South Africa’s long term per capita income growth has been disappointing compared with leading economies. The divergence between income levels has been largest relative to Australia and New Zealand, where South Africa’s GDP per capita in 1820 was over 140% of their levels, compared to 24% of Australia’s and 34% of New Zealand’s by 2018. Over the last two centuries, South Africa’s GDP per capita also fell from 36% of the level of the United Kingdom’s, 44% of that of the United States, 74% of Argentina’s, and 82% of Canada’s, to 22% of the United States’, 27% of Canada’s, 32% of the United Kingdom’s, and 65% of Argentina’s level of GDP per capita.
