R

Value of 1990 South African Rand today

R100 in 1990
R827.55 in 2025

The cumulative inflation rate in South Africa between 1990 and today has been 727.55%, meaning that prices are 8.28 times higher than they were in 1990. In practical terms, the purchasing power of R100 in 1990 is equivalent to R827.55 in today's rand. The average annual inflation rate over this period has been 6.22%.

Inflation timeline in South Africa (1990 - 2025)

The chart below shows how the value of R100 changes over time when adjusted for inflation, based on Consumer Price Index (CPI) data. All values are equivalent in terms of purchasing power, indicating how much money would be needed each year to buy the same goods or services.

All calculations are performed in South African rand with six-decimal precision, though displayed values are rounded to two decimals for readability. Inflation figures are sourced from official government and international reports released monthly. To convert historical amounts into today's rand, we use the most recent CPI data available and extrapolate it to estimate the CPI for today.

The following table contains relevant indicators:

Indicator Value
Cumulative inflation 1990-2024 698.59%
Cumulative inflation 1990-today 727.55%
Avg. Annual inflation 1990-2024 6.3%
CPI 1990 19.55
CPI 2024 156.12
CPI 2025-01 (latest official data) 157.68
CPI today 161.79

How to calculate today's value of money after inflation?

There are several ways to calculate the time value of money. Depending on the data available, results can be obtained by using the Consumer Price Index (CPI) formula or the compound interest formula.

Using the CPI formula

When we have both the start and end years, we can use the following formula:

Valuet =Value0 ×
CPIt/CPI0

To obtain the values equivalent in buying power between 1990 and 2024, use the corresponding CPI values:

Value2024
=Value1990 ×
CPI2024/CPI1990
=R 100 ×
156.12/19.55
R798.59

To obtain the equivalent value today (present value), plug in the CPI for today, which is estimated as 161.79:

Valuetoday
=Value1990 ×
CPItoday/CPI1990
=R 100 ×
161.79/19.55
R827.55

Alternative: Using the compound interest formula

Given that money changes with time as a result of an inflation rate that acts as compound interest, we can use the following formula: FV = PV × (1 + i)n, where:

  • FV: Future Value
  • PV: Present Value
  • i: Interest rate (inflation)
  • n: Number of times the interest is compounded (i.e. # of years)

In this case, the future value represents the final amount obtained after applying the inflation rate to our initial value. In other words, it indicates how much are R100 worth today. There are 34 years between 1990 and 2024 and the average inflation rate was 6.3014%. Therefore, we can resolve the formula like this:

Value2024
=PV × (1 + i)n
=R100 × (1 + 0.063014)34
R798.59

South Africa inflation - Conversion table

Initial Value Equivalent value
R1 rand in 1990 R7.99 rand in 2024
R5 rand in 1990 R39.93 rand in 2024
R10 rand in 1990 R79.86 rand in 2024
R50 rand in 1990 R399.29 rand in 2024
R100 rand in 1990 R798.59 rand in 2024
R500 rand in 1990 R3,992.95 rand in 2024
R1,000 rand in 1990 R7,985.9 rand in 2024
R5,000 rand in 1990 R39,929.49 rand in 2024
R10,000 rand in 1990 R79,858.98 rand in 2024
R50,000 rand in 1990 R399,294.89 rand in 2024
R100,000 rand in 1990 R798,589.77 rand in 2024
R500,000 rand in 1990 R3,992,948.87 rand in 2024
R1,000,000 rand in 1990 R7,985,897.73 rand in 2024
Cumulative inflation From 1990 727.55%
Avg. annual inflation From 1990 6.22%
CPI 1990 19.55
CPI today 161.79

Value of Rand over time (by year)

Period Value
1990 100
1991 115.33
1992 131.34
1993 144.1
1994 156.98
1995 170.61
1996 183.15
1997 198.9
1998 212.59
1999 223.6
2000 235.54
2001 248.97
2002 272.61
2003 288.09
2004 286.1
2005 292
2006 301.47
2007 320.1
2008 351.82
2009 377.28
2010 392.63
2011 412.26
2012 435.92
2013 461.11
2014 489.39
2015 511.51
2016 545.28
2017 573.56
2018 599.43
2019 624.02
2020 644.19
2021 673.95
2022 721.39
2023 765.22
2024 798.59
2025-01 806.56
Today 827.55

All available years

Today's value of South African rand by year:

1957 | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |

Other currencies: