Affordability of cigarettes in South Africa
South Africa: Affordability of cigarettes was 3.9% in 2022. ▬ Flat
Affordability of cigarettes in South Africa, 2012–2022
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2022, affordability of cigarettes in South Africa stood at 3.9%. That is the lowest value across all 6 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 17.4% on the previous year and down 6.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, affordability of cigarettes in South Africa peaked at 4.7% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 3.9%, in 2022.
That places South Africa 85th out of 176 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
Affordability of cigarettes in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 4.1% | — |
| 2014 | 4.2% | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 4.2% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 4.0% | -3.8% |
| 2020 | 4.7% | +16.3% |
| 2022 | 3.9% | -17.4% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 3.9% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3.8%, 1.0× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 3.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 7.8%, 50% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 4.1% | 4.0% | 4.2% | 4 |
| 2020s | 4.3% | 3.9% | 4.7% | 2 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More reference data data for South Africa
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5111 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7468 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 41.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 63.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.07 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is affordability of cigarettes in South Africa?
- Affordability of cigarettes in South Africa was 3.9% in 2022, according to World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest affordability of cigarettes recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 4.7% in 2020.
- What is the lowest affordability of cigarettes recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.9% in 2022.
- How does South Africa rank for affordability of cigarettes?
- South Africa ranks 85th out of 176 countries with data for 2022.
- Is affordability of cigarettes rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Affordability of cigarettes. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 6 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Price of 100 packs of cigarettes as a share of GDP per capita. This price is based on the most-sold brand of cigarettes in a given country and includes taxes. Lower values indicate that cigarettes are more affordable.