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Indicators · Trade

External balance on goods and services

Exports minus imports of goods and services, as a share of GDP.

Why it matters

Persistent deficits have to be financed and can weigh on the currency; surpluses often reflect commodity exports.

Read with care

Commodity price swings move this a lot. Read it with the current account and reserves.

Source

World Bank

% of GDP. 51 African countries, 1990 to 2025.

Trade balance: highest in Angola, lowest in Lesotho

External balance on goods and services, % of GDP. Latest year available, mostly 2025. 16 of 16 countries have data.

-16%
-8.4%
0%
1.9%
7.4%
No data
Loading map…
Source: World Bank· Get the data (Professional)·dotzedw Insights Centre

Ranked: trade balanceiWhy it mattersPersistent deficits have to be financed and can weigh on the currency; surpluses often reflect commodity exports.

Click a country to highlight it.

-40%-20%0%Angola11.3%Zambia7.4% (2024)South Africa1.9%Eswatini0.0% (2024)DRC-0.5%Tanzania-1.0%Zimbabwe-5.4% (2024)Botswana-5.5%Mauritius-9.9%Madagascar-11.6%Seychelles-13.0%Mozambique-14.3%Malawi-18.1%Namibia-19.2%Comoros-22.3%Lesotho-54.9%median -7.7%
dotzedw Insights Centre
How spread out SADC is
Median -7.7%Lowest: Lesotho -54.9%Highest: Angola 11.3%

Over time

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External balance on goods and services against income per person

Each bubble is a SADC country, sized by population. Dashed lines mark the SADC medians. Countries far from the pattern are worth a closer look.

-50.0%-40.0%-30.0%-20.0%-10.0%0.0%10.0%$1,000$3,000$10kGDP per person, US$ (log scale)Trade balanceDRCTanzaniaSouth AfricaAngolaMozambiqueMalawiZambiaZimbabwe
Source: World Bank, World Bank·dotzedw Insights Centre

Table

The same figures as the map, for screen readers and copying.
RankCountryValueYearFive-year changeGradeDetails
1Angola11.3%2025up 2.5 points since 2020A
2Zambia7.4%2024up 6.9 points since 2019A
3South Africa1.9%2025down 2.5 points since 2020A
4Eswatini0.0%2024down 2.9 points since 2019A
5DRC-0.5%2025up 0.8 points since 2020A
6Tanzania-1.0%2025little changed since 2020A
7Zimbabwe-5.4%2024down 4.9 points since 2019A
8Botswana-5.5%2025up 12.3 points since 2020A
9Mauritius-9.9%2025up 0.5 points since 2020A
10Madagascar-11.6%2025down 2.8 points since 2020A
11Seychelles-13.0%2025up 7.3 points since 2020A
12Mozambique-14.3%2025up 20.0 points since 2020A
13Malawi-18.1%2025up 0.9 points since 2020A
14Namibia-19.2%2025down 9.7 points since 2020A
15Comoros-22.3%2025little changed since 2020A
16Lesotho-54.9%2025down 2.7 points since 2020A