Country export capability

South Africa
export capability

A reported view of South Africa's export scale, destination network, sector breadth, trade history, and market-access context. Use the indicators together; no single measure describes export readiness on its own.

ZAF2000-2024 coverage270 active partner marketsMacro trend weakened
Latest exports$143.6B2024 reported value
Latest imports$108.8B2024 reported value
Trade balance$34.9BExports minus imports
Export growth+2.6%Latest year-on-year change
Active partners270Latest reported markets

Country export profile overview

South Africa export data in one research view

This profile brings together export performance, trade balance, destination markets, HS2 sectors, partner breadth, history, and market-access context for country export research.

Export scale and balance

Start with the latest reported trade position

In 2024, South Africa recorded $143.6B in exports and $108.8B in imports. The resulting $34.9B trade balance gives the latest country-level position a clear context.

Exports changed +2.6% year on year and show a calculated +0.5% three-year CAGR. CAGR is an annualized comparison of reported values, not a forecast.

Markets and sectors

See where export value is concentrated

China received $25.5B in reported exports, representing 17.8% of the latest country total. Precious stones and metals was the largest displayed HS2 export sector at $49.9B and 34.7% of exports.

The visible page highlights five leading destinations and five leading HS2 sectors, while the complete structured files retain every row supplied for this sample.

History and coverage

Read today's number against the long series

The country series covers 2000 through 2024, with 25 observed annual rows. That longer view helps separate a single-year movement from the broader export trend.

Partner counts, tariff context, concentration, exposure shares, and momentum are supporting indicators calculated from available trade observations. Missing values remain unavailable rather than estimated.

Economy and structure

The context around South Africa's export base

Macroeconomic and structural indicators add context to merchandise trade scale. They describe the country environment; they do not predict company performance or future exports.

GDP$401.1B2024 macro context
GDP per capita$6.3KCurrent-dollar GDP
Population64MReported population
Labor force24.8KReported labor force
Investment rate19.8%National investment rate
Savings rate19.2%National savings rate
Trade openness53%Exports + imports / GDP
Exports / GDP30.2%Merchandise exports / GDP
Secondary education86.3%Education context
Tertiary education3.5%Education context

Market signals

Where to look more closely next

Route-level risk and emerging-corridor signals for further research. These are calculated indicators, not forecasts.

Destination risk contextAll covered routes
Destination risk context for South Africa
DestinationAttentionAttention shareBelow peakApplied tariffPrimary reason
JapanJPNCritical attention99.6%52.2%3.6%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
United KingdomGBRCritical attention25.3%21.6%Not reportedVolatile products account for the largest observed corridor exposure
ChinaCHNHigh attention66.7%18.2%30.2%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSACritical attention68.6%26.1%2%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
Republic of KoreaKORCritical attention98.1%34.3%14.6%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
GermanyDEUCritical attention23.4%33.1%1.6%Volatile products account for the largest observed corridor exposure
United Arab EmiratesAREHigh attention88.4%16.1%5.2%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
BotswanaBWACritical attention98.7%36.2%Not reportedBuyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
IndonesiaIDNCritical attention97.1%36.3%17.9%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
PakistanPAKCritical attention95.3%73.6%40.1%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction

Full route coverage is retained. High attention means the route deserves closer product and access review.

Market opportunity signals

Product-market combinations worth investigating

All returned rows use buyer demand, exporter position, and calculated addressable-value fields. They are research signals, not forecasts.

Addressable-value signalsAll returned rows
Market opportunity signals for South Africa
RankMarket and productBuyer importsAddressable 3-year valueCurrent shareDemand signal
1USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsHS6 270900 · Oils: petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals, crude$165.0B$115.5B0%Declining +1.1%
2ChinaHS6 260111 · Iron ores and concentrates: non-agglomerated$111.0B$113.1B3.2%Accelerating -2.6%
3ChinaHS6 270900 · Oils: petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals, crude$291.6B$98.7B0%Declining -6.7%
4ChinaHS6 854231 · Electronic integrated circuits: processors and controllers, whether or not combined with memories, converters, logic circuits, amplifiers, clock and timing circuits, or other circuits$158.0B$93.1B0%Stable +10.5%
5IndiaHS6 270900 · Oils: petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals, crude$130.1B$73.0B0%Declining -0.5%
6ChinaHS6 854232 · Electronic integrated circuits: memories$80.6B$65.7B0%Declining +20.6%
7ChinaHS6 120190 · Soya beans: other than seed, whether or not broken$47.8B$62.3B0.1%Accelerating -13.5%
8ChinaHS6 854239 · Electronic integrated circuits: n.e.c. in heading no. 8542$81.8B$61.4B0%Stable +4%

Addressable value is a calculated field. Validate product, buyer, tariff, and route conditions before commercial decisions.

