# Zambia exports to South Africa: Trade Route Risk | Yugalinks

Understand reported exports from Zambia to South Africa, the product routes that need a closer look, and the conditions that may affect planning.

Canonical: https://www.yugalinks.com/trade/corridor/ZMB-ZAF/risk

## Route overview

In 2024, Zambia reported $283.1M in goods exports to South Africa. The overall review level is Critical attention.

## How to read this page

High attention means one or more conditions on these product types deserve a closer look. It is not a prediction that trade will stop or that a loss is certain. An HS6 code is the international six-digit code used to describe and compare traded goods.

## Key numbers

| Measure | Value | What it means |
| --- | ---: | --- |
| Latest reported exports | $283.1M | 2024 route total |
| Exports needing review | 93.1% | Share of route exports |
| Highest-priority products | 3 | Need the closest review |
| Products needing review | 15 | High-attention product types |
| Export volatility | 1.5 | Higher means bigger yearly swings |
| Below highest year | 46.2% | Compared with the route's best year |

## Product types to review

| Rank | HS6 | Product | Buyer-market imports | Below product high | Review level |
| ---: | --- | --- | ---: | ---: | --- |
| 1 | 740311 | Copper: refined, unwrought, cathodes and sections of cathodes | $367.3M | 60.9% | Critical attention |
| 2 | 282200 | Cobalt oxides and hydroxides: commercial cobalt oxides | $1.6B | 74.6% | Critical attention |
| 3 | 690740 | Finishing ceramics | $29.7M | 0% | High attention |
| 4 | 740811 | Copper: wire, of refined copper, of which the maximum cross-sectional dimension exceeds 6mm | $560.2M | 77.8% | Critical attention |
| 5 | 720230 | Ferro-alloys: ferro-silico-manganese | $22.5M | 23.9% | High attention |
| 6 | 260800 | Zinc ores and concentrates | $17.5M | 0% | High attention |
| 7 | 230630 | Oil-cake and other solid residues: whether or not ground or in the form of pellets, resulting from the extraction of sunflower seed oils | $17.6M | 0% | High attention |
| 8 | 170490 | Sugar confectionery: (excluding chewing gum, including white chocolate), not containing cocoa | $82.4M | 0% | High attention |
| 9 | 240120 | Tobacco: partly or wholly stemmed or stripped | $98.8M | 48.5% | High attention |
| 10 | 520100 | Cotton: not carded or combed | $13.7M | 89.7% | High attention |

## Data sources

- Primary trade series: OECD (2025), Balanced international merchandise trade statistics (BIMTS) - HS2017-6D, OECD Data Explorer (accessed on 2026-08-29). [OECD Data Explorer](https://data-explorer.oecd.org/) - [OECD Terms & Conditions](https://www.oecd.org/termsandconditions/)
- CEPII BACI bilateral trade flows (202601): [dataset page](https://www.cepii.fr/CEPII/en/bdd_modele/bdd_modele_item.asp?id=37) - [BACI documentation](https://www.cepii.fr/DATA_DOWNLOAD/baci/doc/baci_webpage.html) - [Etalab 2.0 Open Licence](https://www.etalab.gouv.fr/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/open-licence.pdf)

This page presents derived Yugalinks views of reported observations and calculated indicators.