Country import demand
A reported view of South Africa's import scale, sector demand, supplier breadth, economy, and trade history.
The country import read
In 2024, South Africa recorded $108.8B in reported imports. Imports changed -7.2% year on year and +2.1% annualized over three years. Precious stones and metals was the largest displayed import sector.
Import history
Latest twelve years from the reported country series.
Reported imports by year
Demand drivers
Macro and structural indicators add context to reported imports.
Import portfolio
All returned HS2 sectors ranked by latest import value.
| Rank | Sector | Imports | Share | Import partners | Active HS6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Precious stones and metalsHS2 71 | $4.5B | 4.1% | 124 | 51 |
| 2 | Ores, slag and ashHS2 26 | $263.7M | 0.2% | 80 | 37 |
| 3 | VehiclesHS2 87 | $10.4B | 9.6% | 157 | 87 |
| 4 | Mineral fuelsHS2 27 | $20.9B | 19.2% | 126 | 43 |
| 5 | Iron and steelHS2 72 | $1.8B | 1.6% | 101 | 167 |
| 6 | MachineryHS2 84 | $14.1B | 12.9% | 191 | 515 |
| 7 | Edible fruit and nutsHS2 08 | $201.0M | 0.2% | 90 | 68 |
| 8 | AluminiumHS2 76 | $688.2M | 0.6% | 107 | 35 |
| 9 | Electrical machineryHS2 85 | $10.5B | 9.7% | 189 | 262 |
| 10 | BeveragesHS2 22 | $750.9M | 0.7% | 131 | 24 |
Import values are reported observations. Full rows remain in the downloads.
Supply diversification
Partner breadth, concentration, access, and distance add supplier context.
| Year | 2,024 |
|---|---|
| Country Iso3 | ZAF |
| Exports Usd | $143.6B |
| Imports Usd | $108.8B |
| Trade Balance Usd | $34.9B |
| Yoy Exports Growth Pct | 2.6% |
| Yoy Imports Growth Pct | -7.2% |
| Exports Cagr 3y Pct | 0.5% |
| Imports Cagr 3y Pct | 2.1% |
| Export Partner Hhi | 659.5 |
| Export Product Hhi | 419.3 |
| Momentum Score | 2 |
| Risk Score | 5.4 |
| Gdp Million Usd | 401,145 million USD |
| Gdp Per Capita Usd | $6.3K |
| Population | 64,007,187 |
| Labor Force | 24,830.7 |
| Investment Rate Pct | 19.8% |
| Savings Rate Pct | 19.2% |
| Secondary Education Pct | 86.3% |
| Tertiary Education Pct | 3.5% |
| Total Factor Productivity | 766.8 |
| Trade Openness Pct | 53% |
| Exports Gdp Pct | 30.2% |
| Num Active Partners | 270 |
| Num Fta Partners | 44 |
| Num Wto Partners | 169 |
| Num Eu Partners | 28 |
| Num Shared Border Partners | 6% |
| Num Shared Language Partners | 77% |
| Avg Partner Distance Km | 8,464 km |
| Avg Partner Gdp Million Usd | 533,678,518.3 million USD |
| Avg Partner Gdp Per Capita Usd | $15.8 |
| Avg Buyer Biz Entry Days | Not reported |
| Avg Buyer Biz Entry Cost Pct | Not reported |
| Pct Partners With Fta | 16 |
| Pct Partners Shared Language | 28.5% |
| Pct Partners Shared Border | 2.2% |
| Avg Applied Tariff Pct | 0.1% |
| Avg Mfn Tariff Pct | 0.1% |
| Avg Preferential Tariff Pct | 0% |
| Tariff Advantage Pp | 0.1 |
| Avg Distance All Partners Km | 8,923 km |
| Num Border Partners | 156 |
| Num Colonial Partners | 84 |
| Avg Substitution Elasticity | -10.9 |
| Pct Products High Elasticity | 75.8 |
| Pct Products Low Elasticity | 2.7 |
| Real Market Potential | 276,416.5 |
| Foreign Market Potential | 11,984.5 |
| Country Iso3 | ZAF |
|---|---|
| All History Lane Count | 21,370 |
| Current Lane Count | 12,283 |
| Critical Lane Count | 194 |
| High Attention Lane Count | 2,526 |
| High Volatility Lane Count | 6,594 |
| Unrecovered Drawdown Lane Count | 5,868 |
| Declining Demand Lane Count | 47 |
| Concentrated Market Lane Count | 6,010 |
| Access Friction Lane Count | 4,974 |
| Buyer Macro Weakness Lane Count | 1,123 |
| 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 Pct | 63.3% |
| Monitored Critical Share Pct | 12.8% |
| Fta Covered Exports Share Pct | 40.1% |
| Export Weighted Volatility Cv | 1 |
| Export Weighted Below Peak Pct | 25% |
| Export Weighted Distance Km | 9,700 km |
| Export Weighted Tariff Pct | 0.2% |
| Latest Data Year | 2,024 |
| First Data Year | 2,000 |
| Country Years Count | 25 |
