Tariff rate, applied, weighted mean, manufactured products (%) in South Africa
South Africa: Tariff rate, applied, weighted mean, manufactured products (%) was 5.3% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Tariff rate, applied, weighted mean, manufactured products in South Africa, 1988–2022
Source: Staff estimates. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 5.3% for tariff rate, applied, weighted mean, manufactured products in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.9% on the previous year and down 3.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tariff rate, applied, weighted mean, manufactured products in South Africa peaked at 14.2% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 5.0%, in 2020.
South Africa ranks 79th of 184 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 30 years of available data.
Tariff rate, applied, weighted mean, manufactured products (%) in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 13.8% | — |
| 1990 | 11.4% | -17.1% |
| 1991 | 12.3% | +7.8% |
| 1993 | 14.2% | +15.7% |
| 1996 | 8.8% | -37.9% |
| 1997 | 7.0% | -20.7% |
| 1999 | 6.1% | -12.6% |
| 2000 | 6.2% | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 6.0% | -3.1% |
| 2002 | 5.7% | -4.5% |
| 2003 | 6.0% | +4.6% |
| 2004 | 6.5% | +8.7% |
| 2005 | 6.8% | +4.8% |
| 2006 | 6.6% | -2.7% |
| 2007 | 6.0% | -9.4% |
| 2008 | 5.1% | -15.5% |
| 2009 | 5.5% | +8.5% |
| 2010 | 5.7% | +3.8% |
| 2011 | 5.6% | -1.2% |
| 2012 | 5.5% | -2.3% |
| 2013 | 5.4% | -2.5% |
| 2014 | 5.3% | -1.5% |
| 2015 | 5.4% | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 5.2% | -2.2% |
| 2017 | 5.3% | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 5.3% | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 5.3% | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 5.0% | -4.9% |
| 2021 | 5.1% | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 5.3% | +4.9% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 5.3% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.0%, 1.3× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 5.3% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 8.5%, 62% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Tariff rate, applied, weighted mean, manufactured products (%) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | -37.9% | 14.2% | 8.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 13.8% | 13.8% | 13.8% | 1 |
| 1990s | 10.0% | 6.1% | 14.2% | 6 |
| 2000s | 6.0% | 5.1% | 6.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.4% | 5.2% | 5.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.1% | 5.0% | 5.3% | 3 |
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 tariff rate, applied, weighted mean, manufactured products in South Africa?
- Tariff rate, applied, weighted mean, manufactured products in South Africa was 5.3% in 2022, according to Staff estimates.
- What is the highest tariff rate, applied, weighted mean, manufactured products recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 14.2% in 1993.
- What is the lowest tariff rate, applied, weighted mean, manufactured products recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.0% in 2020.
- How does South Africa rank for tariff rate, applied, weighted mean, manufactured products?
- South Africa ranks 79th out of 184 countries with data for 2022.
- Is tariff rate, applied, weighted mean, manufactured products rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Staff estimates, published as part of Tariff rate, applied, weighted mean, manufactured products (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 30 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Weighted mean applied tariff is the average of effectively applied rates weighted by the product import shares corresponding to each partner country. Data are classified using the Harmonized System of trade at the six- or eight-digit level. Tariff line data were matched to Standard International Trade Classification (SITC) revision 3 codes to define commodity groups and import weights. To the extent possible, specific rates have been converted to their ad valorem equivalent rates and have been included in the calculation of weighted mean tariffs. Import weights were calculated using the United Nations Statistics Division's Commodity Trade (Comtrade) database. Effectively applied tariff rates at the six- and eight-digit product level are averaged for products in each commodity group. When the effectively applied rate is unavailable, the most favored nation rate is used instead. Manufactured products are commodities classified in SITC revision 3 sections 5-8 excluding division 68.