South Africa Trumped by Tariffs

The Story Behind the Visual

Last week, my visual focused on how the S&P 500 was breaking records — but that rally didn’t last long. This week, markets were shaken by Trump’s updated tariffs.

As a South African, I was aware that SA could be in the crosshairs, and I soon discovered we were hit with a 30% tariff — more than double that of most African countries.

Lesotho, which was initially facing a 50% tariff, successfully negotiated it down to 15%.

It seemed like the perfect opportunity to finally try out the map chart

About the Data

Source: Luckily the BBC pointed me to the White House Directive which had the tariffs by country

The Visual

Visual Type: the Map chart

Why this works: very simple visual that gets across everything you want to say

Visual Tip: I used Excel’s Map chart for the first time to create this visual. While it got the job done, I didn’t find it particularly user-friendly — especially when it came to customization and formatting. I’ll be exploring alternative tools for better control and design flexibility — and will share what I find

Stay ahead with the latest in data visualisation — insights, tools, and trends delivered straight to your inbox.