Return on assets in South Africa
South Africa: Return on assets was 2.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Return on assets in South Africa, 2008–2024
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for return on assets in South Africa is 2.1%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 17 years on record.
That represents a change of up 4.9% on the previous year and up 43.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, return on assets in South Africa peaked at 2.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.7%, in 2020.
That places South Africa 73rd out of 157 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 17 years of available data.
Return on assets in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 1.5% | — |
| 2009 | 1.2% | -24.2% |
| 2010 | 1.3% | +10.3% |
| 2011 | 1.6% | +22.1% |
| 2012 | 1.5% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 1.5% | -4.9% |
| 2014 | 1.5% | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 1.5% | +6.0% |
| 2016 | 1.8% | +14.5% |
| 2017 | 1.7% | -2.6% |
| 2018 | 1.7% | -1.7% |
| 2019 | 1.5% | -11.7% |
| 2020 | 0.7% | -54.9% |
| 2021 | 1.4% | +112.8% |
| 2022 | 1.9% | +34.9% |
| 2023 | 2.0% | +2.9% |
| 2024 | 2.1% | +4.9% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 2.1% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 2.5%, 83% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 2.1% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.3%, 64% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Return on assets in South Africa changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | +112.8% | 0.7% | 1.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.3% | 1.2% | 1.5% | 2 |
| 2010s | 1.6% | 1.3% | 1.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.6% | 0.7% | 2.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More development goals data for South Africa
- Red List Index 0.8693 index (2025)
- Number of refugees per 100,000 population, by country of origin 1.8 per 100,000 people (2025)
- Manufacturing value added per capita 651.49 constant US$ (2025)
- Number of transboundary breeds 105 (2025)
- Number of transboundary breeds (not extinct) 101 (2025)
- Number of transboundary breeds with unknown risk status 33 (2025)
- Number of local breeds with unknown risk status 40 (2025)
- Number of local breeds (not extinct) 56 (2025)
- Number of local breeds kept in the country 61 (2025)
- Infant deaths 28,570 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is return on assets in South Africa?
- Return on assets in South Africa was 2.1% in 2024, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest return on assets recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 2.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest return on assets recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7% in 2020.
- How does South Africa rank for return on assets?
- South Africa ranks 73rd out of 157 countries with data for 2024.
- Is return on assets rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 43.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Return on assets (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 17 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).