International tourism, expenditures (current US$) in South Africa
South Africa: International tourism, expenditures (current US$) was 1.59 billion current US$ in 2020. ▲ Rising
International tourism, expenditures in South Africa, 1995–2020
Source: Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism. Measured in current US$.
Analysis
In 2020, international tourism, expenditures in South Africa stood at 1.59 billion current US$. That is the lowest value across all 26 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 72.8% on the previous year and down 80.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, international tourism, expenditures in South Africa peaked at 8.40 billion current US$ in 2011 and was at its lowest, 1.59 billion current US$, in 2020.
South Africa ranks 52nd of 192 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
International tourism, expenditures (current US$) in South Africa, year by year
| Year | current US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 2.41 billion current US$ | — |
| 1996 | 2.32 billion current US$ | -3.8% |
| 1997 | 2.56 billion current US$ | +10.2% |
| 1998 | 2.50 billion current US$ | -2.3% |
| 1999 | 2.72 billion current US$ | +8.7% |
| 2000 | 2.68 billion current US$ | -1.2% |
| 2001 | 2.37 billion current US$ | -11.8% |
| 2002 | 2.25 billion current US$ | -4.9% |
| 2003 | 3.65 billion current US$ | +62.4% |
| 2004 | 4.24 billion current US$ | +15.9% |
| 2005 | 4.81 billion current US$ | +13.6% |
| 2006 | 5.23 billion current US$ | +8.7% |
| 2007 | 6.10 billion current US$ | +16.7% |
| 2008 | 6.91 billion current US$ | +13.1% |
| 2009 | 6.42 billion current US$ | -7.0% |
| 2010 | 8.14 billion current US$ | +26.8% |
| 2011 | 8.40 billion current US$ | +3.2% |
| 2012 | 7.14 billion current US$ | -14.9% |
| 2013 | 6.49 billion current US$ | -9.2% |
| 2014 | 6.31 billion current US$ | -2.7% |
| 2015 | 5.73 billion current US$ | -9.2% |
| 2016 | 5.35 billion current US$ | -6.6% |
| 2017 | 6.07 billion current US$ | +13.3% |
| 2018 | 6.35 billion current US$ | +4.6% |
| 2019 | 5.87 billion current US$ | -7.6% |
| 2020 | 1.59 billion current US$ | -72.8% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 1.59 billion current US$ is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 346.00 million current US$, 4.6× the median. (56 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 1.59 billion current US$ is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 128.50 million current US$, 12.4× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.50 billion current US$ | 2.32 billion current US$ | 2.72 billion current US$ | 5 |
| 2000s | 4.47 billion current US$ | 2.25 billion current US$ | 6.91 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.59 billion current US$ | 5.35 billion current US$ | 8.40 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.59 billion current US$ | 1.59 billion current US$ | 1.59 billion current US$ | 1 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More private sector data for South Africa
- Merchandise trade 57.2% (2025)
- Food imports 7.2% (2025)
- Manufactures imports 62.1% (2025)
- Merchandise imports 128.08 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service imports 21.49 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 12.8% (2025)
- Manufactures exports 38.3% (2025)
- Merchandise exports 116.40 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service exports 17.80 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 1,798 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is international tourism, expenditures in South Africa?
- International tourism, expenditures in South Africa was 1.59 billion current US$ in 2020, according to Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism.
- What is the highest international tourism, expenditures recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 8.40 billion current US$ in 2011.
- What is the lowest international tourism, expenditures recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.59 billion current US$ in 2020.
- How does South Africa rank for international tourism, expenditures?
- South Africa ranks 52nd out of 192 countries with data for 2020.
- Is international tourism, expenditures rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 80.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism, published as part of International tourism, expenditures (current US$). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
International tourism expenditures are expenditures of international outbound visitors in other countries, including payments to foreign carriers for international transport. These expenditures may include those by residents traveling abroad as same-day visitors, except in cases where these are important enough to justify separate classification. For some countries they do not include expenditures for passenger transport items. Data are in current U.S. dollars.