BH · AsiaZA · Africa

Bahrain vs South Africa: tax rates compared

Between the two, South Africa's income tax rate (45%) tops Bahrain's (0%) by 45pp. The 200-country average is 28%: Bahrain sits below it, South Africa sits above it.

Verified data covers six of the six tracked tax types for both countries; every rate below is cited to its source and dated.

At a glance

0102030405060Income0%45%Corporate0%27%VAT10%15%Capital Gains0%18%Crypto0%18%Wealth Tax0%
six shared taxes, side by side
Tax BH ZADifference
Income Tax0%45%ZA +45 pplargest gap
Corporate Tax0%27%ZA +27 pp
VAT10%15%ZA +5 pp
Capital Gains Tax0%18%ZA +18 pp
Crypto Tax0%18%ZA +18 pp
Wealth Tax0%0%match

Income Tax

Income Tax, side by side
CountryRateSource
Bahrain0%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Bahrain (Individual, Taxes on personal income) · as of 2026-01-11
South Africa45%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — South Africa (Individual, Taxes on personal income) · as of 2026-03-01
Difference−45 ppSouth Africa higher

Corporate Tax

Corporate Tax, side by side
CountryRateSource
Bahrain0%Source: Tax Foundation — Worldwide Corporate Tax Rates · as of 2025-01-01
South Africa27%Source: Tax Foundation — Worldwide Corporate Tax Rates · as of 2025-01-01
Difference−27 ppSouth Africa higher

Between the two, South Africa's corporate tax rate (27%) tops Bahrain's (0%) by 27pp. The 201-country average is 22.6%: Bahrain sits below it, South Africa sits above it.

VAT

VAT, side by side
CountryRateSource
Bahrain10%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Bahrain (Corporate, Other taxes) · as of 2026-01-11
South Africa15%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — South Africa (Corporate, Other taxes) · as of 2026-05-29
Difference−5 ppSouth Africa higher

Between the two, South Africa's VAT rate (15%) tops Bahrain's (10%) by 5pp. The 181-country average is 15%: Bahrain sits below it, South Africa matches the world average.

Capital Gains Tax

Capital Gains Tax, side by side
CountryRateSource
Bahrain0%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Bahrain (Individual, Income determination) · as of 2026-01-11
South Africa18%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — South Africa (Individual, Income determination) · as of 2026-05-29
Difference−18 ppSouth Africa higher

Between the two, South Africa's capital gains tax rate (18%) tops Bahrain's (0%) by 18pp. The 175-country average is 10.3%: Bahrain sits below it, South Africa sits above it.

Crypto Tax

Crypto Tax, side by side
CountryRateSource
Bahrain0%Source: PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Bahrain (Individual, Income determination) · as of 2026-01-11
South Africa18%Source: South African Revenue Service — Crypto Assets & Tax · as of 2026-03-20
Difference−18 ppSouth Africa higher

Between the two, South Africa's crypto tax rate (18%) tops Bahrain's (0%) by 18pp. The 88-country average is 13%: Bahrain sits below it, South Africa sits above it.

Wealth Tax

Wealth Tax, side by side
CountryRateSource
Bahrain0%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Bahrain (Net wealth/worth tax rates) · as of 2026-01-11
South Africa0%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — South Africa (Individual, Other taxes) · as of 2026-05-29
Difference0 ppdisplayed rates match

There's no gap here — Bahrain and South Africa both post a wealth tax rate of 0%. The 193-country average is 0.1%: both sit below it.