Customs and other import duties in South Africa
South Africa: Customs and other import duties was 3.9% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Customs and other import duties in South Africa, 1972–2024
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of tax revenue.
Analysis
In 2024, customs and other import duties in South Africa stood at 3.9%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.1% on the previous year and up 0.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, customs and other import duties in South Africa peaked at 9.5% in 1989 and was at its lowest, 0.8%, in 1994.
South Africa ranks 89th of 151 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 53 years of available data.
Customs and other import duties in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % of tax revenue | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 4.9% | — |
| 1973 | 4.8% | -0.7% |
| 1974 | 5.4% | +11.9% |
| 1975 | 5.7% | +5.5% |
| 1976 | 4.9% | -14.5% |
| 1977 | 8.3% | +69.8% |
| 1978 | 6.4% | -23.1% |
| 1979 | 5.1% | -20.3% |
| 1980 | 3.5% | -31.2% |
| 1981 | 4.9% | +40.8% |
| 1982 | 5.2% | +6.5% |
| 1983 | 3.5% | -33.5% |
| 1984 | 2.6% | -25.6% |
| 1985 | 3.0% | +16.4% |
| 1986 | 4.1% | +34.7% |
| 1987 | 4.1% | +1.7% |
| 1988 | 6.3% | +52.5% |
| 1989 | 9.5% | +51.5% |
| 1990 | 4.0% | -57.9% |
| 1991 | 4.1% | +1.5% |
| 1992 | 2.6% | -36.0% |
| 1993 | 3.7% | +42.5% |
| 1994 | 0.8% | -79.4% |
| 1995 | 4.5% | +484.4% |
| 1996 | 4.2% | -5.9% |
| 1997 | 3.0% | -28.4% |
| 1998 | 2.8% | -6.2% |
| 1999 | 2.8% | -1.5% |
| 2000 | 3.1% | +11.4% |
| 2001 | 3.0% | -2.4% |
| 2002 | 2.9% | -4.6% |
| 2003 | 2.6% | -8.7% |
| 2004 | 3.5% | +33.0% |
| 2005 | 4.3% | +23.0% |
| 2006 | 4.6% | +6.8% |
| 2007 | 4.4% | -3.9% |
| 2008 | 3.5% | -21.4% |
| 2009 | 3.1% | -11.0% |
| 2010 | 3.8% | +23.0% |
| 2011 | 4.4% | +16.2% |
| 2012 | 4.2% | -4.9% |
| 2013 | 4.7% | +11.3% |
| 2014 | 3.9% | -16.5% |
| 2015 | 4.1% | +4.1% |
| 2016 | 3.8% | -7.2% |
| 2017 | 3.9% | +3.3% |
| 2018 | 4.1% | +5.5% |
| 2019 | 3.9% | -5.6% |
| 2020 | 3.6% | -8.6% |
| 2021 | 3.5% | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 4.2% | +18.9% |
| 2023 | 3.9% | -8.5% |
| 2024 | 3.9% | +2.1% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 3.9% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5.5%, 71% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 3.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 12.7%, 31% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Customs and other import duties in South Africa changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | +484.4% | 0.8% | 4.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5.7% | 4.8% | 8.3% | 8 |
| 1980s | 4.7% | 2.6% | 9.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.2% | 0.8% | 4.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.5% | 2.6% | 4.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.1% | 3.8% | 4.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.8% | 3.5% | 4.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More public sector data for South Africa
- Arms imports 30.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.4746 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0001 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 30.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2023)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 44.31 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0071 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate -1.41 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 2.84 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 24.73 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is customs and other import duties in South Africa?
- Customs and other import duties in South Africa was 3.9% in 2024, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest customs and other import duties recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 9.5% in 1989.
- What is the lowest customs and other import duties recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.8% in 1994.
- How does South Africa rank for customs and other import duties?
- South Africa ranks 89th out of 151 countries with data for 2024.
- Is customs and other import duties rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Customs and other import duties (% of tax revenue). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Taxes and duties on imports are taxes on goods and services that become payable at the moment when goods enter the economic territory or when services are delivered by non-resident producers to residents. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of tax revenue which includes compulsory, unrequited payments, in cash or in kind, made by institutional units to government units.