Registering property: Cost in South Africa
South Africa: Registering property: Cost was 8.0% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Registering property: Cost in South Africa, 2004–2019
Source: World Bank. Measured in % of property value.
Analysis
In 2019, registering property: cost in South Africa stood at 8.0%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.6% on the previous year and down 8.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, registering property: cost in South Africa peaked at 11.3% in 2004 and was at its lowest, 5.6%, in 2011.
That places South Africa 35th out of 187 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 16 years of available data.
Registering property: Cost in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % of property value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 11.3% | — |
| 2005 | 11.1% | -1.8% |
| 2006 | 9.0% | -18.9% |
| 2007 | 8.9% | -1.1% |
| 2008 | 8.8% | -1.1% |
| 2009 | 8.7% | -1.1% |
| 2010 | 8.9% | +2.3% |
| 2011 | 5.6% | -37.1% |
| 2012 | 5.9% | +5.4% |
| 2013 | 6.1% | +3.4% |
| 2014 | 6.2% | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 6.4% | +3.2% |
| 2016 | 7.3% | +14.1% |
| 2017 | 7.6% | +4.1% |
| 2018 | 7.8% | +2.6% |
| 2019 | 8.0% | +2.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 9.6% | 8.7% | 11.3% | 6 |
| 2010s | 7.0% | 5.6% | 8.9% | 10 |
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)
- Food exports 12.8% (2025)
- Manufactures exports 38.3% (2025)
- Merchandise exports 116.40 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 1,798 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2725 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 5.74 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is registering property: cost in South Africa?
- Registering property: cost in South Africa was 8.0% in 2019, according to the World Bank.
- What is the highest registering property: cost recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 11.3% in 2004.
- What is the lowest registering property: cost recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.6% in 2011.
- How does South Africa rank for registering property: cost?
- South Africa ranks 35th out of 187 countries with data for 2019.
- Is registering property: cost rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from the World Bank, published as part of Registering property: Cost (% of property value). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
The cost is the total of official costs associated with completing the procedures to transfer the property, expressed as a percentage of the property value, assumed to be equivalent to 50 times income per capita. It is calculted as a percentage of the property value. Only official costs required by law are recorded, including fees, transfer taxes, stamp duties and any other payment to the property registry, notaries, public agencies or lawyers. Other taxes, such as capital gains tax or value added tax, are excluded from the cost measure. Both costs borne by the buyer and the seller are included. If cost estimates differ among sources, the median reported value is used.