What Namibia sells and buys, and with whom
Namibia exported US$7.9bn of goods in 2024 and imported US$9.2bn, a deficit of US$1.3bn. 38% of its exports went to other SADC countries, which supplied 46% of its imports.
Namibia's trade since 2012
Exports and imports of goods, and exports to other SADC countries, US dollars
Who buys from Namibia
Exports by destination, 2024. China takes 23%.
What Namibia sells, and to whom
Exports by product group and partner, 2024
Hover over a band or a name to follow it. Flows under 0.4% of the total (US$433m in all) are not drawn.
Namibia's main exports
Top products (four-digit HS headings), 2024, with the value five years before
Trade with each SADC neighbour
2024, with the main products each way| Neighbour | Namibia sold | Namibia bought | Balance | Mostly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa | US$1.2bn | US$3.5bn | −US$2.2bn | Sold gold; bought trucks and vans · more |
| Botswana | US$973m | US$32m | +US$940m | Sold diamonds; bought insulated wire and cable · more |
| Zambia | US$476m | US$361m | +US$115m | Sold frozen fish; bought nickel ore · more |
| DRC | US$216m | US$180m | +US$35m | Sold frozen fish; bought cobalt oxides and hydroxides · more |
| Angola | US$35m | US$175m | −US$140m | Sold chemical preparations and binders; bought ships and boats · more |
| Zimbabwe | US$50m | US$19m | +US$32m | Sold mixed fertilisers; bought electricity · more |
| Mozambique | US$41m | US$643k | +US$40m | Sold frozen fish; bought sacks and bags, of a kind used for the packing of goods · more |
| Eswatini | US$83k | US$28m | −US$28m | Sold lamps and lighting fittings including searchlights and…; bought flavour and fragrance mixtures · more |
| Mauritius | US$3.6m | US$7.5m | −US$3.9m | Sold fish, dried, salted or in brine; bought pasta, whether or not cooked or stuffed or otherwise… · more |
| Tanzania | US$5.6m | US$2.4m | +US$3.2m | Sold beer; bought cigarettes · more |
| Madagascar | US$35k | US$3.4m | −US$3.4m | Sold children's picture, drawing or colouring books; bought men's suits and trousers · more |
| Lesotho | US$166k | US$1.9m | −US$1.8m | Sold cement; bought men's suits and trousers · more |
| Malawi | US$1.9m | US$147k | +US$1.7m | Sold cameras and transmitters; bought tobacco leaf · more |
| Seychelles | US$174k | US$42k | +US$132k | Sold meat of sheep or goats, fresh, chilled or frozen; bought medical instruments · more |
How processed Namibia's trade is
Exports and imports by stage of processing, 2024
Raw: unprocessed farm goods, ores, minerals, crude oil, coal and gas. Processed materials: refined metals and fuels, chemicals, processed farm goods for industry. Refined gold counts here. Manufactured goods: machinery, vehicles, parts, consumer goods and packaged food.
Analysis: Namibia's value-addition balance and openings
For members: where Namibia earns and spends at each stage of processing, with SADC and with the world; how much rides on a few products and buyers; what it is competitive in; which exports grew or shrank; where its exports meet preferential terms; and the products it could sell to neighbours, or buy from them instead of from outside the region.
The trade analysis for Namibia is part of the Individual plan
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CEPII BACI, built from UN Comtrade with each flow reconciled between exporter and importer (Etalab Open Licence 2.0). Values in current US dollars; exports valued free on board. Figures can differ from national statistics, and include non-monetary gold. About the data