CM · AfricaZA · Africa

Cameroon vs South Africa: tax rates compared

Between the two, South Africa's income tax rate (45%) tops Cameroon's (38.5%) by 6.5pp. The 200-country average is 28%: both sit above it. Cameroon's figure is dated 2025-12-31 and South Africa's 2026-03-01, so the two rates come from different data vintages.

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

At a glance

0102030405060Income38.5%45%Corporate27%33%VAT15%19.3%Capital Gains16.5%18%Wealth Tax0%
five shared taxes, side by side
Tax CM ZADifference
Income Tax38.5%45%ZA +6.5 pplargest gap
Corporate Tax33%27%CM +6 pp
VAT19.3%15%CM +4.3 pp
Capital Gains Tax16.5%18%ZA +1.5 pp
Wealth Tax0%0%match

Income Tax

Income Tax, side by side
CountryRateSource
Cameroon38.5%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Cameroon, Republic of (Individual, Taxes on personal income) · as of 2025-12-31
South Africa45%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — South Africa (Individual, Taxes on personal income) · as of 2026-03-01
Difference−6.5 ppSouth Africa higher

Corporate Tax

Corporate Tax, side by side
CountryRateSource
Cameroon33%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+6 ppCameroon higher

Between the two, Cameroon's corporate tax rate (33%) tops South Africa's (27%) by 6pp. The 201-country average is 22.6%: both sit above it.

VAT

VAT, side by side
CountryRateSource
Cameroon19.3%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Cameroon, Republic of (Corporate, Other taxes) · as of 2025-12-31
South Africa15%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — South Africa (Corporate, Other taxes) · as of 2026-05-29
Difference+4.3 ppCameroon higher

Between the two, Cameroon's VAT rate (19.3%) tops South Africa's (15%) by 4.3pp. The 181-country average is 15%: Cameroon sits above it, South Africa matches the world average. Cameroon's figure is dated 2025-12-31 and South Africa's 2026-05-29, so the two rates come from different data vintages.

Capital Gains Tax

Capital Gains Tax, side by side
CountryRateSource
Cameroon16.5%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Cameroon, Republic of (Individual, Income determination) · as of 2025-12-31
South Africa18%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — South Africa (Individual, Income determination) · as of 2026-05-29
Difference−1.5 ppSouth Africa higher

Between the two, South Africa's capital gains tax rate (18%) tops Cameroon's (16.5%) by 1.5pp. The 175-country average is 10.3%: both sit above it. Cameroon's figure is dated 2025-12-31 and South Africa's 2026-05-29, so the two rates come from different data vintages.

Wealth Tax

Wealth Tax, side by side
CountryRateSource
Cameroon0%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Net wealth/worth tax rates (quick chart) · as of 2025-12-31
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 — Cameroon and South Africa both post a wealth tax rate of 0%. The 193-country average is 0.1%: both sit below it. Cameroon's figure is dated 2025-12-31 and South Africa's 2026-05-29, so the two rates come from different data vintages.

Not covered for both countries yet: Crypto Tax.