sq km
note: includes Prince Edward Islands (Marion Island and Prince Edward Island)
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Geographic coordinates | | 29 00 S, 24 00 E
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Land boundaries(km) | | total: 4,862 km
border countries: Botswana 1,840 km, Lesotho 909 km, Mozambique 491 km, Namibia 967 km, Swaziland 430 km, Zimbabwe 225 km
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Coastline(km) | | 2,798 km
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Climate | | mostly semiarid; subtropical along east coast; sunny days, cool nights
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Elevation extremes(m) | | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Njesuthi 3,408 m
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Natural resources | | gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas
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Land use(%) | | arable land: 12.1%
permanent crops: 0.79%
other: 87.11% (2005)
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Irrigated land(sq km) | | 14,980 sq km (2003)
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Total renewable water resources(cu km) | | 50 cu km (1990)
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Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural) | | total: 12.5 cu km/yr (31%/6%/63%)
per capita: 264 cu m/yr (2000)
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Natural hazards | | prolonged droughts
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Environment - current issues | | lack of important arterial rivers or lakes requires extensive water conservation and control measures; growth in water usage outpacing supply; pollution of rivers from agricultural runoff and urban discharge; air pollution resulting in acid rain; soil erosion; desertification
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Environment - international agreements | | party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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Geography - note | | South Africa completely surrounds Lesotho and almost completely surrounds Swaziland
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Population | | 49,052,489
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2009 est.)
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Age structure(%) | | 0-14 years: 28.9% (male 7,093,328/female 7,061,579)
15-64 years: 65.8% (male 16,275,424/female 15,984,181)
65 years and over: 5.4% (male 1,075,117/female 1,562,860) (2009 est.)
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Median age(years) | | total: 24.4 years
male: 24.1 years
female: 24.8 years (2009 est.)
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Population growth rate(%) | | 0.281% (2009 est.)
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Birth rate(births/1,000 population) | | 19.93 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
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Death rate(deaths/1,000 population) | | 16.99 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
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Net migration rate(migrant(s)/1,000 population) | | -0.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: there is an increasing flow of Zimbabweans into South Africa and Botswana in search of better economic opportunities (2009 est.)
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Urbanization(%) | | urban population: 61% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 1.4% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
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Sex ratio(male(s)/female) | | at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
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Infant mortality rate(deaths/1,000 live births) | | total: 44.42 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 48.66 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 40.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth(years) | | total population: 48.98 years
male: 49.81 years
female: 48.13 years (2009 est.)
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Total fertility rate(children born/woman) | | 2.38 children born/woman (2009 est.)
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Nationality | | noun: South African(s)
adjective: South African
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Ethnic groups(%) | | black African 79%, white 9.6%, colored 8.9%, Indian/Asian 2.5% (2001 census)
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Religions(%) | | Zion Christian 11.1%, Pentecostal/Charismatic 8.2%, Catholic 7.1%, Methodist 6.8%, Dutch Reformed 6.7%, Anglican 3.8%, Muslim 1.5%, other Christian 36%, other 2.3%, unspecified 1.4%, none 15.1% (2001 census)
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Languages(%) | | IsiZulu 23.8%, IsiXhosa 17.6%, Afrikaans 13.3%, Sepedi 9.4%, English 8.2%, Setswana 8.2%, Sesotho 7.9%, Xitsonga 4.4%, other 7.2% (2001 census)
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Country name | | conventional long form: Republic of South Africa
conventional short form: South Africa
former: Union of South Africa
abbreviation: RSA
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Government type | | republic
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Capital | | name: Pretoria (administrative capital)
geographic coordinates: 25 42 S, 28 13 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
note: Cape Town (legislative capital); Bloemfontein (judicial capital)
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Administrative divisions | | 9 provinces; Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, North-West, Western Cape
