Exchange Rates
The rand's exchange rates against the US dollar and the euro, together with the euro to dollar rate, are taken from Open Exchange Rates and updated twice daily.
Rates as of: 16:00, 2 Nov 2026 UTC
USD / ZAR
EUR / USD
EUR / ZAR
The rand over the last 90 days
The chart plots the rand per US dollar and per euro from daily closing snapshots, so a higher line means a weaker rand. Source: Open Exchange Rates.
What moves the rand?
The rand is one of the most volatile currencies in the world, and roughly four fifths of all rand trading happens outside South Africa, in London, New York and Singapore, so it often moves on global mood rather than on South African news. Our editorial analyses examine the forces in order of strength, and the summary below condenses them.
Commodity prices
Gold and platinum group metals make up about 20% of South Africa's exports, so rising prices for them tend to lift the rand, whereas imported oil works the other way round.
Oil: the import bill
South Africa produces almost no oil but consumes over 612,000 barrels a day, all priced in dollars, so when oil rises more dollars are needed to pay the bill and the rand usually weakens. About half of the petrol pump price is made up of that international component.
The dollar and global risk appetite
Because the rand is liquid and freely traded, global investors use it to express a view on emerging markets in general. In risk-off moments they sell the rand first and ask questions later, and oil spikes often arrive together with exactly that mood, hitting the rand from two directions at once.
Interest rate gaps
The gap between South African and foreign interest rates steers capital flows: higher local rates attract foreign buyers of South African bonds, which supports the rand. Domestic politics and energy supply set the backdrop, and occasionally grab the wheel.
About This Data
This page shows exchange rates for three currency pairs relevant to South Africa and Europe, which we fetch twice daily from Open Exchange Rates and derive from its USD base rate (free plan).
- USD/ZAR: US Dollar to South African Rand (direct)
- EUR/USD: Euro to US Dollar (inverted from USD/EUR)
- EUR/ZAR: Euro to South African Rand (derived: ZAR/EUR)
The full daily series
We provide the daily-close series behind the chart as an Excel workbook, with one row per currency pair per day and the source named on every row.
Column dictionary
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
date | Trading date (UTC) |
pair | Currency pair, e.g. USDZAR = US dollars to South African rand |
rate | Daily closing rate: units of the second currency per one unit of the first |
source | Organisation that published the rate |
source_url | The publisher's site |
Data Sources
Rates are sourced from Open Exchange Rates (openexchangerates.org), which aggregates data from multiple financial sources; the base currency is USD (free plan), EUR/ZAR is a derived cross rate, and the rates are updated twice daily.
Disclaimer
Exchange rates are provided for informational purposes only and should not be used for financial transactions, since the rates actually offered may vary; live trading rates are available from your bank or financial provider.