Detailed export portfolioHS4 lines beneath the leading sectorsOpen the detailed four-digit export table for South Africa.
All HS4 export lines2024 ranking
Top HS4 export lines for South Africa
RankHS4Parent HS2 sectorExportsShareActive HS6
17108HS4 detail codePrecious stones and metals (71) ↗$29.9B20.8%3
27110HS4 detail codePrecious stones and metals (71) ↗$12.2B8.5%8
38703HS4 detail codeVehicles (87) ↗$8.8B6.2%14
42601HS4 detail codeOres, slag and ash (26) ↗$6.8B4.7%3
52701HS4 detail codeMineral fuels (27) ↗$6.5B4.5%4
62610HS4 detail codeOres, slag and ash (26) ↗$5.9B4.1%1
77202HS4 detail codeIron and steel (72) ↗$4.5B3.1%15
88704HS4 detail codeVehicles (87) ↗$4.5B3.1%7
97102HS4 detail codePrecious stones and metals (71) ↗$4.0B2.8%5
102602HS4 detail codeOres, slag and ash (26) ↗$3.2B2.2%1
112710HS4 detail codeMineral fuels (27) ↗$2.7B1.9%5
127115HS4 detail codePrecious stones and metals (71) ↗$2.6B1.8%2

HS4 values are reported observations. The hierarchy is preserved; no missing descriptions are inferred.

The country export read

South Africa combines $143.6B in exports with a broad partner network.

In 2024, South Africa recorded $143.6B in reported exports and $108.8B in imports, producing a reported trade surplus of $34.9B. Exports changed +2.6% year on year and +0.5% annualized over three years. Precious stones and metals (HS2 71) was the largest displayed export sector by value.

Destination network

Where South Africa exports move

All returned destination lanes ranked by latest reported export value. Share is calculated against the country total. Review sources ↗

Latest reported destination lanesAll returned · 2024
Leading export destinations for South Africa
RankDestinationLatest exportsShareYear-on-year3-year CAGR
1ChinaCHN$25.5B17.8%-3.4%-0.3%
2United KingdomGBR$12.3B8.5%+53.3%+5.5%
3USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA$12.0B8.4%+7.6%+0.1%
4IndiaIND$11.9B8.3%+13.6%+5.7%
5GermanyDEU$8.4B5.9%-14%-8.2%
6MozambiqueMOZ$6.4B4.4%+6.3%+14.3%
7JapanJPN$5.4B3.8%-16.8%-15.5%
8United Arab EmiratesARE$4.7B3.3%+28.5%+5%
9BotswanaBWA$4.5B3.1%+9.2%+3.3%
10ZimbabweZWE$3.8B2.6%+10%+8%

Destination values are reported country-to-country observations. Full returned rows remain in the downloads.

Trade history

A long view of export scale

Latest twelve years from the 30-year reported country series. Context, not a forecast.

Reported exports by year

2013
$138.9B
2014
$130.2B
2015
$100.9B
2016
$89.1B
2017
$102.6B
2018
$112.2B
2019
$108.0B
2020
$101.6B
2021
$141.5B
2022
$147.5B
2023
$140.0B
2024
$143.6B

Partner network

Scale is only one part of export capability

Partner breadth, distance, agreements, and tariffs add context to reported exports.

FTA partner markets44Reported count
WTO partner markets169Reported count
EU partner markets28Reported count
Shared-border partners6Country context
Shared-language partners77Country context
Average partner distance8,464 kmCalculated average
Partners with FTA16.3%Calculated share
Applied tariff context0.1%Calculated average
MFN tariff context0.1%Calculated average
Tariff advantage+0.1 ppPreferential vs MFN

Exposure context

Signals to examine alongside export scale

Calculated or classified route and country context. Not predictions or recommendations.

Attention share63.3%

Covered value under attention

Critical share12.8%

Covered value marked critical

Below historical peak25%

Distance below route peaks

FTA-covered exports40.1%

Covered value with FTA context

Weighted tariff context0.2%

Export-weighted tariff

Macro contextMacro trend weakened

Primary attention driver: Market access exposure.

