SA · AsiaZA · Africa
Saudi Arabia vs South Africa: tax rates compared
Between the two, South Africa's income tax rate (45%) tops Saudi Arabia's (0%) by 45pp. The 200-country average is 28%: Saudi Arabia sits below it, South Africa sits above it.
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
| Tax | SA | ZA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income Tax | 0% | 45% | ZA +45 pplargest gap |
| Corporate Tax | 20% | 27% | ZA +7 pp |
| VAT | 15% | 15% | match |
| Capital Gains Tax | 0% | 18% | ZA +18 pp |
| Crypto Tax | 0% | 18% | ZA +18 pp |
| Wealth Tax | 0% | 0% | match |
Income Tax
| Country | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | 0% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Saudi Arabia (Individual, Taxes on personal income) · as of 2026-01-14 |
| South Africa | 45% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — South Africa (Individual, Taxes on personal income) · as of 2026-03-01 |
| Difference | −45 pp | South Africa higher |
Corporate Tax
| Country | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | 20% | 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 | −7 pp | South Africa higher |
Between the two, South Africa's corporate tax rate (27%) tops Saudi Arabia's (20%) by 7pp. The 201-country average is 22.6%: Saudi Arabia sits below it, South Africa sits above it.
VAT
| Country | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | 15% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Saudi Arabia (Corporate, Other taxes) · as of 2020-07-01 |
| 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 — Saudi Arabia and South Africa both post a VAT rate of 15%. The 181-country average is 15%: Saudi Arabia matches the world average, South Africa matches the world average. Saudi Arabia's figure is dated 2020-07-01 and South Africa's 2026-05-29, so the two rates come from different data vintages.
Capital Gains Tax
| Country | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | 0% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Saudi Arabia (Individual, Income determination) · as of 2026-01-14 |
| South Africa | 18% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — South Africa (Individual, Income determination) · as of 2026-05-29 |
| Difference | −18 pp | South Africa higher |
Between the two, South Africa's capital gains tax rate (18%) tops Saudi Arabia's (0%) by 18pp. The 175-country average is 10.3%: Saudi Arabia sits below it, South Africa sits above it.
Crypto Tax
| Country | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | 0% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Saudi Arabia (Individual, Income determination) · as of 2026-01-14 |
| South Africa | 18% | Source: South African Revenue Service — Crypto Assets & Tax · as of 2026-03-20 |
| Difference | −18 pp | South Africa higher |
Between the two, South Africa's crypto tax rate (18%) tops Saudi Arabia's (0%) by 18pp. The 88-country average is 13%: Saudi Arabia sits below it, South Africa sits above it.
Wealth Tax
| Country | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | 0% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Saudi Arabia (Individual, Other taxes) · as of 2026-01-14 |
| 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 — Saudi Arabia and South Africa both post a wealth tax rate of 0%. The 193-country average is 0.1%: both sit below it.