LS · AfricaZA · Africa
Lesotho vs South Africa: tax rates compared
Between the two, South Africa's income tax rate (45%) tops Lesotho's (30%) by 15pp. The 200-country average is 28%: both sit above it.
Verified data covers four of the six tracked tax types for both countries; every rate below is cited to its source and dated.
At a glance
| Tax | LS | ZA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income Tax | 30% | 45% | ZA +15 pplargest gap |
| Corporate Tax | 25% | 27% | ZA +2 pp |
| VAT | 15% | 15% | match |
| Wealth Tax | 0% | 0% | match |
Income Tax
| Country | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Lesotho | 30% | Source: Revenue Services Lesotho — Employees' Tax (Pay As You Earn) · as of 2026-07-20 |
| South Africa | 45% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — South Africa (Individual, Taxes on personal income) · as of 2026-03-01 |
| Difference | −15 pp | South Africa higher |
Corporate Tax
| Country | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Lesotho | 25% | 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 | −2 pp | South Africa higher |
Between the two, South Africa's corporate tax rate (27%) tops Lesotho's (25%) by 2pp. The 201-country average is 22.6%: both sit above it.
VAT
| Country | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Lesotho | 15% | Source: PwC — VAT and Indirect Taxes in Africa 2023, Lesotho · as of 2023-01-26 |
| South Africa | 15% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — South Africa (Corporate, Other taxes) · as of 2026-05-29 |
| Difference | 0 pp | displayed rates match |
There's no gap here — Lesotho and South Africa both post a VAT rate of 15%. The 181-country average is 15%: Lesotho matches the world average, South Africa matches the world average. Lesotho's figure is dated 2023-01-26 and South Africa's 2026-05-29, so the two rates come from different data vintages.
Wealth Tax
| Country | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Lesotho | 0% | Source: Revenue Services Lesotho — official site (tax categories) · 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 |
There's no gap here — Lesotho and South Africa both post a wealth tax rate of 0%. The 193-country average is 0.1%: both sit below it.
Not covered for both countries yet: Capital Gains Tax, Crypto Tax.