What South Africa sells and buys, and with whom
South Africa exported US$154bn of goods in 2024 and imported US$100bn, a surplus of US$53.5bn. 18% of its exports went to other SADC countries, which supplied 10% of its imports.
South Africa's trade since 2012
Exports and imports of goods, and exports to other SADC countries, US dollars
Who buys from South Africa
Exports by destination, 2024. China takes 17%.
What South Africa 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$10.1bn in all) are not drawn.
South Africa'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 | South Africa sold | South Africa bought | Balance | Mostly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mozambique | US$6.4bn | US$1.1bn | +US$5.4bn | Sold chrome ore; bought natural gas and lpg · more |
| Zimbabwe | US$3.8bn | US$1.4bn | +US$2.4bn | Sold maize; bought nickel mattes and intermediates · more |
| Botswana | US$4.3bn | US$487m | +US$3.8bn | Sold refined fuels and oils; bought insulated wire and cable · more |
| Namibia | US$3.5bn | US$1.2bn | +US$2.2bn | Sold trucks and vans; bought gold · more |
| Zambia | US$3.0bn | US$520m | +US$2.5bn | Sold trucks and vans; bought refined copper · more |
| Eswatini | US$1.7bn | US$1.5bn | +US$195m | Sold refined fuels and oils; bought flavour and fragrance mixtures · more |
| Tanzania | US$552m | US$2.3bn | −US$1.7bn | Sold trucks and vans; bought gold · more |
| Lesotho | US$1.5bn | US$466m | +US$1.0bn | Sold refined fuels and oils; bought waters, including natural or artificial mineral waters and… · more |
| DRC | US$1.4bn | US$91m | +US$1.3bn | Sold cereal groats, meal and pellets; bought refined copper · more |
| Angola | US$485m | US$823m | −US$339m | Sold refined fuels and oils; bought crude oil · more |
| Mauritius | US$591m | US$209m | +US$382m | Sold coal; bought men's suits and trousers · more |
| Malawi | US$504m | US$63m | +US$441m | Sold cars; bought tea · more |
| Madagascar | US$222m | US$170m | +US$52m | Sold coal; bought t-shirts · more |
| Seychelles | US$94m | US$3.9m | +US$91m | Sold sawn wood; bought bananas, including plantains, fresh or dried · more |
| Comoros | US$4.0m | US$105k | +US$3.9m | Sold soft drinks; bought cloves · more |
How processed South Africa'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: South Africa's value-addition balance and openings
For members: where South Africa 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 South Africa 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