Makrognosis

South Africa Government Debt to GDP

QuarterlyNot seasonally adjustedCode ZA.GOVDEBT.Q.NSA

Latest78.4%Q3 2026
Previous78.0%Q2 2026
Year ago77.1%Q3 2025

South Africa Government Debt to GDP was 78.4% in Q3 2026, up 0.4 percentage points from Q2 2026 and up 1.4 percentage points from a year earlier.

That is the highest reading since the series began in Q1 1996.

Among the 38 economies Makrognosis covers on this measure, it is the 14th highest.

Over the past ten years it has ranged from 44.9% (Q3 2016) to 78.4% (Q3 2026), averaging 63.4%.

South Africa Government Debt to GDP (% of GDP), Q1 1996 – Q3 202620%40%60%80%200020052010201520202025Robomacro
South Africa Government Debt to GDP (% of GDP), Q1 1996 – Q3 2026. Source: U.S. Treasury FiscalData.

Showing the full history (downsampled for display). Open the interactive chart to zoom and switch transforms.

Recent data

PeriodValue
Q3 202678.4%
Q2 202678.0%
Q1 202675.9%
Q4 202576.6%
Q3 202577.1%
Q2 202577.0%
Q1 202576.6%
Q4 202475.9%
Q3 202474.0%
Q2 202473.0%
Q1 202472.6%
Q4 202372.4%
Q3 202371.8%
Q2 202370.8%
Q1 202369.0%
Q4 202269.9%
Q3 202268.6%
Q2 202267.0%
Q1 202266.0%
Q4 202167.6%
Q3 202167.1%
Q2 202164.7%
Q1 202165.0%
Q4 202064.4%

Last 24 observations. The full history (123 observations) is available through the API.

Get South Africa Government Debt to GDP in your code or spreadsheet

One guessable code, agency-direct, updated on release. Free tier available.

curl -H "X-API-Key: $MAKROGNOSIS_KEY" \
  "https://makrognosis.robomacro.com/v1/series/ZA.GOVDEBT.Q.NSA"

# Python
import requests
r = requests.get("https://makrognosis.robomacro.com/v1/series/ZA.GOVDEBT.Q.NSA",
                 headers={"X-API-Key": KEY})
obs = r.json()["observations"]
Get a free API key → · API docs

About this series

Latest observationQ3 2026
First observationQ1 1996
Observations123
FrequencyQuarterly
Units% of GDP
AdjustmentNot seasonally adjusted
10-year high78.4% (Q3 2026)
10-year low44.9% (Q3 2016)
10-year average63.4%
Source agencyU.S. Treasury FiscalData
Makrognosis codeZA.GOVDEBT.Q.NSA

This series is a labelled reference series (an official figure republished by an aggregator) rather than a first print from the agency itself.

Government Debt to GDP: how South Africa compares

#EconomyPeriodLatest
1SingaporeQ1 2025166.1%
2GreeceQ2 2026140.8%
3ItalyQ2 2026139.9%
4CanadaQ2 2026131.3%
5United StatesQ3 2026121.7%
9United KingdomQ3 2026101.1%
10PortugalQ2 202692.5%
11FinlandQ2 202690.2%
12AustriaQ2 202683.6%
13BrazilQ3 202682.9%
14South AfricaQ3 202678.4%
15ArgentinaQ1 202578.1%
16HungaryQ2 202675.6%
17PakistanQ2 202570.7%
18MoroccoQ1 202566.6%
19PanamaQ1 202565.4%
20PolandQ2 202664.5%

Government Debt to GDP by country: all 38 economies ranked →

Other South Africa indicators

South Africa GDP (Gross Domestic Product)South Africa Nominal GDP at market prices (ZAR million, SAAR, SARB QB)South Africa Inflation Rate (CPI)South Africa Unemployment RateSouth Africa 10-Year Government Bond YieldSouth Africa Credit Rating & Sovereign Risk ScoreSouth Africa Industrial ProductionSouth Africa Retail SalesSouth Africa Producer Price Inflation (PPI)South Africa Current Account Balance - Balance of Payments (NSA)South Africa Trade Balance: Goods & ServicesSouth Africa Exports of goods and services, constant 2015 prices, SA annualised (SARB Web API NRI6013D; Quarterly Bulletin KBP6013D)South Africa Total Exports of Goods Including Gold - SARS Customs (NSA)South Africa Imports of goods and services, constant 2015 prices, SA annualised (SARB Web API NRI6014D; Quarterly Bulletin KBP6014D)South Africa Total Imports of Goods - SARS Customs (NSA)South Africa Employment

FAQ

What is the current government Debt to GDP in South Africa?
The latest reading is 78.4% for Q3 2026, published by U.S. Treasury FiscalData.
Where does this data come from?
It is collected directly from U.S. Treasury FiscalData and is available through the Makrognosis API under the code ZA.GOVDEBT.Q.NSA.

Last updated 2026-10-31. Source: U.S. Treasury FiscalData. Original title: “South Africa national government gross loan debt, % of nominal GDP (SARB QB)”.