KE · AfricaZA · Africa
Kenya vs South Africa: tax rates compared
South Africa's income tax rate is 10pp higher than Kenya'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 | KE | ZA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income Tax | 35% | 45% | ZA +10 pp |
| Corporate Tax | 30% | 27% | KE +3 pp |
| VAT | 16% | 15% | KE +1 pp |
| Capital Gains Tax | 0% | 18% | ZA +18 pplargest gap |
| Wealth Tax | 0% | 0% | match |
Income Tax
| Country | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Kenya | 35% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Kenya (Individual, Taxes on personal income) · as of 2026-07-17 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Kenya | 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 | Kenya higher |
Kenya'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 |
|---|---|---|
| Kenya | 16% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Kenya (Corporate, Other taxes) · as of 2026-07-17 |
| South Africa | 15% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — South Africa (Corporate, Other taxes) · as of 2026-05-29 |
| Difference | +1 pp | Kenya higher |
Kenya's VAT rate is 1pp higher than South Africa's (16% vs 15%). The 181-country average is 15%: Kenya sits above it, South Africa matches the world average.
Capital Gains Tax
| Country | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Kenya | 0% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Kenya (Corporate, Other taxes) · as of 2026-07-17 |
| South Africa | 18% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — South Africa (Individual, Income determination) · as of 2026-05-29 |
| Difference | −18 pp | South Africa higher |
South Africa's capital gains tax rate is 18pp higher than Kenya's (18% vs 0%). The 175-country average is 10.3%: Kenya sits below it, South Africa sits above it.
Wealth Tax
| Country | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Kenya | 0% | Source: Kenya Revenue Authority — Types of Taxes (Individual) · as of 2026-07-18 |
| South Africa | 0% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — South Africa (Individual, Other taxes) · as of 2026-05-29 |
| Difference | 0 pp | displayed rates match |
Kenya'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.