International trips for personal reasons in South Africa

South Africa: International trips for personal reasons was 8.64 million in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
8.64 million
Change on year
up 5.6%
Rank
27th
of 179 groups
All-time high
10.16 million
in 2018
All-time low
2.06 million
in 2021
Years of data
30
1995–2024

International trips for personal reasons in South Africa, 1995–2024

2.0M4.0M6.0M8.0M10.0M1995200920241995: 3.8M1996: 4.3M1997: 4.3M1998: 5.0M1999: 5.3M2000: 5.2M2001: 5.2M2002: 5.9M2003: 6.1M2004: 6.3M2005: 7.0M2006: 8.1M2007: 8.8M2008: 9.3M2009: 6.8M2010: 7.7M2011: 8.1M2012: 8.9M2013: 9.3M2014: 9.1M2015: 8.5M2016: 9.7M2017: 10.0M2018: 10.2M2019: 10.0M2020: 2.7M2021: 2.1M2022: 5.4M2023: 8.2M2024: 8.6M

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 8.64 million for international trips for personal reasons 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, international trips for personal reasons in South Africa peaked at 10.16 million in 2018 and was at its lowest, 2.06 million, in 2021.

That places South Africa 27th out of 179 groups 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 4.54 million 3.84 million 5.26 million 5
2000s 6.88 million 5.23 million 9.30 million 10
2010s 9.14 million 7.74 million 10.16 million 10
2020s 5.40 million 2.06 million 8.64 million 5

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 24 United Arab Emirates 9.04 million compare
  2. 25 Syria 9.02 million compare
  3. 26 India 8.79 million compare
  4. 28 Dominican Republic 8.18 million compare
  5. 29 United States 8.05 million compare
  6. 30 Albania 7.44 million compare

See the full ranking of 179 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is international trips for personal reasons in South Africa?
International trips for personal reasons in South Africa was 8.64 million in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest international trips for personal reasons recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 10.16 million in 2018.
What is the lowest international trips for personal reasons recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 2.06 million in 2021.
How does South Africa rank for international trips for personal reasons?
South Africa ranks 27th out of 179 groups with data for 2024.
Is international trips for personal reasons 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 Our World in Data, published as part of International trips for personal reasons. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 30 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
International trips for personal reasons
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
179 places, 4,054 data points, 1995–2024
Last refreshed