South Africa

South Africa Exports 2023

Complete list of South Africa's 211 export destinations and 100+ product categories. Sourced from CEPII BACI.

$144.67B
Total exports (2023)
#35
Global export rank
211
Destination countries
100+
Product categories tracked

South Africa exported $144.67 billion of merchandise goods in 2023, making it the world's #35 largest exporter. Goods flowed to 211 destinations, with the top ten markets absorbing 61.6% of total export value. The leading export was gold, non-monetary, unwrought (but not powder), valued at $23.34 billion 16.1% of the country's export portfolio.

The two tables below list every destination country and the most-traded product categories at the HS6 (Harmonized System 6-digit) level. All values come from the CEPII BACI database, which reconciles UN Comtrade declarations to produce cleaner bilateral flows.

All export destinations

211 countries and territories. Click any country for the full bilateral page.

#Destination2023 export value% of total
1China$26.78B18.51%
2India$10.63B7.35%
3USA$9.72B6.72%
4Germany$8.76B6.05%
5United Kingdom$7.92B5.47%
6Japan$6.45B4.46%
7Mozambique$6.14B4.25%
8Botswana$4.32B2.99%
9Switzerland$4.26B2.95%
10Netherlands$4.18B2.89%
11Belgium$3.86B2.67%
12United Arab Emirates$3.77B2.61%
13Zimbabwe$3.58B2.47%
14Namibia$3.07B2.12%
15China, Hong Kong SAR$2.85B1.97%
16Zambia$2.80B1.94%
17Italy$2.45B1.69%
18Rep. of Korea$2.05B1.42%
19Canada$1.96B1.36%
20Spain$1.79B1.24%
21Dem. Rep. of the Congo$1.56B1.08%
22Eswatini$1.48B1.02%
23Indonesia$1.42B0.98%
24Lesotho$1.40B0.97%
25Australia$1.14B0.79%
26Other Asia, nes$1.11B0.77%
27Türkiye$914.45M0.63%
28Malaysia$839.33M0.58%
29Czechia$771.82M0.53%
30Singapore$769.57M0.53%
31France$702.06M0.49%
32Saudi Arabia$696.30M0.48%
33Brazil$649.59M0.45%
34Mauritius$644.58M0.45%
35Kenya$628.71M0.43%
36United Rep. of Tanzania$605.35M0.42%
37Thailand$568.28M0.39%
38Malawi$514.66M0.36%
39Poland$478.07M0.33%
40Mexico$461.54M0.32%
41Nigeria$423.75M0.29%
42Angola$419.26M0.29%
43Ghana$399.75M0.28%
44Viet Nam$366.60M0.25%
45Austria$336.94M0.23%
46Morocco$328.85M0.23%
47Bangladesh$308.96M0.21%
48Russian Federation$282.76M0.20%
49Uganda$279.32M0.19%
50Norway$274.46M0.19%
51Finland$267.17M0.18%
52Portugal$267.08M0.18%
53Pakistan$261.37M0.18%
54Madagascar$241.97M0.17%
55Israel$230.58M0.16%
56Ireland$222.45M0.15%
57Senegal$199.22M0.14%
58Côte d'Ivoire$182.80M0.13%
59Sri Lanka$158.33M0.11%
60Romania$155.86M0.11%
61Argentina$150.47M0.10%
62Denmark$146.02M0.10%
63Qatar$140.08M0.10%
64Sweden$137.85M0.10%
65Congo$126.31M0.09%
66Kuwait$125.27M0.09%
67Greece$124.30M0.09%
68Serbia$124.04M0.09%
69Slovenia$122.29M0.08%
70New Zealand$111.17M0.08%
71Philippines$108.74M0.08%
72Egypt$106.10M0.07%
73Ukraine$104.33M0.07%
74Latvia$103.96M0.07%
75Bulgaria$103.48M0.07%
76Seychelles$97.48M0.07%
77Slovakia$96.99M0.07%
78Chile$79.49M0.05%
79Liberia$78.88M0.05%
80Sierra Leone$78.50M0.05%
81Luxembourg$74.32M0.05%
82Djibouti$67.52M0.05%
83Estonia$62.13M0.04%
84Jordan$60.48M0.04%
85Guinea$57.00M0.04%
86Gabon$56.62M0.04%
87Oman$56.28M0.04%
88Peru$56.04M0.04%
89Mali$55.17M0.04%
90Burkina Faso$55.03M0.04%
