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Country comparison

South Africa vs Ethiopia

South Africa and Ethiopia side by side across 72 indicators — each row links to the full 54-country ranking, with sources and the API call behind every figure.

GDP$401.14B vs $149.74BSouth Africa vs Ethiopia
GDP per Capita$6,267 vs $1,134South Africa vs Ethiopia
Population64.01M vs 132.06MSouth Africa vs Ethiopia

Indicator by indicator

72 indicators
Indicator South Africa EthiopiaPeriod
GDPEconomy$401.14B$149.74B2024
GDP per CapitaEconomy$6,267$1,1342024
Inflation RateEconomy4%21%2026-05
Central Bank Policy RateEconomy7%—2026-05-01
Official Exchange RateEconomy16.55 LCU/USD157.56 LCU/USD2026-05
Budget BalanceEconomy-4.9%-1.8%2026
Unemployment RateEconomy32.4%3.3%2025
Public DebtEconomy78.9%40.4%2026
Trade BalanceEconomy$7.77B$-9.47B2024
GDP GrowthEconomy0.5%7.6%2024
GNI per CapitaEconomy$6,110$1,1002024
GNI per Capita (PPP)Economy$15,150$3,2802024
GDP (PPP)Economy$989.31B$434.15B2024
Agriculture (% of GDP)Economy2.8%34.8%2024
Industry (% of GDP)Economy24.3%25.4%2024
Manufacturing (% of GDP)Economy12.8%4.4%2024
Services (% of GDP)Economy63%37.5%2024
Investment (% of GDP)Economy14.1%20.6%2024
Remittances ReceivedEconomy$855.37M$7.14B2024
Remittances (% of GDP)Economy0.2%4.8%2024
External Debt (% of GNI)Economy44.8%24.3%2024
Foreign ReservesEconomy$65.43B$3.78B2024
Credit to Private Sector (% of GDP)Economy89.4%17.7%2024
Tax Revenue (% of GDP)Economy25.4%3.4%2023
Labor Force ParticipationEconomy55.6%68.5%2025
Female Labor Force ParticipationEconomy49.9%58.5%2025
Income Inequality (Gini)Economy54.131.12022
Extreme Poverty RateEconomy17.4%38.6%2022
Account OwnershipEconomy81.1%48.8%2024
Youth NEET RateEconomy34.6%17.5%2024
Military Spending (% of GDP)Economy0.7%0.7%2024
Trade Openness (% of GDP)Economy61.6%17.4%2024
Inflation (GDP Deflator)Economy3.9%25.5%2024
Tourism ReceiptsEconomy$2.72B$2.28B2020
Tourist ArrivalsEconomy3.89M518K2020
Human Development IndexDevelopment0.7410.4972023
Gender Inequality IndexDevelopment0.3880.4972023
Inequality-adjusted HDIDevelopment0.4760.3262023
PopulationDemographics64.01M132.06M2024
Population GrowthDemographics1.2%2.6%2024
Life ExpectancyDemographics66.3 years67.6 years2024
Median AgeDemographics28.9 years19.3 years2026
Fertility RateDemographics2.213.912024
Rural PopulationDemographics36.3%76.4%2024
Population Under 15Demographics25.9%39.1%2024
Infant MortalityHealth24.234.52024
HIV PrevalenceHealth17.2%0.7%2024
Health Spending (% of GDP)Health8.9%2.8%2023
Physicians per 1,000Health0.790.142022
UHC Service Coverage IndexHealth74332023
Road Traffic DeathsHealth24.517.72021
Premature NCD MortalityHealth22.7%16.8%2021
Out-of-Pocket Health SpendingHealth6.7%46.3%2023
Safely Managed SanitationHealth73.8%8.1%2024
Education Spending (% of GDP)Education6%2.3%2024
Tertiary EnrollmentEducation23.5%5.9%2023
UndernourishmentFood Security10%19.7%2023
Agricultural Land (% of Land)Agriculture79.4%34.1%2023
Food Production IndexAgriculture113.2116.32022
Coffee ProductionAgriculture—575.7K t2024
Sorghum ProductionAgriculture98K t4.1M t2024
Millet ProductionAgriculture6.33K t1.13M t2024
Homicide RateGovernance43.78.52022
Corruption Perceptions IndexGovernance41372024
Electoral Democracy IndexGovernance0.7430.2572025
Liberal Democracy IndexGovernance0.6330.12025
Political Corruption IndexGovernance0.5380.5292025
Women in ParliamentGovernance44.7%41.9%2025
Internet UsersTechnology78.4%21.9%2024
Mobile SubscriptionsTechnology179.365.12024
Electricity AccessInfrastructure87.7%55.4%2023
CO2 Emissions per CapitaClimate6.88 t0.15 t2024

Get this comparison via API

GET /v1/data

One call returns both countries' latest value for any indicator — JSON, with source metadata.

curl "https://api.africa-api.com/v1/data?metric_key=gdp_current_usd&latest=true&country_codes=ZA,ET" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $AFRICA_API_KEY"
South Africa profileEthiopia profileGet a free API key

Frequently asked questions

Does South Africa or Ethiopia have the larger economy?

South Africa has the larger economy: $401.14B for South Africa versus $149.74B for Ethiopia (GDP, current US$).

How do South Africa and Ethiopia compare across indicators?

This page compares South Africa and Ethiopia on 72 indicators — economy, demographics, health, governance and more — each with its latest value, source, and a link to the full 54-country ranking.

How do I get this comparison via the API?

Call GET /v1/data?metric_key=<key>&latest=true&country_codes=ZA,ET with a free Africa API key to get both countries' latest values as JSON.

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