Average length of stay of international visitors in South Africa
South Africa: Average length of stay of international visitors was 8.7 days in 2013. ▼ Falling
Average length of stay of international visitors in South Africa, 2002–2013
Source: UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in days.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 8.7 days for average length of stay of international visitors in 2013.
The figure is up 13.0% on the previous year and down 9.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average length of stay of international visitors in South Africa peaked at 10.1 days in 2002 and was at its lowest, 7.7 days, in 2012.
South Africa ranks 21st of 152 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 12 years of available data.
Average length of stay of international visitors in South Africa, year by year
| Year | days | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 10.1 days | — |
| 2003 | 9.6 days | -5.0% |
| 2004 | 9 days | -6.2% |
| 2005 | 8.4 days | -6.7% |
| 2006 | 8.2 days | -2.4% |
| 2007 | 7.9 days | -3.7% |
| 2008 | 8.2 days | +3.8% |
| 2009 | 8.3 days | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 8.5 days | +2.4% |
| 2011 | 8.3 days | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 7.7 days | -7.2% |
| 2013 | 8.7 days | +13.0% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 8.7 days is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3.5 days, 2.5× the median. (35 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 8.7 days is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.65 days, 2.4× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 8.71 days | 7.9 days | 10.1 days | 8 |
| 2010s | 8.3 days | 7.7 days | 8.7 days | 4 |
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 average length of stay of international visitors in South Africa?
- Average length of stay of international visitors in South Africa was 8.7 days in 2013, according to UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest average length of stay of international visitors recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 10.1 days in 2002.
- What is the lowest average length of stay of international visitors recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.7 days in 2012.
- How does South Africa rank for average length of stay of international visitors?
- South Africa ranks 21st out of 152 countries with data for 2013.
- Is average length of stay of international visitors rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Average length of stay of international visitors. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average number of days tourists stay in hotels and similar accommodation establishments.