South Africa vs Upper middle income: Insurance and financial services
Insurance and financial services over time
- South Africa
- Upper middle income
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 9.8% against 3.0% in Upper middle income, a difference of 6.8%.
That makes South Africa's figure about 3.3 times Upper middle income's.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 44 shared years of data; in 1982 it was South Africa ahead.
South Africa ranks 37th and Upper middle income ranks 38th of 190 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Upper middle income | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 8.3% | 6.4% | 1.9% | South Africa |
| 1990s | 8.7% | 4.1% | 4.5% | South Africa |
| 2000s | 6.3% | 2.4% | 3.9% | South Africa |
| 2010s | 7.7% | 3.8% | 3.9% | South Africa |
| 2020s | 10.8% | 3.9% | 6.9% | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher insurance and financial services, South Africa or Upper middle income?
- South Africa, at 9.8% against 3.0% in Upper middle income as of 2025.
- What is the difference in insurance and financial services between South Africa and Upper middle income?
- 6.8%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Upper middle income?
- 44 years are reported by both, from 1982 to 2025.
- How do South Africa and Upper middle income rank globally for insurance and financial services?
- South Africa ranks 37th and Upper middle income ranks 38th of 190 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as Insurance and financial services (% of commercial service exports). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
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About this data
Financial services covers services related to financial intermediation, financial risk management, liquidity transformation or auxiliary financial activities. It also includes insurance and pension scheme services which are services related to providing life insurance and annuities, non-life insurance, reinsurance, pensions, standardised guarantees and auxiliary services to insurance, pension schemes, and standardised guarantee schemes. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of service exports which are commercial services provided by residents to non-residents.