South African came joint first with New Zealand out of 115 countries in the 2017 Open Budget Index (OBI) survey, the National Treasury said on Wednesday.

The survey assesses the availability of eight key budget documents in each of the 115 countries evaluated, and considers the comprehensiveness of data in these documents.

It also examines the extent of effective oversight provided by legislatures, the independent fiscal institutions and the supreme audit institutions, and the opportunities available to the public to participate in national budget processes. 

In the 2017 OBI, South Africa scored 89 out of 100 in terms of transparency. The country has consistently been rated among the top three since it held the first position in the 2010 index.

Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba, will table the 2018 budget in parliament on February 21.