Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes, gaps filled in South Africa
South Africa: Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes, gaps filled was 8.64 million trips in 2024. ▲ Rising
Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes, gaps filled in South Africa, 1995–2024
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in trips.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 8.64 million trips for arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes, gaps filled in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.6% on the previous year and down 5.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes, gaps filled in South Africa peaked at 10.16 million trips in 2018 and was at its lowest, 2.06 million trips, in 2021.
That places South Africa 27th out of 179 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 30 years of available data.
Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes, gaps filled in South Africa, year by year
| Year | trips | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 3.84 million trips | — |
| 1996 | 4.25 million trips | +10.8% |
| 1997 | 4.33 million trips | +1.8% |
| 1998 | 5.00 million trips | +15.6% |
| 1999 | 5.26 million trips | +5.2% |
| 2000 | 5.24 million trips | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 5.23 million trips | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 5.89 million trips | +12.6% |
| 2003 | 6.10 million trips | +3.5% |
| 2004 | 6.32 million trips | +3.6% |
| 2005 | 7.03 million trips | +11.4% |
| 2006 | 8.07 million trips | +14.8% |
| 2007 | 8.78 million trips | +8.8% |
| 2008 | 9.30 million trips | +5.9% |
| 2009 | 6.82 million trips | -26.7% |
| 2010 | 7.74 million trips | +13.6% |
| 2011 | 8.07 million trips | +4.2% |
| 2012 | 8.89 million trips | +10.2% |
| 2013 | 9.27 million trips | +4.2% |
| 2014 | 9.14 million trips | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 8.50 million trips | -7.0% |
| 2016 | 9.71 million trips | +14.2% |
| 2017 | 9.95 million trips | +2.5% |
| 2018 | 10.16 million trips | +2.1% |
| 2019 | 9.95 million trips | -2.0% |
| 2020 | 2.69 million trips | -73.0% |
| 2021 | 2.06 million trips | -23.4% |
| 2022 | 5.43 million trips | +163.6% |
| 2023 | 8.19 million trips | +50.6% |
| 2024 | 8.64 million trips | +5.6% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 8.64 million trips is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.32 million trips, 6.6× the median. (50 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 8.64 million trips is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 228,750 trips, 37.8× the median. (38 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes, gaps filled in South Africa changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +163.6% | 2.06 million trips | 5.43 million trips |
| 2020 | -73.0% | 9.95 million trips | 2.69 million trips |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 4.54 million trips | 3.84 million trips | 5.26 million trips | 5 |
| 2000s | 6.88 million trips | 5.23 million trips | 9.30 million trips | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.14 million trips | 7.74 million trips | 10.16 million trips | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.40 million trips | 2.06 million trips | 8.64 million trips | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 24 United Arab Emirates 9.04 million trips compare
- 25 Syria 9.02 million trips compare
- 26 India 8.79 million trips compare
- 28 Dominican Republic 8.18 million trips compare
- 29 United States 8.05 million trips compare
- 30 Albania 7.44 million trips compare
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 arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes, gaps filled in South Africa?
- Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes, gaps filled in South Africa was 8.64 million trips in 2024, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes, gaps filled recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 10.16 million trips in 2018.
- What is the lowest arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes, gaps filled recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.06 million trips in 2021.
- How does South Africa rank for arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes, gaps filled?
- South Africa ranks 27th out of 179 countries with data for 2024.
- Is arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes, gaps filled rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes, gaps filled. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 30 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes with 130 missing years estimated by linear interpolation between the nearest real observations. Only gaps of 4 years or fewer are filled, and never beyond the first or last actual measurement — these are filled holes, not forecasts.
Computed from
- Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes with 130 missing years estimated by linear interpolation between the nearest real observations. Only gaps of 4 years or fewer are filled, and never beyond the first or last actual measurement — these are filled holes, not forecasts.