Coal rents in South Africa
South Africa: Coal rents was 2.4% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Coal rents in South Africa, 1971–2021
Source: The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2021, coal rents in South Africa stood at 2.4%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 51.3% on the previous year and down 38.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, coal rents in South Africa peaked at 7.2% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 0.9%, in 1999.
That places South Africa 4th out of 199 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 51 years of available data.
Coal rents in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 1.0% | — |
| 1972 | 1.0% | +4.5% |
| 1973 | 1.0% | -4.2% |
| 1974 | 1.4% | +48.8% |
| 1975 | 2.8% | +99.8% |
| 1976 | 3.4% | +20.6% |
| 1977 | 3.6% | +5.3% |
| 1978 | 3.2% | -10.8% |
| 1979 | 3.0% | -5.4% |
| 1980 | 3.1% | +3.1% |
| 1981 | 4.8% | +53.9% |
| 1982 | 5.9% | +22.4% |
| 1983 | 3.6% | -39.8% |
| 1984 | 3.7% | +2.7% |
| 1985 | 5.6% | +52.7% |
| 1986 | 3.9% | -29.5% |
| 1987 | 2.2% | -45.1% |
| 1988 | 2.6% | +17.8% |
| 1989 | 2.8% | +11.3% |
| 1990 | 2.6% | -9.6% |
| 1991 | 2.4% | -7.5% |
| 1992 | 1.9% | -19.1% |
| 1993 | 1.5% | -21.3% |
| 1994 | 1.5% | +1.8% |
| 1995 | 2.1% | +33.5% |
| 1996 | 1.9% | -6.7% |
| 1997 | 1.6% | -16.0% |
| 1998 | 1.3% | -17.8% |
| 1999 | 0.9% | -32.5% |
| 2000 | 1.3% | +42.5% |
| 2001 | 2.5% | +93.1% |
| 2002 | 1.7% | -32.0% |
| 2003 | 1.4% | -19.3% |
| 2004 | 3.2% | +138.2% |
| 2005 | 2.3% | -28.3% |
| 2006 | 2.4% | +3.6% |
| 2007 | 3.1% | +30.1% |
| 2008 | 7.2% | +132.5% |
| 2009 | 2.3% | -67.8% |
| 2010 | 3.4% | +46.3% |
| 2011 | 3.9% | +15.5% |
| 2012 | 2.9% | -26.9% |
| 2013 | 2.5% | -13.3% |
| 2014 | 1.9% | -22.0% |
| 2015 | 1.5% | -23.3% |
| 2016 | 1.8% | +20.8% |
| 2017 | 2.1% | +14.3% |
| 2018 | 2.3% | +10.6% |
| 2019 | 1.8% | -22.9% |
| 2020 | 1.6% | -8.2% |
| 2021 | 2.4% | +51.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.3% | 1.0% | 3.6% | 9 |
| 1980s | 3.8% | 2.2% | 5.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.8% | 0.9% | 2.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.7% | 1.3% | 7.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.4% | 1.5% | 3.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.0% | 1.6% | 2.4% | 2 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 1 Cape Verde 17.2% compare
- 2 Mongolia 4.9% compare
- 3 Mozambique 3.8% compare
- 5 India 1.3% compare
- 6 Indonesia 1.2% compare
- 7 Kazakhstan 0.8% compare
More environment data for South Africa
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 5.46 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 8.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.275 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.05 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Import quantity, annual growth rate 28.21 % change on previous year (2024)
- Wood-based panels — Import quantity, per unit of GDP 0 m3 per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Wood-based panels — Import quantity, per capita 0.005 m3 per person (2024)
- Wood-based panels — Import value, annual growth rate 20.18 % change on previous year (2024)
- Wood-based panels — Import value, per unit of GDP 0 1000 USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is coal rents in South Africa?
- Coal rents in South Africa was 2.4% in 2021, according to The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest coal rents recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 7.2% in 2008.
- What is the lowest coal rents recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9% in 1999.
- How does South Africa rank for coal rents?
- South Africa ranks 4th out of 199 countries with data for 2021.
- Is coal rents rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 38.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank (WB), published as part of Coal rents (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Coal rents are the difference between the value of both hard and soft coal production at world prices and their total costs of production.