91Cameroon$53.19M0.04%
92Togo$51.17M0.04%
93Kazakhstan$50.92M0.04%
94Uzbekistan$49.08M0.03%
95Ethiopia$46.71M0.03%
96Guatemala$44.51M0.03%
97Hungary$43.44M0.03%
98Marshall Isds$42.67M0.03%
99Colombia$41.53M0.03%
100Iraq$41.36M0.03%
101Bahrain$41.26M0.03%
102Albania$40.89M0.03%
103Rwanda$38.74M0.03%
104Croatia$37.16M0.03%
105Dominican Rep.$37.05M0.03%
106Panama$36.99M0.03%
107Br. Virgin Isds$35.66M0.02%
108North Macedonia$35.06M0.02%
109Cyprus$33.96M0.02%
110Mauritania$29.90M0.02%
111Lithuania$29.24M0.02%
112Guyana$28.55M0.02%
113Uruguay$27.07M0.02%
114Ecuador$25.87M0.02%
115Honduras$22.54M0.02%
116Bahamas$22.01M0.02%
117Maldives$21.73M0.02%
118Algeria$21.64M0.01%
119Yemen$18.29M0.01%
120Sudan$17.86M0.01%
121Malta$17.64M0.01%
122China, Macao SAR$16.92M0.01%
123Iran$16.52M0.01%
124Mongolia$16.40M0.01%
125Lebanon$15.85M0.01%
126Grenada$14.43M0.01%
127Bosnia Herzegovina$14.36M0.01%
128Benin$13.94M0.01%
129Iceland$13.52M0.01%
130Somalia$13.39M0.01%
131Papua New Guinea$13.05M0.01%
132Tunisia$12.52M0.01%
133Venezuela$11.37M0.01%
134Gambia$10.66M0.01%
135Belize$10.36M0.01%
136Eritrea$9.96M0.01%
137Paraguay$9.66M0.01%
138Azerbaijan$9.40M0.01%
139Saint Helena$9.23M0.01%
140Haiti$8.84M0.01%
141Cambodia$8.75M0.01%
142Rep. of Moldova$8.43M0.01%
143Armenia$8.39M0.01%
144Cabo Verde$7.98M0.01%
145Bolivia (Plurinational State of)$7.79M0.01%
146Costa Rica$6.97M0.00%
147Niger$6.57M0.00%
148Burundi$6.15M0.00%
149Trinidad and Tobago$6.13M0.00%
150Barbados$5.48M0.00%
151Suriname$5.46M0.00%
152Jamaica$5.43M0.00%
153Libya$5.41M0.00%
154El Salvador$5.38M0.00%
155Antigua and Barbuda$5.12M0.00%
156Georgia$4.84M0.00%
157Kyrgyzstan$4.79M0.00%
158Brunei Darussalam$4.00M0.00%
159Central African Rep.$3.44M0.00%
160South Sudan$2.83M0.00%
161Cuba$2.82M0.00%
162Comoros$2.78M0.00%
163Nicaragua$2.40M0.00%
164Chad$2.39M0.00%
165Montenegro$2.30M0.00%
166Myanmar$1.75M0.00%
167Syria$1.64M0.00%
168Equatorial Guinea$1.60M0.00%
169Belarus$1.56M0.00%
170Curaçao$1.56M0.00%
171Fiji$1.54M0.00%
172Guinea-Bissau$1.15M0.00%
173Andorra$947,6870.00%
174Cayman Isds$813,1010.00%
175Sao Tome and Principe$777,3880.00%
176French Polynesia$713,7070.00%
177Aruba$712,2720.00%
178Afghanistan$705,8970.00%
179New Caledonia$702,0330.00%
180Gibraltar$650,7670.00%
181Samoa$636,7080.00%
182Nepal$516,4580.00%
183Lao People's Dem. Rep.$495,1650.00%
184Saint Vincent and the Grenadines$431,9230.00%
185Bermuda$258,2790.00%
186Solomon Isds$242,2100.00%
187Greenland$207,8470.00%
188State of Palestine$182,3400.00%
189Saint Lucia$179,5510.00%
190Saint Maarten$173,9810.00%
191Guam$130,6830.00%
192San Marino$113,6000.00%
193Nauru$94,2140.00%
194FS Micronesia$84,8700.00%
195Dominica$70,4280.00%
196Tuvalu$68,4550.00%
197Tonga$63,2270.00%
198Palau$62,8830.00%
199Vanuatu$51,4270.00%
200Tajikistan$41,7170.00%
201Turks and Caicos Isds$34,5660.00%
202Saint Kitts and Nevis$34,3780.00%
203Br. Indian Ocean Terr.$26,0160.00%
204Falkland Isds (Malvinas)$14,5200.00%
205Timor-Leste$9,8440.00%
206Anguilla$8,5920.00%
207N. Mariana Isds$4,5430.00%
208Dem. People's Rep. of Korea$4,1270.00%
209Turkmenistan$2,1140.00%
210Cook Isds$1,9900.00%
211Bhutan$140.00%