Momentum score2

History-based indicator

Partner concentration659.5

Partner HHI

Product concentration419.3

Product HHI

Country attention level: High attention. Missing fields remain unavailable.

Complete country valuesOpen the full profile evidenceFull history, sectors, HS4, destinations, risk, opportunities, and source fields.

Profile fields

Year2,024
Country Iso3ZAF
Exports Usd$143.6B
Imports Usd$108.8B
Trade Balance Usd$34.9B
Yoy Exports Growth Pct2.6%
Yoy Imports Growth Pct-7.2%
Exports Cagr 3y Pct0.5%
Imports Cagr 3y Pct2.1%
Export Partner Hhi659.5
Export Product Hhi419.3
Momentum Score2
Risk Score5.4
Gdp Million Usd401,145 million USD
Gdp Per Capita Usd$6.3K
Population64,007,187
Labor Force24,830.7
Investment Rate Pct19.8%
Savings Rate Pct19.2%
Secondary Education Pct86.3%
Tertiary Education Pct3.5%
Total Factor Productivity766.8
Trade Openness Pct53%
Exports Gdp Pct30.2%
Num Active Partners270
Num Fta Partners44
Num Wto Partners169
Num Eu Partners28
Num Shared Border Partners6
Num Shared Language Partners77
Avg Partner Distance Km8,464 km
Avg Partner Gdp Million Usd533,678,518.33 million USD
Avg Partner Gdp Per Capita Usd$15.8
Avg Buyer Biz Entry DaysNot reported
Avg Buyer Biz Entry Cost PctNot reported
Pct Partners With Fta16
Pct Partners Shared Language29
Pct Partners Shared Border2
Avg Applied Tariff Pct0.1%
Avg Mfn Tariff Pct0.1%
Avg Preferential Tariff Pct0%
Tariff Advantage Pp+0.1 pp
Avg Distance All Partners Km8,923
Num Border Partners156
Num Colonial Partners84
Avg Substitution Elasticity-10.9
Pct Products High Elasticity76
Pct Products Low Elasticity3
Real Market Potential276,416.5
Foreign Market Potential11,984.5

Exposure fields

Country Iso3ZAF
All History Lane Count21,370
Current Lane Count12,283
Critical Lane Count194
High Attention Lane Count2,526
High Volatility Lane Count6,594
Unrecovered Drawdown Lane Count5,868
Declining Demand Lane Count47
Concentrated Market Lane Count6,010
Access Friction Lane Count4,974
Buyer Macro Weakness Lane Count1,123
Monitored Exports Current Usd$129.2B
Attention Exports Usd$81.7B
Critical Exports Usd$16.5B
High Volatility Exports Usd$46.3B
Unrecovered Drawdown Exports Usd$27.4B
Non Fta Exports Usd$75.7B
Monitored Attention Share Pct63.3%
Monitored Critical Share Pct12.8%
Fta Covered Exports Share Pct40.1%
Export Weighted Volatility Cv1
Export Weighted Below Peak Pct25%
Export Weighted Distance Km9,700 km
Export Weighted Tariff Pct0.2%
Latest Data Year2,024
First Data Year2,000
Country Years Count25
Total Exports Latest Usd$143.6B
Total Imports Latest Usd$108.8B
Trade Balance Latest Usd$34.9B
Exports Yoy Latest Pct2.6%
Exports Cagr 3y Latest Pct0.5%
Gdp Latest Million Usd401,145 million USD
Gdp Per Capita Latest Usd$6.3K
Population Latest64,007,187
Investment Rate Latest Pct19.8%
Savings Rate Latest Pct19.2%
Trade Openness Latest Pct53%
Exports Gdp Latest Pct30.2%
Active Partners Latest270
Fta Partners Latest44
Foreign Market Potential Latest11,984.5
Gdp 5y Cagr Pct0.6%
Gdp Per Capita 5y Cagr Pct-0.8%
Population 5y Cagr Pct1.4%
Partner Hhi Latest659.5
Partner Top1 Share Latest Pct17.8%
Partner Top3 Share Latest Pct34.7%
Partner Hhi All Avg637.8
Partner Hhi All Max1,051.4
Product Hhi Latest419.3
Product Top1 Share Latest Pct17%
Product Top3 Share Latest Pct25.7%
Product Hhi All Avg266.7
Product Hhi All Max459.9
Total Exports Attention Share Pct56.9%
Total Exports Critical Share Pct11.5%
Attention LevelHigh attention
Primary Risk DriverMarket access exposure
Macro Resilience LabelMacro trend weakened

Annual country history

YearExportsImportsTrade balanceExports YoYExports CAGR 3Y
2000$32.3B$28.0B$4.4BNot reportedNot reported
2001$33.2B$26.8B$6.4B+2.7%Not reported
2002$32.8B$27.7B$5.1B-1.2%Not reported
2003$39.7B$35.7B$4.0B+21.1%+7.1%
2004$50.2B$48.1B$2.0B+26.3%+14.7%
2005$55.8B$56.2B-$405.4M+11.3%+19.4%
2006$63.2B$69.2B-$6.0B+13.2%+16.8%
2007$76.3B$79.5B-$3.2B+20.8%+15%
2008$92.9B$90.1B$2.8B+21.7%+18.5%
2009$72.7B$67.2B$5.5B-21.7%+4.8%
2010$95.6B$91.7B$3.9B+31.5%+7.8%
2011$134.4B$117.6B$16.7B+40.5%+13.1%
2012$141.8B$119.1B$22.8B+5.5%+24.9%
2013$138.9B$118.1B$20.9B-2.1%+13.3%
2014$130.2B$112.0B$18.2B-6.2%-1%
2015$100.9B$94.0B$6.9B-22.5%-10.7%
2016$89.1B$84.3B$4.9B-11.7%-13.7%
2017$102.6B$93.3B$9.3B+15.1%-7.6%
2018$112.2B$106.4B$5.8B+9.3%+3.6%
2019$108.0B$95.8B$12.2B-3.8%+6.6%
2020$101.6B$76.8B$24.8B-5.9%-0.3%
2021$141.5B$102.2B$39.3B+39.3%+8.1%
2022$147.5B$119.8B$27.8B+4.3%+11%
2023$140.0B$117.2B$22.8B-5.1%+11.3%
2024$143.6B$108.8B$34.9B+2.6%+0.5%

Top export sectors

RankHS2SectorExportsShareExport partnersActive HS6
171Precious stones and metals$49.9B34.7%12051
226Ores, slag and ash$19.4B13.5%10937
387Vehicles$14.7B10.2%18087
427Mineral fuels$10.7B7.4%15143
572Iron and steel$6.3B4.4%141167
684Machinery$5.3B3.7%190515
708Edible fruit and nuts$5.1B3.5%15068
876Aluminium$2.3B1.6%14235
985Electrical machinery$2.2B1.5%185262
1022Beverages$1.5B1%17124

Detailed HS4 export lines

RankHS4Parent HS2ExportsShareActive HS6
17108Precious stones and metals (71)$29.9B20.8%3
27110Precious stones and metals (71)$12.2B8.5%8
38703Vehicles (87)$8.8B6.2%14
42601Ores, slag and ash (26)$6.8B4.7%3
52701Mineral fuels (27)$6.5B4.5%4
62610Ores, slag and ash (26)$5.9B4.1%1
77202Iron and steel (72)$4.5B3.1%15
88704Vehicles (87)$4.5B3.1%7
97102Precious stones and metals (71)$4.0B2.8%5
102602Ores, slag and ash (26)$3.2B2.2%1
112710Mineral fuels (27)$2.7B1.9%5
127115Precious stones and metals (71)$2.6B1.8%2

Top export destinations

RankDestinationISO3ExportsShareYoYCAGR 3Y
1ChinaCHN$25.5B17.8%-3.4%-0.3%
2United KingdomGBR$12.3B8.5%+53.3%+5.5%
3USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA$12.0B8.4%+7.6%+0.1%
4IndiaIND$11.9B8.3%+13.6%+5.7%
5GermanyDEU$8.4B5.9%-14%-8.2%
6MozambiqueMOZ$6.4B4.4%+6.3%+14.3%
7JapanJPN$5.4B3.8%-16.8%-15.5%
8United Arab EmiratesARE$4.7B3.3%+28.5%+5%
9BotswanaBWA$4.5B3.1%+9.2%+3.3%
10ZimbabweZWE$3.8B2.6%+10%+8%

