LV · EuropeZA · Africa

Latvia vs South Africa: tax rates compared

Between the two, South Africa's income tax rate (45%) tops Latvia's (33%) by 12pp. The 200-country average is 28%: both sit above it. Latvia's figure is dated 2025-12-30 and South Africa's 2026-03-01, so the two rates come from different data vintages.

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

0102030405060Income33%45%Corporate20%27%VAT15%21%Capital Gains18%25.5%Crypto18%25.5%Wealth Tax0%
six shared taxes, side by side
Tax LV ZADifference
Income Tax33%45%ZA +12 pplargest gap
Corporate Tax20%27%ZA +7 pp
VAT21%15%LV +6 pp
Capital Gains Tax25.5%18%LV +7.5 pp
Crypto Tax25.5%18%LV +7.5 pp
Wealth Tax0%0%match

Income Tax

Income Tax, side by side
CountryRateSource
Latvia33%Source: State Revenue Service of Latvia (VID) — Personal Income Tax rates · as of 2025-12-30
South Africa45%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — South Africa (Individual, Taxes on personal income) · as of 2026-03-01
Difference−12 ppSouth Africa higher

Corporate Tax

Corporate Tax, side by side
CountryRateSource
Latvia20%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−7 ppSouth Africa higher

Between the two, South Africa's corporate tax rate (27%) tops Latvia's (20%) by 7pp. The 201-country average is 22.6%: Latvia sits below it, South Africa sits above it.

VAT

VAT, side by side
CountryRateSource
Latvia21%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Latvia (Corporate, Other taxes) · as of 2026-06-30
South Africa15%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — South Africa (Corporate, Other taxes) · as of 2026-05-29
Difference+6 ppLatvia higher

Between the two, Latvia's VAT rate (21%) tops South Africa's (15%) by 6pp. The 181-country average is 15%: Latvia sits above it, South Africa matches the world average.

Capital Gains Tax

Capital Gains Tax, side by side
CountryRateSource
Latvia25.5%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Latvia (Individual, Income determination) · as of 2026-06-30
South Africa18%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — South Africa (Individual, Income determination) · as of 2026-05-29
Difference+7.5 ppLatvia higher

Between the two, Latvia's capital gains tax rate (25.5%) tops South Africa's (18%) by 7.5pp. The 175-country average is 10.3%: both sit above it.

Crypto Tax

Crypto Tax, side by side
CountryRateSource
Latvia25.5%Source: EY Worldwide Personal Tax and Immigration Guide 2025-26 — Latvia · as of 2025-10-01
South Africa18%Source: South African Revenue Service — Crypto Assets & Tax · as of 2026-03-20
Difference+7.5 ppLatvia higher

Between the two, Latvia's crypto tax rate (25.5%) tops South Africa's (18%) by 7.5pp. The 88-country average is 13%: both sit above it. Latvia's figure is dated 2025-10-01 and South Africa's 2026-03-20, so the two rates come from different data vintages.

Wealth Tax

Wealth Tax, side by side
CountryRateSource
Latvia0%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Net wealth/worth tax rates (quick chart) · as of 2026-06-30
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 — Latvia and South Africa both post a wealth tax rate of 0%. The 193-country average is 0.1%: both sit below it.