R

Value of 1994 South African Rand today

R100 in 1994
R527.12 in 2025

The cumulative inflation rate in South Africa between 1994 and today has been 427.12%, meaning that prices are 5.27 times higher than they were in 1994. In practical terms, the purchasing power of R100 in 1994 is equivalent to R527.12 in today's rand. The average annual inflation rate over this period has been 5.51%.

Inflation timeline in South Africa (1994 - 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 1994-2024 408.72%
Cumulative inflation 1994-today 427.12%
Avg. Annual inflation 1994-2024 5.57%
CPI 1994 30.69
CPI 2024 156.12
CPI 2025-01 (latest official data) 157.68
CPI today 161.77

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 1994 and 2024, use the corresponding CPI values:

Value2024
=Value1994 ×
CPI2024/CPI1994
=R 100 ×
156.12/30.69
R508.72

To obtain the equivalent value today (present value), plug in the CPI for today, which is estimated as 161.77:

Valuetoday
=Value1994 ×
CPItoday/CPI1994
=R 100 ×
161.77/30.69
R527.12

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 30 years between 1994 and 2024 and the average inflation rate was 5.5721%. Therefore, we can resolve the formula like this:

Value2024
=PV × (1 + i)n
=R100 × (1 + 0.055721)30
R508.72

South Africa inflation - Conversion table

Initial Value Equivalent value
R1 rand in 1994 R5.09 rand in 2024
R5 rand in 1994 R25.44 rand in 2024
R10 rand in 1994 R50.87 rand in 2024
R50 rand in 1994 R254.36 rand in 2024
R100 rand in 1994 R508.72 rand in 2024
R500 rand in 1994 R2,543.6 rand in 2024
R1,000 rand in 1994 R5,087.2 rand in 2024
R5,000 rand in 1994 R25,436.01 rand in 2024
R10,000 rand in 1994 R50,872.02 rand in 2024
R50,000 rand in 1994 R254,360.09 rand in 2024
R100,000 rand in 1994 R508,720.19 rand in 2024
R500,000 rand in 1994 R2,543,600.95 rand in 2024
R1,000,000 rand in 1994 R5,087,201.9 rand in 2024
Cumulative inflation From 1994 427.12%
Avg. annual inflation From 1994 5.51%
CPI 1994 30.69
CPI today 161.77

Value of Rand over time (by year)

Period Value
1994 100
1995 108.68
1996 116.67
1997 126.7
1998 135.42
1999 142.44
2000 150.04
2001 158.6
2002 173.66
2003 183.52
2004 182.25
2005 186.01
2006 192.04
2007 203.91
2008 224.12
2009 240.34
2010 250.11
2011 262.62
2012 277.69
2013 293.74
2014 311.75
2015 325.84
2016 347.36
2017 365.37
2018 381.85
2019 397.52
2020 410.37
2021 429.32
2022 459.54
2023 487.46
2024 508.72
2025-01 513.8
Today 527.12

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: