Investment in South Africa – a comment on recent contributions

Figures & data

Investment and real interest rates in South Africa

Notes: Real interest rate is calculated from the rate on government bonds (0–3 years) and consumer price inflation. The interest rate therefore does not fully reflect changes in short‐term interest rates, including the four 100‐basis point increases in interest rates instituted by the South African Reserve Bank in 2002.

International comparisons of growth and investment

	GNP per capital (US$)	Average real growth in GDP		Government deficit % of GDP	Capital expenditure by the government % of GDP	Investment % of GDP		Real growth in GDP
	1999	1980–90	1990–9	1998	1998	1990	1999	1990–9
South Africa	3 160	1,0	1,9	−2,9	1,2	12	16	3,0
Brazil	4 420	2,7	2,9	–	–	20	21	3,1
Chile	4 740	4,2	7,2	0,4	3,6	25	24	11,4
Malaysia	3 400	5,3	6,3	2,9	4,5	34	32	6,2
South Korea	8 490	9,4	5,7	−1,3	3,8	38	27	1,6
Colombia	2 250	3,6	3,3	−4,7	3,2	20	17	7,5
Egypt	1 400	5,4	4,4	−2,0	7,4	29	23	6,7
Costa Rica	2 740	3,0	4,1	−3,8	2,9	27	28	3,4
Venezuela	3 670	1,1	1,7	−2,8	3,8	10	15	2,9
Ghana	390	3,0	4,3	–	–	14	22	4,2
Uganda	320	2,9	7,2	–	–	13	17	9,9
All middle‐income countries	2 000	3,2	3,5			26	24	4,0
Notes: – indicates data not available. Italics indicate that data are for a year other than that specified. Source: World Bank (2001).

Percentage change in manufacturing output, employment and investment

Manufacturing gross domestic fixed investment (R million, constant 1995 prices)

	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001
Food	1 150	1 212	1 698	1 818	2 220	2 964	2 856	2 473	2 315	2 731	1 946	1 604
Beverages	1 374	1 041	1 464	1 218	1 117	1 013	1 185	891	1 422	1 969	2 557	1 698
Tobacco	43	71	56	42	23	27	33	15	55	45	48	55
Textiles	425	185	349	138	261	470	516	433	366	366	606	440
Wearing apparel	129	98	100	72	104	234	157	95	273	144	108	230
Leather and leather products	26	38	23	38	65	25	35	26	27	22	118	75
Footwear	40	38	48	34	44	93	34	28	17	37	34	32
Wood and wood products	217	148	157	118	121	242	280	251	232	211	201	309
Paper and paper products	907	449	554	703	1 042	1 783	1 320	1 371	1 317	2 493	1 948	1 960
Printing and publishing	134	130	228	214	436	622	645	593	702	408	492	293
Coke and refined petroleum products	7 144	7 251	4 423	2 472	1 524	2 171	1 764	2 465	2 231	2 910	3 430	2 905
Basic chemicals	558	517	390	441	537	973	1 521	2 141	2 035	1 208	2 170	3 367
Other chemicals and man‐made fibres	918	705	915	696	633	949	659	462	846	980	746	841
Rubber products	179	204	210	156	230	281	283	209	293	233	187	154
Plastic products	381	86	84	143	162	202	189	130	247	610	724	1 047
Glass and glass products	92	42	93	87	151	340	499	226	243	211	197	208
Non‐metallic minerals	419	480	451	323	392	616	789	828	737	552	602	606
Basic iron and steel	2 420	1 732	1 479	2 600	2 805	2 306	5 114	7 704	4 916	3 681	2 080	2 188
Basic non‐ferrous metals	567	603	288	2 262	3 587	2 582	1 762	1 032	1 781	941	757	943
Metal products (excl. machinery)	463	574	874	868	709	1 148	1 081	675	738	654	859	767
Machinery and equipment	328	313	339	212	253	437	363	256	375	244	366	831
Electrical machinery and apparatus	319	153	166	161	375	310	257	307	221	329	366	556
Radio and communication equipment, etc.	98	66	124	92	121	241	161	107	159	143	199	379
Motor vehicles and parts	1 162	941	1 203	1 379	854	1 318	1 288	746	1 566	1 801	2 826	2 345
Other transport equipment	43	44	77	152	185	285	233	379	205	135	223	547
Furniture	80	77	44	84	130	145	179	149	163	142	85	212
Other manufacturing	94	188	102	46	20	44	46	83	123	105	101	120
Total	19 709	17 384	15 938	16 568	18 099	21 820	23 246	24 073	23 600	23 307	23 976	24 712

WORLD BANK 2001 World Development Report, 2000/2001 Washington, DC: World Bank

 Google Scholar