# South Africa — key facts

Source: GeoReality (https://geo-reality.com) — verified country data, regenerated 2026-09-01.
When citing a figure, attribute both GeoReality and the primary source in the third column.

- Capital: Pretoria
- Region: Africa · Southern Africa
- Full profile: https://geo-reality.com/country/za
- Methodology and source URLs: https://geo-reality.com/data-sources

| Fact | Value | Primary source |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 64,747,319 | World Bank SP.POP.TOTL |
| Area | 1,213,090 km² | World Bank AG.LND.TOTL.K2 |
| GDP per capita (nominal) | 6,598 USD | World Bank NY.GDP.PCAP.CD |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | 15,906 intl $ | World Bank NY.GDP.PCAP.PP.CD |
| GDP (total) | 427.2 bn USD | World Bank NY.GDP.MKTP.CD |
| Human Development Index | 0.72 | UNDP Human Development Report (2022) |
| Global Peace Index (lower = more peaceful) | 2.31 | IEP Global Peace Index (2024) |
| Life satisfaction (Cantril ladder, 0-10) | 5.01 | World Happiness Report — Data for Figure 2.1, life evaluation (Cantril ladder) (2026) |
| Life expectancy at birth | 66.3 years | World Bank SP.DYN.LE00.IN |
| Fertility rate | 2.21 births/woman | World Bank SP.DYN.TFRT.IN |
| Unemployment | 32.4% | World Bank SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS |
| Inflation (CPI, annual) | 3.2% | World Bank FP.CPI.TOTL.ZG |
| Gini income inequality | 54.1 | World Bank SI.POV.GINI |
| Cost of living index (NYC = 100) | 37.1 | Numbeo (2026) |
| Safety index (Numbeo) | 25.5 | Numbeo (2026) |
| Median fixed broadband | 48.39 Mbps | Ookla Speedtest Global Index (2025) |
| Internet users | 78.4% of population | World Bank IT.NET.USER.ZS |
| Urban population | 63.8% | World Bank SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS |
| Renewable share of energy | 9.7% | World Bank EG.FEC.RNEW.ZS |
| Forest area | 14% of land | World Bank AG.LND.FRST.ZS |
| CO2 emissions per capita | 6.88 t/yr | World Bank EN.GHG.CO2.PC.CE.AR5 |
| Corporate tax rate | 28% | Wikipedia — List of countries by tax rates (corporate column, headline statutory rate) (2024) |
| VAT / GST standard rate | 15% | Wikipedia — List of countries by tax rates (VAT/GST/Sales column, standard-rate preferred) (2024) |
| Top personal income tax | 45% | Wikipedia — List of countries by tax rates (Individual income / Highest column) (2024) |

## Two decades of change

| Indicator | First → last observed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 53.91 (2005) → 66.31 (2024) | World Bank SP.DYN.LE00.IN |
| Internet users | 7.61 (2006) → 78.36 (2024) | World Bank IT.NET.USER.ZS |
| Urban population | 60.53 (2006) → 63.82 (2025) | World Bank SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS |
| Births per woman | 2.51 (2005) → 2.21 (2024) | World Bank SP.DYN.TFRT.IN |
| Renewable share of energy | 11 (2004) → 9.7 (2021) | World Bank EG.FEC.RNEW.ZS |
| Access to electricity | 80.8 (2005) → 90.2 (2024) | World Bank EG.ELC.ACCS.ZS |
| Infant mortality | 47.7 (2005) → 24.2 (2024) | World Bank SP.DYN.IMRT.IN |
| CO2 emissions per person | 8.82 (2005) → 6.88 (2024) | World Bank EN.GHG.CO2.PC.CE.AR5 |
| Forest area | 14.54 (2004) → 13.97 (2023) | World Bank AG.LND.FRST.ZS |

Context across all countries: https://geo-reality.com/changed

## Human Development Index, 1990–2022

Source: UNDP Human Development Report, composite indices complete time series (2023-24). Annual values as published, none interpolated.

| Year | HDI |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.635 |
| 1991 | 0.643 |
| 1992 | 0.648 |
| 1993 | 0.652 |
| 1994 | 0.657 |
| 1995 | 0.660 |
| 1996 | 0.655 |
| 1997 | 0.650 |
| 1998 | 0.643 |
| 1999 | 0.638 |
| 2000 | 0.633 |
| 2001 | 0.629 |
| 2002 | 0.633 |
| 2003 | 0.629 |
| 2004 | 0.630 |
| 2005 | 0.632 |
| 2006 | 0.637 |
| 2007 | 0.644 |
| 2008 | 0.653 |
| 2009 | 0.665 |
| 2010 | 0.675 |
| 2011 | 0.686 |
| 2012 | 0.696 |
| 2013 | 0.705 |
| 2014 | 0.714 |
| 2015 | 0.721 |
| 2016 | 0.711 |
| 2017 | 0.725 |
| 2018 | 0.731 |
| 2019 | 0.741 |
| 2020 | 0.722 |
| 2021 | 0.721 |
| 2022 | 0.717 |

Chart: https://geo-reality.com/country/za#hdi-history

Vintages marked "varies" are the most recent value the source publishes per country; the profile page states the exact year per figure.