ET · AfricaZA · Africa
Ethiopia vs South Africa: tax rates compared
South Africa's income tax rate is 10pp higher than Ethiopia's (45% vs 35%). The 200-country average is 28%: both sit above it.
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
| Tax | ET | ZA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income Tax | 35% | 45% | ZA +10 pplargest gap |
| Corporate Tax | 30% | 27% | ET +3 pp |
| VAT | 15% | 15% | match |
| Capital Gains Tax | 15% | 18% | ZA +3 pp |
| Wealth Tax | 0% | 0% | match |
Income Tax
| Country | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ethiopia | 35% | Source: PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Ethiopia, Individual - Taxes on personal income · as of 2026-07-15 |
| South Africa | 45% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — South Africa (Individual, Taxes on personal income) · as of 2026-03-01 |
| Difference | −10 pp | South Africa higher |
Corporate Tax
| Country | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ethiopia | 30% | Source: Tax Foundation — Worldwide Corporate Tax Rates · as of 2025-01-01 |
| South Africa | 27% | Source: Tax Foundation — Worldwide Corporate Tax Rates · as of 2025-01-01 |
| Difference | +3 pp | Ethiopia higher |
Ethiopia's corporate tax rate is 3pp higher than South Africa's (30% vs 27%). The 201-country average is 22.6%: both sit above it.
VAT
| Country | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ethiopia | 15% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Ethiopia (Corporate, Other taxes) · as of 2026-07-15 |
| South Africa | 15% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — South Africa (Corporate, Other taxes) · as of 2026-05-29 |
| Difference | 0 pp | displayed rates match |
Ethiopia's VAT rate is identical to South Africa's — both sit at 15%. The 181-country average is 15%: Ethiopia matches the world average, South Africa matches the world average.
Capital Gains Tax
| Country | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ethiopia | 15% | Source: PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Ethiopia, Corporate - Other taxes · as of 2026-07-15 |
| South Africa | 18% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — South Africa (Individual, Income determination) · as of 2026-05-29 |
| Difference | −3 pp | South Africa higher |
South Africa's capital gains tax rate is 3pp higher than Ethiopia's (18% vs 15%). The 175-country average is 10.3%: both sit above it.
Wealth Tax
| Country | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ethiopia | 0% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Ethiopia (Individual, Other taxes) · as of 2026-07-15 |
| South Africa | 0% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — South Africa (Individual, Other taxes) · as of 2026-05-29 |
| Difference | 0 pp | displayed rates match |
Ethiopia's wealth tax rate is identical to South Africa's — both sit at 0%. The 193-country average is 0.1%: both sit below it.
Not covered for both countries yet: Crypto Tax.