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Constitution | | 10 December 1996; note - certified by the Constitutional Court on 4 December 1996; was signed by then President MANDELA on 10 December 1996; and entered into effect on 4 February 1997
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Legal system | | based on Roman-Dutch law and English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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Suffrage | | 18 years of age; universal
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Executive branch | | chief of state: President Jacob ZUMA (since 9 May 2009); Executive Deputy President Kgalema MOTLANTHE (since 11 May 2009); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Jacob ZUMA (since 9 May 2009); Executive Deputy President Kgalema MOTLANTHE (since 11 May 2009)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 6 May 2009 (next to be held in 2014)
election results: Jacob ZUMA elected president; National Assembly vote - Jacob ZUMA 277, Mvume DANDALA 47, other 76
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Legislative branch | | bicameral Parliament consisting of the National Council of Provinces (90 seats, 10 members elected by each of the nine provincial legislatures for five-year terms; has special powers to protect regional interests, including the safeguarding of cultural and linguistic traditions among ethnic minorities) and the National Assembly (400 seats; members are elected by popular vote under a system of proportional representation to serve five-year terms); note - following the implementation of the new constitution on 4 February 1997, the former Senate was disbanded and replaced by the National Council of Provinces with essentially no change in membership and party affiliations, although the new institution's responsibilities have been changed somewhat by the new constitution
elections: National Assembly and National Council of Provinces - last held on 22 April 2009 (next to be held in April 2014)
election results: National Council of Provinces - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - ANC 65.9%, DA 16.7%, COPE 7.4%, IFP 4.6%, other 5.4%; seats by party - ANC 264, DA 67, COPE 30, IFP 18, other 21
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Judicial branch | | Constitutional Court; Supreme Court of Appeals; High Courts; Magistrate Courts
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Political pressure groups and leaders | | Congress of South African Trade Unions or COSATU [Zwelinzima VAVI, general secretary]; South African Communist Party or SACP [Blade NZIMANDE, general secretary]; South African National Civics Organization or SANCO [Mlungisi HLONGWANE, national president]
note: note - COSATU and SACP are in a formal alliance with the ANC
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International organization participation | | ACP, AfDB, AU, BIS, C, FAO, G-20, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, NSG, OPCW, Paris Club (associate), PCA, SACU, SADC, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
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Flag description | | two equal width horizontal bands of red (top) and blue separated by a central green band that splits into a horizontal Y, the arms of which end at the corners of the hoist side; the Y embraces a black isosceles triangle from which the arms are separated by narrow yellow bands; the red and blue bands are separated from the green band and its arms by narrow white stripes
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Economy - overview | | South Africa is a middle-income, emerging market with an abundant supply of natural resources; well-developed financial, legal, communications, energy, and transport sectors; a stock exchange that is 17th largest in the world; and modern infrastructure supporting an efficient distribution of goods to major urban centers throughout the region. Growth was robust from 2004 to 2008 as South Africa reaped the benefits of macroeconomic stability and a global commodities boom, but began to slow in the second half of 2008 due to the global financial crisis' impact on commodity prices and demand. However, unemployment remains high and outdated infrastructure has constrained growth. At the end of 2007, South Africa began to experience an electricity crisis because state power supplier Eskom suffered supply problems with aged plants, necessitating "load-shedding" cuts to residents and businesses in the major cities. Daunting economic problems remain from the apartheid era - especially poverty, lack of economic empowerment among the disadvantaged groups, and a shortage of public transportation. South African economic policy is fiscally conservative but pragmatic, focusing on controlling inflation, maintaining a budget surplus, and using state-owned enterprises to deliver basic services to low-income areas as a means to increase job growth and household income.
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GDP (purchasing power parity) | | $492.2 billion (2008 est.)
$477.4 billion (2007 est.)
$454.2 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
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GDP (official exchange rate) | | $276.8 billion (2008 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate(%) | | 3.1% (2008 est.)
5.1% (2007 est.)
5.3% (2006 est.)
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GDP - per capita (PPP) | | $10,100 (2008 est.)
$9,900 (2007 est.)
$9,500 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
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GDP - composition by sector(%) | | agriculture: 3.3%
industry: 33.7%
services: 63% (2008 est.)
