Capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public in South Africa
South Africa: Capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public was 2.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public in South Africa, 2003–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 2.9% for capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 13.4% on the previous year and down 13.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public in South Africa peaked at 5.0% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 2.1%, in 2003.
South Africa ranks 103rd of 124 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 2.1% | — |
| 2005 | 2.9% | +35.2% |
| 2006 | 3.5% | +21.7% |
| 2007 | 3.5% | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 3.1% | -10.5% |
| 2009 | 3.8% | +21.6% |
| 2014 | 3.3% | -11.9% |
| 2017 | 5.0% | +48.8% |
| 2018 | 4.9% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 4.2% | -15.4% |
| 2020 | 4.0% | -5.0% |
| 2021 | 3.5% | -11.4% |
| 2022 | 3.2% | -8.9% |
| 2023 | 3.3% | +3.4% |
| 2024 | 2.9% | -13.4% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 2.9% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5.3%, 55% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 2.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 8.4%, 34% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 3.1% | 2.1% | 3.8% | 6 |
| 2010s | 4.4% | 3.3% | 5.0% | 4 |
| 2020s | 3.4% | 2.9% | 4.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 100 Madagascar 3.1% compare
- 101 Malawi 3.1% compare
- 102 Costa Rica 2.9% compare
- 104 Serbia 2.5% compare
- 105 Togo 2.4% compare
- 106 Palestine, State of 2.2% compare
More education data for South Africa
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 181,739 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 339,638 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 410,708 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 407,696 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 5.50 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 7.52 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.44 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.119 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public in South Africa?
- Capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public in South Africa was 2.9% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 5.0% in 2017.
- What is the lowest capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.1% in 2003.
- How does South Africa rank for capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public?
- South Africa ranks 103rd out of 124 countries with data for 2024.
- Is capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public institutions (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release