Telecommunications investment in South Africa

South Africa: Telecommunications investment was 13.31 billion current LCU in 2010. β—† Volatile

Latest (2010)
13.31 billion current LCU
Change on year
down 9.1%
World rank
24th
of 48 countries
All-time high
16.80 billion current LCU
in 1998
All-time low
77.00 million current LCU
in 1970
Years of data
34
1970–2010

Telecommunications investment in South Africa, 1970–2010

05.0B10.0B15.0B1970199020101970: 77.0M current LCU1975: 167.0M current LCU1976: 223.0M current LCU1977: 250.0M current LCU1978: 295.0M current LCU1979: 314.0M current LCU1980: 378.9M current LCU1981: 527.3M current LCU1982: 784.5M current LCU1983: 897.9M current LCU1984: 1.1B current LCU1985: 1.4B current LCU1986: 1.6B current LCU1987: 1.4B current LCU1988: 1.3B current LCU1989: 1.4B current LCU1990: 1.5B current LCU1991: 1.5B current LCU1992: 1.4B current LCU1993: 2.4B current LCU1994: 3.5B current LCU1995: 4.1B current LCU1996: 4.8B current LCU1997: 8.2B current LCU1998: 16.8B current LCU1999: 11.9B current LCU2000: 12.1B current LCU2001: 12.0B current LCU2002: 7.5B current LCU2003: 6.6B current LCU2007: 13.9B current LCU2008: 16.2B current LCU2009: 14.6B current LCU2010: 13.3B current LCU

Source: International Telecommunication Union, World Telecommunication/ICT Development Report and database, and World Bank estimates. Measured in current LCU.

Analysis

The most recent figure for telecommunications investment in South Africa is 13.31 billion current LCU, measured in 2010.

That represents a change of down 9.1% on the previous year and up 10.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, telecommunications investment in South Africa peaked at 16.80 billion current LCU in 1998 and was at its lowest, 77.00 million current LCU, in 1970.

That places South Africa 24th out of 48 countries with data for 2010, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 221.00 million current LCU 77.00 million current LCU 314.00 million current LCU 6
1980s 1.08 billion current LCU 378.88 million current LCU 1.60 billion current LCU 10
1990s 5.62 billion current LCU 1.44 billion current LCU 16.80 billion current LCU 10
2000s 11.85 billion current LCU 6.59 billion current LCU 16.22 billion current LCU 7
2010s 13.31 billion current LCU 13.31 billion current LCU 13.31 billion current LCU 1

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 21 Sudan 18.71 billion current LCU compare
  2. 22 Central African Republic 13.41 billion current LCU compare
  3. 23 Egypt 13.31 billion current LCU compare
  4. 25 Gabon 9.61 billion current LCU compare
  5. 26 Tanzania, United Republic of 8.27 billion current LCU compare
  6. 27 Sierra Leone 7.97 billion current LCU compare

See the full ranking of 48 places β†’

More infrastructure data for South Africa

All data for South Africa β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is telecommunications investment in South Africa?
Telecommunications investment in South Africa was 13.31 billion current LCU in 2010, according to International Telecommunication Union, World Telecommunication/ICT Development Report and database, and World Bank estimates.
What is the highest telecommunications investment recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 16.80 billion current LCU in 1998.
What is the lowest telecommunications investment recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 77.00 million current LCU in 1970.
How does South Africa rank for telecommunications investment?
South Africa ranks 24th out of 48 countries with data for 2010.
Is telecommunications investment rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 10.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from International Telecommunication Union, World Telecommunication/ICT Development Report and database, and World Bank estimates, published as part of Telecommunications investment (current LCU). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV Β· JSON β€” 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Telecommunications investment in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on International Telecommunication Union, World Telecommunication/ICT Development Report and database, and World Bank estimates. Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/stat/telecommunications-investment-current-lcu/south-africa/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/stat/telecommunications-investment-current-lcu/south-africa/">Telecommunications investment in South Africa</a> β€” Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Telecommunications investment (current LCU)
Unit
current LCU
Source
International Telecommunication Union, World Telecommunication/ICT Development Report and database, and World Bank estimates
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
48 places, 1,024 data points, 1965–2011
Last refreshed

Telecommunications investment refers to the expenditure associated with acquiring the ownership of telecommunication equipment infrastructure (including supporting land and buildings and intellectual and non-tangible property such as computer software). These include expenditure on initial installations and on additions to existing installations.