Top export products (HS6)

100 product categories ranked by 2023 export value.

#HS6ProductValue% of total
1710812Metals: gold, non-monetary, unwrought (but not powder)$23.34B16.13%
2270112Coal: bituminous, whether or not pulverised, but not agglomerated$7.12B4.92%
3870421Vehicles: compression-ignition internal combustion piston engine (diesel or semi-diesel), for transport of goods, (of a gvw not exceeding 5 tonnes), n.e.c. in item no 8704.1$6.03B4.17%
4720241Ferro-alloys: ferro-chromium, containing by weight more than 4% of carbon$4.91B3.39%
5260111Iron ores and concentrates: non-agglomerated$4.61B3.19%
6261000Chromium ores and concentrates$4.14B2.86%
7711011Metals: platinum, unwrought or in powder form$3.91B2.70%
8710239Diamonds: non-industrial, (other than unworked or simply sawn, cleaved or bruted), but not mounted or set$3.32B2.30%
9711021Metals: palladium, unwrought or in powder form$3.19B2.20%
10711031Metals: rhodium, unwrought or in powder form$3.03B2.10%
11870323Vehicles: with only spark-ignition internal combustion reciprocating piston engine, cylinder capacity over 1500 but not over 3000cc$2.87B1.99%
12260200Manganese ores and concentrates, including ferruginous manganese ores and concentrates with a manganese content of 20% or more, calculated on the dry weight$2.71B1.87%
13710813Metals: gold, semi-manufactured$2.57B1.77%
14260112Iron ores and concentrates: agglomerated (excluding roasted iron pyrites)$2.34B1.62%
15271000Petroleum oils and oils from bituminous minerals, not crude: preparations n.e.c. containing by weight 70% or more of petroleum oils or oils from bituminous minerals: these being the basic constituents of the preparations: waste oils$2.25B1.56%
16711019Metals: platinum, semi-manufactured$1.83B1.27%
17870321Vehicles: with only spark-ignition internal combustion reciprocating piston engine, cylinder capacity not over 1000cc$1.77B1.22%
18270119Coal: (other than anthracite and bituminous), whether or not pulverised but not agglomerated$1.73B1.19%
19842139Machinery: for filtering or purifying gases, other than intake air filters for internal combustion engines$1.59B1.10%
20760110Aluminium: unwrought, (not alloyed)$1.45B1.00%
21261690Precious metal ores and concentrates: (excluding silver)$1.22B0.85%
22710231Diamonds: non-industrial, unworked or simply sawn, cleaved or bruted, but not mounted or set$1.17B0.81%
23100590Cereals: maize (corn), other than seed$1.17B0.81%
24870332Vehicles: with only compression-ignition internal combustion piston engine (diesel or semi-diesel), cylinder capacity over 1500 but not over 2500cc$1.15B0.80%
25470200Wood pulp: chemical wood pulp, dissolving grades$1.05B0.73%
26080510Fruit, edible: oranges, fresh or dried$890.72M0.62%
27711041Metals: iridium, osmium, ruthenium, unwrought or in powder form$845.25M0.58%
28750210Nickel: unwrought, not alloyed$760.86M0.53%
29080610Fruit, edible: grapes, fresh$691.88M0.48%
30870322Vehicles: with only spark-ignition internal combustion reciprocating piston engine, cylinder capacity over 1000 but not over 1500cc$668.72M0.46%
31261400Titanium ores and concentrates$641.45M0.44%
32711029Metals: palladium, semi-manufactured$625.33M0.43%
33080521Fruit, edible: mandarins (including tangerines and satsumas), fresh or dried$584.22M0.40%
34271600Electrical energy$570.70M0.39%
35261510Zirconium ores and concentrates$559.49M0.39%
