South Africa is considered a developing country. A nation's stage of development is determined by a number of factors including, but not limited to, economic prosperity, life expectancy, income equality and quality of life. As a developing country, South Africa may not be able to provide consistent social services to its citizens. These social services can include things like public education, reliable health care, and law enforcement. Citizens of developing countries can have a lower life expectancy than citizens of developed countries. Each year South Africa exports about US$91.05 billion and imports about US$99.55 billion. 27.5% of the country's population is unemployed. The total number of unemployed in South Africa is 15,784,566. In South Africa, 31.3% of the population lives below the poverty line. The percentage of citizens living below the poverty line in South Africa is quite high, but not a cause for great concern in terms of investment. Potential lenders should look at other economic indicators, including GDP, the rate of urbanization and the strength of the currency, before making investment decisions. Government spending on education is 5.4% of GDP. The country's Gini index is 62.5. South Africa is experiencing dire inequality. The gap between the richest and poorest citizens in this country is quite obvious and highly significant, resulting in dramatically different living standards for rich and poor citizens. South Africa has a Human Development Index (HDI) of 0.658. South Africa has an upper middle HDI score. This suggests that the majority of citizens will be able to lead a desirable life, although some citizens will not be able to attain a high standard of living. The Global Peace Index (GPI) for South Africa is 2.376. The Statutory Rights Strength Index for South Africa is 5. Overall, it is considered rather weak – bankruptcy and collateral laws can protect the rights of borrowers and lenders to some extent; Credit information may be sufficient but scarcely available, or conversely, available but not sufficient.

currency
The currency of South Africa is the South African Rand. The plural form of the word South African rand is rands. The symbol used for this currency is R and is abbreviated as ZAR. The South African rand is divided into cents; There are 100 in a border.

Credit rating
South Africa's creditworthiness depth index is 7, which means that the information is mostly sufficient and fairly detailed; Accessibility is not a problem. According to the rating agency S&P, South Africa has a credit rating of BBB- and the outlook for this rating is stable. According to Fitch rating agency, South Africa has a BBB credit rating and the prospects for that rating are stable. According to rating agency Moody's, South Africa has a credit rating of Baa2 and the prospects for this rating are stable.

Central bank
In South Africa, the institution that manages the state's currency, money supply and interest rates is called the South African Reserve Bank. The average interest rate on deposits offered by local banks in South Africa is 5.8%.

National debt
South Africa has a public debt of 43.3% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) as estimated in 2012.

Tax information
Corporate tax in South Africa is 28%. Personal income tax ranges from 0% to 41% depending on your specific situation and income level. VAT in South Africa is 14%.