Fiatmap

Cost of moneySouth Africa

Bank spread in South Africa

How much does the banking system take between savers and borrowers?

South Africa's bank spread is 3.21 % — #18 of 62 countries on the atlas (lower is better). Period 2025.

3.21%

Checked 4 Sept 2026Period 2025

Source: Fiatmap derived metrics (own calculation from separately sourced components)

Banks in South Africa keep about 3.2 pp between what they pay savers and what they charge borrowers.

Among 62 countries

15 of 62 countries between 1.46 % and 2.97 %11 of 62 countries between 2.97 % and 4.47 %11 of 62 countries between 4.47 % and 5.98 %10 of 62 countries between 5.98 % and 7.49 %6 of 62 countries between 7.49 % and 9.00 %2 of 62 countries between 9.00 % and 10.50 %3 of 62 countries between 10.50 % and 12.01 %1 of 62 countries between 18.04 % and 19.55 %3 of 62 countries between 36.12 % and 37.63 %median 5.32 %South Africa: ahead of 71 % of the 62 countries with a published bank spreadSouth Africa 3.21 %1.46 %37.63 %
Half of all 62 countries sit between 3.07 % and 7.18 %. South Africa is ahead of 71 % of them. Axis trimmed to the 2nd–98th percentile; 3 values beyond it sit in the end bars.
Rank
#18 of 62
lower is better
Ranked behind
71 %
44 of 62 countries

In Africa: #1 of 13vs median 5.33 %: −2.13 pp (better)

The bank's cut, drawn

The bank pays you (deposit rate)7.48 %The bank charges the borrower (lending rate)10.69 %the cut: 3.21 pp
Both rates are IMF-harmonised national averages — same source, same country, no conversion. The hatched span is what the banking system keeps between savers and borrowers: wide cuts often mean thin competition or high risk premiums. Loan and deposit mixes differ by country, so treat close values as similar rather than identical.

The neighbourhood

#CountryBank spreadvs South Africa
16 Czech Republic3.07 %−0.14 pp
17 Indonesia3.09 %−0.12 pp
18 South Africa3.21 %—
19 Romania3.29 %+0.08 pp
20 Costa Rica3.44 %+0.23 pp

Lending rate minus deposit rate — what the banking system keeps between savers and borrowers. Our calculation from two IMF-harmonised series.

How to read this figure

Our own calculation: the bank lending rate minus the bank deposit rate, both IMF-harmonised. It is a rough measure of what the banking system takes between savers and borrowers — wide spreads often mean thin competition or high risk premiums. The underlying loan and deposit mixes differ by country, so treat close values as similar rather than identical.

Next, about South Africa

Lending rateDeposit rate
Bank spread, all countries ranked →Compare South Africa with another country →Everything about South Africa →
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