| Total Exports Latest Usd | $143.6B |
| Total Imports Latest Usd | $108.8B |
| Trade Balance Latest Usd | $34.9B |
| Exports Yoy Latest Pct | 2.6% |
| Exports Cagr 3y Latest Pct | 0.5% |
| Gdp Latest Million Usd | 401,145 million USD |
| Gdp Per Capita Latest Usd | $6.3K |
| Population Latest | 64,007,187 |
| Investment Rate Latest Pct | 19.8% |
| Savings Rate Latest Pct | 19.2% |
| Trade Openness Latest Pct | 53% |
| Exports Gdp Latest Pct | 30.2% |
| Active Partners Latest | 270 |
| Fta Partners Latest | 44 |
| Foreign Market Potential Latest | 11,984.5 |
| Gdp 5y Cagr Pct | 0.6% |
| Gdp Per Capita 5y Cagr Pct | -0.8% |
| Population 5y Cagr Pct | 1.4% |
| Partner Hhi Latest | 659.5 |
| Partner Top1 Share Latest Pct | 17.8% |
| Partner Top3 Share Latest Pct | 34.7% |
| Partner Hhi All Avg | 637.8 |
| Partner Hhi All Max | 1,051.4 |
| Product Hhi Latest | 419.3 |
| Product Top1 Share Latest Pct | 17% |
| Product Top3 Share Latest Pct | 25.7% |
| Product Hhi All Avg | 266.7 |
| Product Hhi All Max | 459.9 |
| Total Exports Attention Share Pct | 56.9% |
| Total Exports Critical Share Pct | 11.5% |
| Attention Level | High attention |
| Primary Risk Driver | Market access exposure |
| Macro Resilience Label | Macro trend weakened |
| Year | Imports | Exports | Balance | Imports YoY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | $28.0B | $32.3B | $4.4B | +0% |
| 2001 | $26.8B | $33.2B | $6.4B | -4% |
| 2002 | $27.7B | $32.8B | $5.1B | +3.1% |
| 2003 | $35.7B | $39.7B | $4.0B | +29% |
| 2004 | $48.1B | $50.2B | $2.0B | +34.8% |
| 2005 | $56.2B | $55.8B | -$405.4M | +16.9% |
| 2006 | $69.2B | $63.2B | -$6.0B | +23% |
| 2007 | $79.5B | $76.3B | -$3.2B | +14.9% |
| 2008 | $90.1B | $92.9B | $2.8B | +13.3% |
| 2009 | $67.2B | $72.7B | $5.5B | -25.4% |
| 2010 | $91.7B | $95.6B | $3.9B | +36.4% |
| 2011 | $117.6B | $134.4B | $16.7B | +28.3% |
| 2012 | $119.1B | $141.8B | $22.8B | +1.2% |
| 2013 | $118.1B | $138.9B | $20.9B | -0.8% |
| 2014 | $112.0B | $130.2B | $18.2B | -5.1% |
| 2015 | $94.0B | $100.9B | $6.9B | -16.1% |
| 2016 | $84.3B | $89.1B | $4.9B | -10.4% |
| 2017 | $93.3B | $102.6B | $9.3B | +10.7% |
| 2018 | $106.4B | $112.2B | $5.8B | +14% |
| 2019 | $95.8B | $108.0B | $12.2B | -10% |
| 2020 | $76.8B | $101.6B | $24.8B | -19.8% |
| 2021 | $102.2B | $141.5B | $39.3B | +33% |
| 2022 | $119.8B | $147.5B | $27.8B | +17.2% |
| 2023 | $117.2B | $140.0B | $22.8B | -2.1% |
| 2024 | $108.8B | $143.6B | $34.9B | -7.2% |
| Rank | HS2 | Sector | Imports | Share | Import partners | Active HS6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 71 | Precious stones and metals | $4.5B | 4.1% | 124 | 51 |
| 2 | 26 | Ores, slag and ash | $263.7M | 0.2% | 80 | 37 |
| 3 | 87 | Vehicles | $10.4B | 9.6% | 157 | 87 |
| 4 | 27 | Mineral fuels | $20.9B | 19.2% | 126 | 43 |
| 5 | 72 | Iron and steel | $1.8B | 1.6% | 101 | 167 |
| 6 | 84 | Machinery | $14.1B | 12.9% | 191 | 515 |
| 7 | 08 | Edible fruit and nuts | $201.0M | 0.2% | 90 | 68 |
| 8 | 76 | Aluminium | $688.2M | 0.6% | 107 | 35 |
| 9 | 85 | Electrical machinery | $10.5B | 9.7% | 189 | 262 |
| 10 | 22 | Beverages | $750.9M | 0.7% | 131 | 24 |
Questions about this profile
Short answers for import and supplier research.
It combines reported imports, annual history, HS2 sectors, supplier breadth, economy context, and calculated indicators for South Africa.
South Africa recorded $108.8B in reported imports in 2024.
Precious stones and metals leads by reported import value at $4.5B.
This profile contains 25 annual rows covering 2000 through 2024.
GDP, population, investment, savings, and trade openness provide demand context.
No. They are calculated or classified from reported observations, not forecasts or guarantees.
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Data source
OECD (2025), Balanced international merchandise trade statistics (BIMTS) - HS2017-6D, OECD Data Explorer (accessed on 2026-08-29). 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.