R

Value of 1991 South African Rand today

R100 in 1991
R717.52 in 2025

The cumulative inflation rate in South Africa between 1991 and today has been 617.52%, meaning that prices are 7.18 times higher than they were in 1991. In practical terms, the purchasing power of R100 in 1991 is equivalent to R717.52 in today's rand. The average annual inflation rate over this period has been 5.97%.

Inflation timeline in South Africa (1991 - 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 1991-2024 592.41%
Cumulative inflation 1991-today 617.52%
Avg. Annual inflation 1991-2024 6.04%
CPI 1991 22.55
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 1991 and 2024, use the corresponding CPI values:

Value2024
=Value1991 ×
CPI2024/CPI1991
=R 100 ×
156.12/22.55
R692.41

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

Valuetoday
=Value1991 ×
CPItoday/CPI1991
=R 100 ×
161.79/22.55
R717.52

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 33 years between 1991 and 2024 and the average inflation rate was 6.039%. Therefore, we can resolve the formula like this:

Value2024
=PV × (1 + i)n
=R100 × (1 + 0.06039)33
R692.41

South Africa inflation - Conversion table

Initial Value Equivalent value
R1 rand in 1991 R6.92 rand in 2024
R5 rand in 1991 R34.62 rand in 2024
R10 rand in 1991 R69.24 rand in 2024
R50 rand in 1991 R346.21 rand in 2024
R100 rand in 1991 R692.41 rand in 2024
R500 rand in 1991 R3,462.05 rand in 2024
R1,000 rand in 1991 R6,924.1 rand in 2024
R5,000 rand in 1991 R34,620.52 rand in 2024
R10,000 rand in 1991 R69,241.04 rand in 2024
R50,000 rand in 1991 R346,205.21 rand in 2024
R100,000 rand in 1991 R692,410.41 rand in 2024
R500,000 rand in 1991 R3,462,052.07 rand in 2024
R1,000,000 rand in 1991 R6,924,104.13 rand in 2024
Cumulative inflation From 1991 617.52%
Avg. annual inflation From 1991 5.97%
CPI 1991 22.55
CPI today 161.79

Value of Rand over time (by year)

Period Value
1991 100
1992 113.87
1993 124.94
1994 136.11
1995 147.92
1996 158.8
1997 172.45
1998 184.32
1999 193.87
2000 204.22
2001 215.87
2002 236.36
2003 249.79
2004 248.06
2005 253.17
2006 261.39
2007 277.54
2008 305.04
2009 327.12
2010 340.42
2011 357.45
2012 377.96
2013 399.81
2014 424.32
2015 443.5
2016 472.78
2017 497.3
2018 519.73
2019 541.05
2020 558.54
2021 584.34
2022 625.48
2023 663.48
2024 692.41
2025-01 699.32
Today 717.52

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 |

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