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Labor force | | 17.79 million economically active (2008 est.)
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Labor force - by occupation(%) | | agriculture: 9%
industry: 26%
services: 65% (2007 est.)
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Unemployment rate(%) | | 22.9% (2008 est.)
24.3% (2007 est.)
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Population below poverty line(%) | | 50% (2000 est.)
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Household income or consumption by percentage share(%) | | lowest 10%: 1.3%
highest 10%: 44.7% (2000)
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Distribution of family income - Gini index | | 65 (2005)
59.3 (1994)
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Investment (gross fixed)(% of GDP) | | 23.2% of GDP (2008 est.)
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Budget | | revenues: $77.43 billion
expenditures: $79.9 billion (2008 est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices)(%) | | 11.3% (2008 est.)
6.5% (2007 est.)
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Stock of money | | $44.66 billion (31 December 2008)
$58.49 billion (31 December 2007)
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Stock of quasi money | | $124.1 billion (31 December 2008)
$141.9 billion (31 December 2007)
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Stock of domestic credit | | $214.8 billion (31 December 2008)
$254.9 billion (31 December 2007)
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Market value of publicly traded shares | | $491.3 billion (31 December 2008)
$833.5 billion (31 December 2007)
$715 billion (31 December 2006)
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Economic aid - recipient | | $700 million (2005)
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Public debt(% of GDP) | | 31.6% of GDP (2008 est.)
45.9% of GDP (2004 est.)
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Agriculture - products | | corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; beef, poultry, mutton, wool, dairy products
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Industries | | mining (world's largest producer of platinum, gold, chromium), automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textiles, iron and steel, chemicals, fertilizer, foodstuffs, commercial ship repair
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Industrial production growth rate(%) | | 1% (2008 est.)
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Current account balance | | -$20.98 billion (2008 est.)
-$20.78 billion (2007 est.)
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Exports | | $86.12 billion (2008 est.)
$75.92 billion (2007 est.)
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Exports - commodities(%) | | gold, diamonds, platinum, other metals and minerals, machinery and equipment
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Exports - partners(%) | | Japan 11.1%, US 11.1%, Germany 8%, UK 6.8%, China 6%, Netherlands 5.2% (2008)
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Imports | | $90.57 billion (2008 est.)
$81.66 billion (2007 est.)
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Imports - commodities(%) | | machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum products, scientific instruments, foodstuffs
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Imports - partners(%) | | Germany 11.2%, China 11.1%, US 7.9%, Saudi Arabia 6.2%, Japan 5.5%, UK 4% (2008)
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | | $34.07 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
$32.94 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
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Debt - external | | $71.81 billion (31 December 2008)
$75.28 billion (31 December 2007)
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Stock of direct foreign investment - at home | | $120 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
$110.4 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
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Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad | | $63.57 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
$65.88 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
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Exchange rates | | rand (ZAR) per US dollar - 7.9576 (2008 est.), 7.05 (2007), 6.7649 (2006), 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004)
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Currency (code) | | rand (ZAR)
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Telephones - main lines in use | | 4.425 million (2008)
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Telephones - mobile cellular | | 45 million (2008)
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Telephone system | | general assessment: the system is the best developed and most modern in Africa
domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity exceeds 110 telephones per 100 persons; consists of carrier-equipped open-wire lines, coaxial cables, microwave radio relay links, fiber-optic cable, radiotelephone communication stations, and wireless local loops; key centers are Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, and Pretoria
international: country code - 27; the SAT-3/WASC and SAFE fiber optic cable systems connect South Africa to Europe and Asia; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean)
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Internet country code | | .za
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Internet users | | 4.187 million (2008)
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Airports | | 607 (2009)
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Pipelines(km) | | condensate 11 km; gas 908 km; oil 980 km; refined products 1,379 km (2008)
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Roadways(km) | | total: 362,099 km
paved: 73,506 km (includes 239 km of expressways)
unpaved: 288,593 km (2002)
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Ports and terminals | | Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Richards Bay, Saldanha Bay
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Military branches | | South African National Defense Force (SANDF): South African Army, South African Navy (SAN), South African Air Force (SAAF), Joint Operations Command, Military Intelligence, South African Military Health Services (2009)
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Military service age and obligation(years of age) | | 18 years of age for voluntary military service; women are eligible to serve in noncombat roles; 2-year service obligation (2007)
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Manpower available for military service | | males age 16-49: 11,622,507
females age 16-49: 11,501,537 (2008 est.)
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Manpower fit for military service | | males age 16-49: 7,641,557
females age 16-49: 6,518,793 (2009 est.)
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Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually | | male: 511,616
female: 510,540 (2009 est.)
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Military expenditures(% of GDP) | | 1.7% of GDP (2006)
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Military - note | | with the end of apartheid and the establishment of majority rule, former military, black homelands forces, and ex-opposition forces were integrated into the South African National Defense Force (SANDF); as of 2003 the integration process was considered complete
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Disputes - international | | South Africa has placed military along the border to apprehend the thousands of Zimbabweans fleeing economic dysfunction and political persecution; as of January 2007, South Africa also supports large numbers of refugees and asylum seekers from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (33,000), Somalia (20,000), Burundi (6,500), and other states in Africa (26,000); managed dispute with Namibia over the location of the boundary in the Orange River; in 2006, Swazi king advocates resort to ICJ to claim parts of Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal from South Africa
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Refugees and internally displaced persons | | refugees (country of origin): 10,772 (Democratic Republic of Congo); 7,818 (Somalia); 5,759 (Angola) (2007)
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Trafficking in persons | | current situation: South Africa is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for forced labor and sexual exploitation; women and girls are trafficked internally - and occasionally to European and Asian countries - for sexual exploitation; women from other African countries are trafficked to South Africa and, less frequently, onward to Europe for sexual exploitation; men and boys are trafficked from neighboring countries for forced agricultural labor; Asian and Eastern European women are trafficked to South Africa for debt-bonded sexual exploitation
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - South Africa is on the Tier 2 Watch List for a fourth consecutive year for its failure to show increasing efforts to address trafficking; the government provided inadequate data in 2007 on trafficking crimes investigated or prosecuted, or on resulting convictions or sentences; it also did not provide information on its efforts to protect victims of trafficking; the country continues to deport and/or prosecute suspected foreign victims without providing appropriate protective services (2008)
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Electricity - production(kWh) | | 240.3 billion kWh (2007 est.)
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Electricity - production by source(%) | | fossil fuel: 93.5%
hydro: 1.1%
nuclear: 5.5%
other: 0% (2001)
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Electricity - consumption(kWh) | | 215.1 billion kWh (2007 est.)
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Electricity - exports(kWh) | | 14.16 billion kWh (2008 est.)
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Electricity - imports(kWh) | | 10.57 billion kWh (2008 est.)
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Oil - production(bbl/day) | | 195,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Oil - consumption(bbl/day) | | 583,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Oil - exports(bbl/day) | | 128,500 bbl/day (2007 est.)
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Oil - imports(bbl/day) | | 490,500 bbl/day (2007 est.)
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Oil - proved reserves(bbl) | | 15 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
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Natural gas - production(cu m) | | 3.25 billion cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural gas - consumption(cu m) | | 6.45 billion cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural gas - exports(cu m) | | 0 cu m (2008)
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Natural gas - proved reserves(cu m) | | 27.16 million cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate(%) | | 18.1% (2007 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | | 5.7 million (2007 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - deaths | | 350,000 (2007 est.)
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Major infectious diseases | | degree of risk: intermediate
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2009)
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Literacy(%) | | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 86.4%
male: 87%
female: 85.7% (2003 est.)
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School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)(years) | | total: 13 years
male: 13 years
female: 13 years (2004)
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Education expenditures(% of GDP) | | 5.4% of GDP (2006)
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