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Budgets
South Africa · National budget

South Africa national budget, 2023/24 to 2026/27

What was approved, what was actually spent, and how much went to education and health, set against the targets South Africa signed up to.

Approved budget, 2026/27
R2.67tn
1 April to 31 March, as approved
Health share, 2026/27
11.6%
Abuja target is 15%
Education share, 2026/27
19.3%
Benchmark is 15 to 20%

Consolidated government, including the nine provinces.

South Africa: GDP, trade, investment, remittances and debt

Four-year comparison, 2023/24 to 2026/27

Is the budget growing, and is education and health spending keeping up?

EducationHealthDefence and securityInfrastructureAgricultureSocial protection
0%10%20%30%2023/242024/252025/262026/27Education 2023/24: 19.8%Education 2024/25: 19.8%Education 2025/26: 19.1%Education 2026/27: 19.3%Health 2023/24: 11.6%Health 2024/25: 11.5%Health 2025/26: 11.5%Health 2026/27: 11.6%Defence and security 2023/24: 10.1%Defence and security 2024/25: 10.3%Defence and security 2025/26: 10.2%Defence and security 2026/27: 10.3%Infrastructure 2023/24: 5.6%Infrastructure 2024/25: 6.2%Infrastructure 2025/26: 6.8%Infrastructure 2026/27: 6.1%Agriculture 2023/24: 1.2%Agriculture 2024/25: 1.2%Agriculture 2025/26: 1.1%Agriculture 2026/27: 1.5%Social protection 2023/24: 12.8%Social protection 2024/25: 12.6%Social protection 2025/26: 12.4%Social protection 2026/27: 12.4%

Each line as a share of the total approved national budget.

Line2023/242024/252025/262026/27Change
Total budget100%100%100%100%n/a
Education19.8%19.8%19.1%19.3%▼ 0.6 pts2023/24 to 2026/27
Health11.6%11.5%11.5%11.6%▲ 0.1 pts2023/24 to 2026/27
Defence and security10.1%10.3%10.2%10.3%▲ 0.1 pts2023/24 to 2026/27
Infrastructure5.6%6.2%6.8%6.1%▲ 0.6 pts2023/24 to 2026/27
Agriculture1.2%1.2%1.1%1.5%▲ 0.2 pts2023/24 to 2026/27
Social protection12.8%12.6%12.4%12.4%▼ 0.4 pts2023/24 to 2026/27

Consolidated government, including the nine provinces.

Source: National Treasury; World Bank, 2023/24 to 2026/27. Method

Approved against actual spending

Trillions of rand. The figure above each pair is the share of the approved budget actually spent.

ApprovedActual
01232023/24 approved: R2.24tn2023/24 actual: R2.26tn101%2023/242024/25 approved: R2.37tn2024/25 actual: R2.39tn101%2024/252025/26 approved: R2.58tn2025/26 actual: not published yetnone yet2025/262026/27 approved: R2.67tn2026/27 actual: not published yetnone yet2026/27
Show the figures
YearApprovedActualSpent
2023/24R2.24tnR2.26tn101%
2024/25R2.37tnR2.39tn101%
2025/26R2.58tnnone yetn/a
2026/27R2.67tnnone yetn/a

2025/26: the Treasury has not yet published the consolidated outcome for this year.

Consolidated government, including the nine provinces.

Source: National Treasury, 2023/24 to 2024/25. Method

Education and health against the pledges

Share of the approved national budget. Hollow points are partial years.

EducationHealth
Education 2030 benchmark, 15 to 20%0%5%10%15%20%2023/242024/252025/262026/27Abuja Declaration health target, 15%Education 2023/24: 19.8% of the approved budgetEducation 2024/25: 19.8% of the approved budgetEducation 2025/26: 19.1% of the approved budgetEducation 2026/27: 19.3% of the approved budgetHealth 2023/24: 11.6% of the approved budgetHealth 2024/25: 11.5% of the approved budgetHealth 2025/26: 11.5% of the approved budgetHealth 2026/27: 11.6% of the approved budget

The targets are set for total public spending, not for a single budget.

