How much money South Africa contributes to the global economy

·30 Sep 2015

The world produced $77.9 trillion (R1.08 quadrillion) in 2014 – and South Africa contributed 0.45% to that number.

This is according to the latest GDP data from the World Bank, which updates global data for 2014 across 194 economies.

South Africa is listed as the 33rd biggest economy in the world with a GDP contribution of $349.8 billion (R4.83 trillion), though this is down from $366 billion (R5.06 trillion) in 2013.

South Africa’s GDP contribution has been on a steady decline since 2011, when it peaked at $416.6 billion (R5.76 trillion).

South Africa GDP, 2010 – 2014

As Africa’s largest economy, Nigeria is the 22nd biggest GDP contributor in the world at $568.5 billion (R7.86 trillion).

However, split among its 178.5 million people, the country carries a much lower GDP per capita of $3,185 (R44,027). South Africa has GDP per capita of $6,480 (R89,574).

Biggest economies in the world

The world’s largest economies have remained largely unchanged over the years, with the United States dominating by a large margin with a total GDP of $17.4 trillion (R240.5 trillion).

China also maintains a comfortable second, with GDP at $10.4 trillion (R143 trillion) in 2014, ahead of Japan’s $4.6 trillion (R63.6 trillion), and Germany’s $3.8 trillion (R52.5 trillion).

The top 15 economies in the world account for 71.5% of the world’s total output, totalling $57.75 trillion.

Top 15 economies

#	Country	GDP, 2014 (US$m)	% of total
1	USA	17 419 000	22.4%
2	China	10 360 105	13.3%
3	Japan	4 601 461	5.9%
4	Germany	3 852 556	4.9%
5	United Kingdom	2 941 886	3.8%
6	France	2 829 192	3.6%
7	Brazil	2 346 118	3.0%
8	Italy	2 144 338	2.8%
9	India	2 066 902	2.7%
10	Russian Federation	1 860 598	2.4%
11	Canada	1 786 655	2.3%
12	Australia	1 453 770	1.9%
13	Republic of Korea	1 410 383	1.8%
14	Spain	1 404 307	1.8%
15	Mexico	1 282 720	1.6%

33	South Africa	349 817	0.4%