Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes … square in South Africa
South Africa: Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes … square was 6.75 trips per square kilometre in 2023. ▲ Rising
Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes, per square in South Africa, 1995–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in trips per square kilometre.
Analysis
The most recent figure for arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes, per square in South Africa is 6.75 trips per square kilometre, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 50.6% on the previous year and down 11.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes, per square in South Africa peaked at 8.37 trips per square kilometre in 2018 and was at its lowest, 1.7 trips per square kilometre, in 2021.
That places South Africa 99th out of 170 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 29 years of available data.
Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes … square in South Africa, year by year
| Year | trips per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 3.16 trips per square kilometre | — |
| 1996 | 3.51 trips per square kilometre | +10.8% |
| 1997 | 3.57 trips per square kilometre | +1.8% |
| 1998 | 4.12 trips per square kilometre | +15.6% |
| 1999 | 4.34 trips per square kilometre | +5.2% |
| 2000 | 4.32 trips per square kilometre | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 4.31 trips per square kilometre | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 4.86 trips per square kilometre | +12.6% |
| 2003 | 5.03 trips per square kilometre | +3.5% |
| 2004 | 5.21 trips per square kilometre | +3.6% |
| 2005 | 5.8 trips per square kilometre | +11.4% |
| 2006 | 6.65 trips per square kilometre | +14.8% |
| 2007 | 7.24 trips per square kilometre | +8.8% |
| 2008 | 7.66 trips per square kilometre | +5.9% |
| 2009 | 5.62 trips per square kilometre | -26.7% |
| 2010 | 6.38 trips per square kilometre | +13.6% |
| 2011 | 6.65 trips per square kilometre | +4.2% |
| 2012 | 7.33 trips per square kilometre | +10.2% |
| 2013 | 7.64 trips per square kilometre | +4.2% |
| 2014 | 7.54 trips per square kilometre | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 7.01 trips per square kilometre | -7.0% |
| 2016 | 8 trips per square kilometre | +14.2% |
| 2017 | 8.2 trips per square kilometre | +2.5% |
| 2018 | 8.37 trips per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 2019 | 8.2 trips per square kilometre | -2.0% |
| 2020 | 2.22 trips per square kilometre | -73.0% |
| 2021 | 1.7 trips per square kilometre | -23.4% |
| 2022 | 4.48 trips per square kilometre | +163.6% |
| 2023 | 6.75 trips per square kilometre | +50.6% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 6.75 trips per square kilometre is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 14.98 trips per square kilometre, 45% of the median. (50 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 6.75 trips per square kilometre is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.05 trips per square kilometre, 6.4× the median. (38 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes … square 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% | 1.7 trips per square kilometre | 4.48 trips per square kilometre |
| 2020 | -73.0% | 8.2 trips per square kilometre | 2.22 trips per square kilometre |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.74 trips per square kilometre | 3.16 trips per square kilometre | 4.34 trips per square kilometre | 5 |
| 2000s | 5.67 trips per square kilometre | 4.31 trips per square kilometre | 7.66 trips per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.53 trips per square kilometre | 6.38 trips per square kilometre | 8.37 trips per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.79 trips per square kilometre | 1.7 trips per square kilometre | 6.75 trips per square kilometre | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 96 New Caledonia 6.84 trips per square kilometre compare
- 97 Rwanda 6.83 trips per square kilometre compare
- 98 Togo 6.79 trips per square kilometre compare
- 100 Nicaragua 6.21 trips per square kilometre compare
- 101 Philippines 5.63 trips per square kilometre compare
- 102 Haiti 5.05 trips per square kilometre 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, per square in South Africa?
- Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes, per square in South Africa was 6.75 trips per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes, per square recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 8.37 trips per square kilometre in 2018.
- What is the lowest arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes, per square recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.7 trips per square kilometre in 2021.
- How does South Africa rank for arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes, per square?
- South Africa ranks 99th out of 170 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes, per square rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.7%. 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, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 29 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 divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes ÷ Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- Arrivals of tourists from abroad for personal purposes UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
- Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
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 divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.