South Africa's international tourism, expenditures for passenger transport items (current US$) was US$666 million in 2020, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 73.82% from US$2.54 billion in 2010 (12.54% a year on average, compounded).
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | US$666 million | 2020 |
| Five years earlier | US$2.74 billion | 2015 |
| Ten years earlier | US$2.54 billion | 2010 |
| Highest | US$3.15 billion | 2014 |
| Lowest | US$440 million | 2002 |
| Average since 2011 | US$2.68 billion | 2011–2020 |
| First recorded | US$565 million |
What the numbers say
In 2020, South Africa's international tourism, expenditures for passenger transport items (current US$) fell 75.6% on 2019 (from US$2.73 billion to US$666 million).
Across the 24 yearly changes before that (1996 to 2019), the average change was +8.5% and a typical year strayed about 20.9% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 4.0 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 74.1% in 2003 and the biggest yearly fall was 75.6% in 2020. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2011 to 2020 the straight-line trend is downward, about US$159.48 million a year. A straight line explains 43% of the movement over 10 observed years.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
How it compares
In 2020, South Africa had the 17th highest value of the 123 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| South Africa | US$666 million | 2020 |
| World | US$249.92 billion | 2019 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | US$11.91 billion | 2019 |
Closest to South Africa in the 2020 ranking
What this measures
International tourism expenditures for passenger transport items are expenditures of international outbound visitors in other countries for all services provided during international transportation by nonresident carriers. Also included are passenger services performed within an economy by nonresident carriers. Excluded are passenger services provided to nonresidents by resident carriers within the resident economies; these are included in travel items. In addition to the services covered by passenger fares--including fares that are a part of package tours but excluding cruise fares, which are included in travel--passenger services include such items as charges for excess baggage, vehicles, or other personal accompanying effects and expenditures for food, drink, or other items for which passengers make expenditures while on board carriers. Data are in current U.S. dollars.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a gap-filled total.
All 26 values
| Year | International tourism, expenditures for passenger transport items (current US$) |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 666,000,000 |
| 2019 | 2,725,000,000 |
| 2018 | 2,946,000,000 |
| 2017 | 2,810,000,000 |
| 2016 | 2,496,000,000 |
| 2015 | 2,736,000,000 |
| 2014 | 3,145,000,000 |
| 2013 | 3,062,000,000 |
| 2012 | 3,076,000,000 |
| 2011 | 3,114,000,000 |
International tourism, expenditures for passenger transport items (current US$) in nearby economies
- Angola — US$76 million (2020)
- Benin — US$36 million (2019)
- Botswana — US$2.8 million (2020)
- Burkina Faso — US$70.6 million (2019)
- Cabo Verde — US$7 million (2020)
- Cameroon — US$144 million (2020)
- Comoros — US$12 million (2020)
- Congo, Rep. — US$206 million (2016)
More private sector & trade data for South Africa
- Merchandise trade (% of GDP) — 57.23% (2025)
- Insurance and financial services (% of commercial service imports) — 5.66% (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$) — US$128.08 billion (2025)
- Computer, communications and other services (% of commercial service imports) — 44.21% (2025)
- Commercial service imports (current US$) — US$21.49 billion (2025)
- Transport services (% of commercial service imports) — 36.96% (2025)
- Travel services (% of commercial service imports) — 13.18% (2025)
- Insurance and financial services (% of commercial service exports) — 9.81% (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is South Africa's international tourism, expenditures for passenger transport items (current US$)?
- US$666 million in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1995?
- It is up 17.88% from US$565 million in 1995 (0.66% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$3.15 billion in 2014 and the lowest US$440 million in 2002.
- How does South Africa rank?
- 17th highest of 123 economies with data for 2020.
- Is the latest change in international tourism, expenditures for passenger transport items (current US$) unusual for South Africa?
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator ST.INT.TRNX.CD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.
Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.
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