Consolidated government, including the nine provinces.

Source: National Treasury, 2023/24 to 2026/27. Targets: WHO, UNESCO. Method

Where the 2026/27 budget went

Share of the R2.67tn approved budget, by sector.

Education19.3%R0.51tn
Debt service16.2%R0.43tn
Social protection12.4%R0.33tn
Health11.6%R0.31tn
Defence and security10.3%R0.27tn
Infrastructure6.1%R0.16tn
Agriculture1.5%R0.04tn
All other lines22.6%R0.60tn

Consolidated government, including the nine provinces.

Source: National Treasury, 2026/27. Method

Budget documents

YearDocumentPublisherType
2026/272026 Budget Review (full), National Treasury, tabled 25 February 2026National Treasury, South AfricaBudget review
2026/272026 Budget Review, all tables (Excel zip)National Treasury, South AfricaReview tables
2026/272026 Budget Review, Statistical Annex tables (Excel zip)National Treasury, South AfricaStatistical annex
2026/27Appropriation Bill B4-2026 (Bill as introduced; signed Act not obtained)National Treasury, South AfricaBill
2025/262025 Budget Review (full), National Treasury, 12 March 2025 (Budget 2.0; superseded by the 21 May 2025 budget)National Treasury, South AfricaBudget review
2025/26Appropriation Bill B16-2025 (Bill as introduced; signed Act not obtained)National Treasury, South AfricaBill
2025/26Budget Speech, 21 May 2025National Treasury, South AfricaBudget speech
2025/26March 2025 Budget Review, all tables (Excel zip)National Treasury, South AfricaReview tables
2025/26March 2025 Budget Review, Statistical Annex tables (Excel zip)National Treasury, South AfricaStatistical annex
2025/26May 2025 Budget Overview incl. technical annexure tables, National Treasury, 21 May 2025National Treasury, South AfricaBudget review
2025/26May 2025 Budget Review, all tables incl. Technical Annexure (Excel zip)National Treasury, South AfricaReview tables
2025/26May 2025 Budget Review, Annexure D (infrastructure)National Treasury, South AfricaBudget review
2025/26May 2025 Budget Review, Statistical Annex tables incl. Technical Annexure (Excel zip)National Treasury, South AfricaStatistical annex
2025/26May 2025 Budget Review, Statistical tablesNational Treasury, South AfricaBudget review
2025/26Statement of the national government's revenue, expenditure and borrowing as at 31 March 2026 (press statement, summary, Tables 1 to 5, hardcoded database)National Treasury, South AfricaYear-end statement
2024/252024 Budget Review (full), National Treasury, tabled 21 February 2024National Treasury, South AfricaBudget review
2024/252024 Budget Review, all tables (Excel zip)National Treasury, South AfricaReview tables
2024/252024 Budget Review, Statistical Annex tables (Excel zip)National Treasury, South AfricaStatistical annex
2024/25Appropriation Bill B5-2024 (Bill as introduced; signed Act not obtained)National Treasury, South AfricaBill
2024/25Statement of the national government's revenue, expenditure and borrowing as at 31 March 2025 (press statement, summary, Tables 1 to 5, hardcoded database)National Treasury, South AfricaYear-end statement
2023/242023 Budget Review (full), National Treasury, tabled 22 February 2023National Treasury, South AfricaBudget review
2023/242023 Budget Review, all tables (Excel zip)National Treasury, South AfricaReview tables
2023/242023 Budget Review, Statistical Annex tables (Excel zip)National Treasury, South AfricaStatistical annex
2023/24Appropriation Bill B3-2023 (Bill as introduced; signed Act not obtained)National Treasury, South AfricaBill
2023/24Statement of the national government's revenue, expenditure and borrowing as at 31 March 2024 (press statement, summary, Tables 1 to 5, hardcoded database)National Treasury, South AfricaYear-end statement

Each link goes to the official publisher. Figures on this page come from these documents. Method