Tax revenue in South Africa
South Africa: Tax revenue was 25.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Tax revenue in South Africa, 1972–2024
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 25.9% for tax revenue in 2024.
The figure is up 1.9% on the previous year and up 5.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tax revenue in South Africa peaked at 26.0% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 15.0%, in 1972.
That places South Africa 10th out of 157 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 53 years of available data.
Tax revenue in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 15.0% | — |
| 1973 | 15.7% | +4.3% |
| 1974 | 15.5% | -1.0% |
| 1975 | 16.3% | +5.0% |
| 1976 | 16.2% | -0.5% |
| 1977 | 17.1% | +5.6% |
| 1978 | 17.3% | +1.3% |
| 1979 | 17.6% | +1.8% |
| 1980 | 17.8% | +0.8% |
| 1981 | 17.1% | -4.1% |
| 1982 | 18.1% | +6.2% |
| 1983 | 17.9% | -1.0% |
| 1984 | 19.1% | +6.4% |
| 1985 | 20.8% | +9.0% |
| 1986 | 20.1% | -3.3% |
| 1987 | 19.9% | -1.1% |
| 1988 | 20.8% | +4.7% |
| 1989 | 23.2% | +11.3% |
| 1990 | 21.2% | -8.6% |
| 1991 | 21.0% | -0.9% |
| 1992 | 18.9% | -10.1% |
| 1993 | 19.9% | +5.2% |
| 1994 | 19.6% | -1.3% |
| 1995 | 20.3% | +3.5% |
| 1996 | 21.0% | +3.4% |
| 1997 | 21.2% | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 22.0% | +3.4% |
| 1999 | 21.8% | -0.9% |
| 2000 | 21.0% | -3.6% |
| 2001 | 21.7% | +3.5% |
| 2002 | 20.8% | -4.0% |
| 2003 | 20.5% | -1.6% |
| 2004 | 21.7% | +5.9% |
| 2005 | 23.0% | +5.9% |
| 2006 | 24.4% | +6.1% |
| 2007 | 24.8% | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 24.3% | -2.0% |
| 2009 | 21.9% | -10.0% |
| 2010 | 22.5% | +2.9% |
| 2011 | 22.9% | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 23.3% | +2.1% |
| 2013 | 23.8% | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 24.4% | +2.5% |
| 2015 | 25.0% | +2.5% |
| 2016 | 24.8% | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 24.8% | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 24.9% | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 24.9% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 23.3% | -6.4% |
| 2021 | 26.0% | +11.5% |
| 2022 | 26.0% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 25.4% | -2.4% |
| 2024 | 25.9% | +1.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 16.4% | 15.0% | 17.6% | 8 |
| 1980s | 19.5% | 17.1% | 23.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 20.7% | 18.9% | 22.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.4% | 20.5% | 24.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 24.1% | 22.5% | 25.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.3% | 23.3% | 26.0% | 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 tax revenue in South Africa?
- Tax revenue in South Africa was 25.9% in 2024, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest tax revenue recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 26.0% in 2022.
- What is the lowest tax revenue recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.0% in 1972.
- How does South Africa rank for tax revenue?
- South Africa ranks 10th out of 157 countries with data for 2024.
- Is tax revenue rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 Tax revenue (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Taxes are compulsory, unrequited payments, in cash or in kind, made by institutional units to government units. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.