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

Understand reported exports from Zimbabwe 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/ZWE-ZAF/risk

## Route overview

In 2024, Zimbabwe reported $1.0B 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 | $1.0B | 2024 route total |
| Exports needing review | 98.2% | Share of route exports |
| Highest-priority products | 4 | Need the closest review |
| Products needing review | 14 | High-attention product types |
| Export volatility | 1.1 | Higher means bigger yearly swings |
| Below highest year | 45.4% | Compared with the route's best year |

## Product types to review

| Rank | HS6 | Product | Buyer-market imports | Below product high | Review level |
| ---: | --- | --- | ---: | ---: | --- |
| 1 | 750110 | Nickel: nickel mattes | $514.7M | 42% | High attention |
| 2 | 260400 | Nickel ores and concentrates | $169.9M | 83.3% | Critical attention |
| 3 | 270400 | Coke and semi-coke: of coal, lignite or peat, whether or not agglomerated: retort carbon | $210.2M | 0% | High attention |
| 4 | 240120 | Tobacco: partly or wholly stemmed or stripped | $98.8M | 83.8% | Critical attention |
| 5 | 261000 | Chromium ores and concentrates | $26.4M | 0% | High attention |
| 6 | 410320 | Hides and skins: raw, of reptiles (fresh or salted, dried, limed, pickled or otherwise preserved, but not tanned, parchment-dressed or further prepared), whether or not dehaired or split | $24.7M | 9.1% | High attention |
| 7 | 710813 | Metals: gold, semi-manufactured | $824.6M | 92.9% | Critical attention |
| 8 | 253090 | Mineral substances: n.e.c. in chapter 25 | $18.7M | 83.4% | Critical attention |
| 9 | 090240 | Tea, black: (fermented) and partly fermented tea, in immediate packings of a content exceeding 3kg | $32.8M | 46.4% | High attention |
| 10 | 690740 | Finishing ceramics | $29.7M | 63.2% | 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.