South Africa vs Sub-Saharan Africa: Health expenditure

South Africa
34.78 billion current US$
in 2011
Sub-Saharan Africa
83.94 billion current US$
in 2011
South Africa rank
1st
Sub-Saharan Africa rank
2nd

Health expenditure over time

  • South Africa
  • Sub-Saharan Africa
020.0B40.0B60.0B80.0B199520032011

How they compare

Sub-Saharan Africa currently reports 83.94 billion current US$ against 34.78 billion current US$ in South Africa, a difference of 49.16 billion current US$.

That makes Sub-Saharan Africa's figure about 2.4 times South Africa's.

Across all 17 years both countries report, Sub-Saharan Africa has been ahead every year.

South Africa ranks 1st and Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 2nd of 52 countries.

Sub-Saharan Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade South Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Difference Ahead
1990s 11.66 billion current US$ 20.24 billion current US$ 8.58 billion current US$ Sub-Saharan Africa
2000s 17.76 billion current US$ 40.57 billion current US$ 22.81 billion current US$ Sub-Saharan Africa
2010s 33.21 billion current US$ 79.53 billion current US$ 46.33 billion current US$ Sub-Saharan Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher health expenditure, South Africa or Sub-Saharan Africa?
Sub-Saharan Africa, at 83.94 billion current US$ against 34.78 billion current US$ in South Africa as of 2011.
What is the difference in health expenditure between South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa?
49.16 billion current US$, with Sub-Saharan Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa?
17 years are reported by both, from 1995 to 2011.
How do South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa rank globally for health expenditure?
South Africa ranks 1st and Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 2nd of 52 countries.
Where does this data come from?
World Health Organization Global Health Expenditure database (see http://apps.who.int/nha/database for the most recent updates), published as Health expenditure (current US$). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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South Africa vs Sub-Saharan Africa: Health expenditure. Statizoid, drawing on World Health Organization Global Health Expenditure database (see http://apps.who.int/nha/database for the most recent updates). Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/compare/health-expenditure-current-us/south-africa/sub-saharan-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Health expenditure (current US$)
Unit
current US$
Source
World Health Organization Global Health Expenditure database (see http://apps.who.int/nha/database for the most recent updates)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
58 places, 967 data points, 1995–2011
Last refreshed

World Health Organization Global Health Expenditure database (see http://apps.who.int/nha/database for the most recent updates).