Exporter Rank

36 / 138

Importer Rank

40 / 138

Trade Balance Rank

19 / 138

Total Trade [1]

Total Exports (2021) $121,321,278,845
Total Imports (2021) $93,439,563,371
Trade Balance (2021) $27,881,715,474
Exports of goods and services (% of GDP) (2022) [2] 33.44%
Imports of goods and services (% of GDP) (2022) [2] 31.46%

Trade Partners [1]

Export Partners

Top 10 Export Countries

Country Export USD$
China $13,571,173,915
United States $12,974,206,361
Germany $9,374,087,478
Japan $8,227,263,754
United Kingdom $8,177,218,305
Botswana $4,362,591,845
Mozambique $4,327,018,222
Netherlands $4,164,810,587
India $4,155,533,695
Belgium $3,534,912,313

Import Partners

Top 10 Import Countries

Country Import USD$
China $19,226,800,900
Germany $7,544,993,886
United States $6,576,139,997
India $5,347,777,692
Saudi Arabia $4,102,140,995
Thailand $2,977,908,701
Japan $2,600,403,207
Italy $2,584,606,293
Nigeria $2,239,830,112
France $1,965,821,458

Traded Goods [1] (at the 2-digit HS Code level)

Top 10 Export Goods

HS Code Export USD$
(71) Precious Stones & Metals $33,597,856,304
(26) Ores $18,529,965,850
(87) Motor Vehicles & Parts $10,691,136,952
(27) Oil & Mineral Fuels $10,315,009,481
(84) Industrial Machinery $6,630,945,766
(72) Iron & Steel $6,330,710,593
(08) Fruit & Nuts $4,428,237,597
(38) Chemical Products $2,101,159,674
(76) Aluminum $1,882,517,051
(85) Electrical Machinery $1,703,900,626

Top 10 Import Goods

HS Code Import USD$
(27) Oil & Mineral Fuels $15,436,246,523
(84) Industrial Machinery $11,286,557,040
(85) Electrical Machinery $8,618,894,036
(99) Items nesoi $7,576,242,632
(87) Motor Vehicles & Parts $6,368,365,580
(30) Pharmaceuticals $3,061,956,069
(39) Plastics $2,921,826,707
(90) Precision Instruments $2,212,624,642
(38) Chemical Products $1,971,444,666
(72) Iron & Steel $1,824,889,507

Sources:

  1. UN Comtrade (2021) except where stated otherwise.
  2. The World Bank. Accessed: 10/8/2023
South Africa