Destination risk context

RankDestinationAttentionAttention shareBelow peakApplied tariffPrimary reason
1Japan (JPN)Critical attention99.6%52.2%3.6%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
2United Kingdom (GBR)Critical attention25.3%21.6%Not reportedVolatile products account for the largest observed corridor exposure
3China (CHN)High attention66.7%18.2%30.2%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
4USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands (USA)Critical attention68.6%26.1%2%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
5Republic of Korea (KOR)Critical attention98.1%34.3%14.6%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
6Germany (DEU)Critical attention23.4%33.1%1.6%Volatile products account for the largest observed corridor exposure
7United Arab Emirates (ARE)High attention88.4%16.1%5.2%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
8Botswana (BWA)Critical attention98.7%36.2%Not reportedBuyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
9Indonesia (IDN)Critical attention97.1%36.3%17.9%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
10Pakistan (PAK)Critical attention95.3%73.6%40.1%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction

Emerging corridor signals

RankDestinationHS6SignalMarket importsCurrent shareStrength
1Aruba (ABW)271012new$69.3M1%100
2Burkina Faso (BFA)380861new$483.8K66%100
3Switzerland, Liechtenstein (CHE)720825new$4.9M2.8%100
4Benin (BEN)720610new$191.7K100%100
5Benin (BEN)720719new$2.2M100%100
6Benin (BEN)720711new$2.0M100%100
7Djibouti (DJI)071320new$985.4K37.4%100
8Bahrain (BHR)270112new$4.7M99.9%100
9Chile (CHL)480441new$770.3K29.5%100
10Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH)870350new$21.9M0.5%100

Market opportunity signals

RankMarketHS6Buyer importsAddressable 3-year valueCurrent shareSignal
1USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands (USA)270900$165.0B$115.5B0%Declining (+1.1%)
2China (CHN)260111$111.0B$113.1B3.2%Accelerating (-2.6%)
3China (CHN)270900$291.6B$98.7B0%Declining (-6.7%)
4China (CHN)854231$158.0B$93.1B0%Stable (+10.5%)
5India (IND)270900$130.1B$73.0B0%Declining (-0.5%)
6China (CHN)854232$80.6B$65.7B0%Declining (+20.6%)
7China (CHN)120190$47.8B$62.3B0.1%Accelerating (-13.5%)
8China (CHN)854239$81.8B$61.4B0%Stable (+4%)

How to read this page

Separate reported scale from calculated context.

Reported exports, imports, trade balance, sector rows, destination rows, and annual history describe merchandise trade observations for the stated country and year.

CAGR, shares, concentration measures, tariff context, exposure shares, and momentum are calculated indicators built from the available observations. They help organize research but are not additional reported trade or forecasts.

Coverage runs from 2000 through 2024 for this profile. Missing values are shown as Not reported. Read the full methodology ↗

Reported observations

OECD BIMTS merchandise trade values are the primary series for this view.

Calculated indicators

Growth, share, HHI, tariff, and exposure fields are derived from available reported values.

Coverage limits

Unavailable values remain unavailable. No company sales, shipment records, or forecasts are implied.

Questions about this profile

South Africa export capability, in context

Short answers for readers comparing country export scale, partner breadth, and calculated trade indicators.

What does the South Africa export profile measure?

It combines reported exports, imports, history, destinations, HS2 sectors, partner context, and calculated indicators for South Africa.

What is the latest reported export value for South Africa?

South Africa recorded $143.6B in reported exports in 2024.

Which markets receive the most exports from South Africa?

China leads by reported export value at $25.5B in 2024. Five destination lanes are highlighted.

Which sectors lead South Africa's exports?

Precious stones and metals leads by reported value at $49.9B. Five HS2 chapters are highlighted.

How many years of South Africa trade history are available?

This sample contains 25 observed annual rows covering 2000 through 2024. Missing observations are not estimated.

Are the growth and exposure values forecasts?

No. They are calculated or classified from reported observations, not forecasts or market-access guarantees.

Continue your research

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Compare countries, products, sectors, and routes using the available trade evidence and definitions.

Data source

OECD trade statistics with CEPII context

OECD (2025), Balanced international merchandise trade statistics (BIMTS) - HS2017-6D, OECD Data Explorer (accessed on 2026-08-28). OECD BIMTS is the primary trade series for this view. Supporting bilateral trade context uses CEPII BACI bilateral trade flows (202601) under Etalab 2.0 Open Licence. Yugalinks presents derived views of reported observations and calculated indicators. Data terms: OECD Terms & Conditions.