36290129Acyclic hydrocarbons: unsaturated, n.e.c. in heading no. 2901$518.19M0.36%
37080810Fruit, edible: apples, fresh$506.88M0.35%
38220421Wine: still, in containers holding 2 litres or less$439.81M0.30%
39120190Soya beans: other than seed, whether or not broken$429.62M0.30%
40080550Fruit, edible: lemons (Citrus limon, Citrus limonum), limes (Citrus aurantifolia , Citrus latifolia), fresh or dried$410.28M0.28%
41381512Catalysts, supported: reaction initiators, reaction accelerators and catalytic preparations, with precious metal or precious metal compounds as the active substance, n.e.c. or included$381.51M0.26%
42740200Copper: unrefined, copper anodes for electrolytic refining$376.91M0.26%
43170114Sugars: cane sugar, raw, in solid form, other than as specified in Subheading Note 2 to this chapter, not containing added flavouring or colouring matter$360.77M0.25%
44760612Aluminium: plates, sheets and strip, thickness exceeding 0.2mm, alloys, rectangular (including square)$353.80M0.24%
45847490Machines, for sorting, screening, separating, washing, crushing etc mineral substances, for agglomerating, shaping or moulding solid fuels, ceramic pastes etc, for forming foundry moulds of sand: parts$334.11M0.23%
46711039Metals: rhodium, semi-manufactured$328.71M0.23%
47870350Vehicles: with both compression-ignition internal combustion piston engine (diesel or semi-diesel) and electric motor for propulsion, incapable of being charged by plugging to external source of electric power$326.28M0.23%
48870333Vehicles: with only compression-ignition internal combustion piston engine (diesel or semi-diesel), cylinder capacity over 2500cc$322.42M0.22%
49390210Propylene, other olefin polymers: polypropylene in primary forms$318.17M0.22%
50510111Wool: (not carded or combed), greasy (including fleece-washed wool), shorn$317.08M0.22%
51260800Zinc ores and concentrates$316.66M0.22%
52870340Vehicles: with both spark-ignition internal combustion reciprocating piston engine and electric motor for propulsion, incapable of being charged by plugging to external source of electric power$310.39M0.21%
53711590Metal: precious or metal clad with precious metal, other than that of item no. 7115.10$277.95M0.19%
54870410Vehicles: dumpers, designed for off-highway use, for transport of goods$276.28M0.19%
55720110Iron: non-alloy pig iron containing by weight 0.5% or less of phosphorus, in pigs, blocks or other primary forms$275.68M0.19%
56300490Medicaments: consisting of mixed or unmixed products n.e.c. in heading no. 3004, for therapeutic or prophylactic uses, packaged for retail sale$273.32M0.19%
57330499Cosmetic and toilet preparations: n.e.c. in heading no. 3304, for the care of the skin (excluding medicaments, including sunscreen or sun tan preparations)$273.27M0.19%
58843149Machinery: parts of machines handling earth, minerals or ores and n.e.c. in heading no. 8431$263.18M0.18%
59711299Waste and scrap of precious metals: waste and scrap of precious metals including metal clad with precious metals, other than that of gold and platinum and excluding ash which contains precious metal or precious metal compounds$249.26M0.17%
60260300Copper ores and concentrates$244.23M0.17%
61870899Vehicle parts and accessories: n.e.c. in heading no. 8708$243.51M0.17%
62870431Vehicles: spark-ignition internal combustion piston engine, for transport of goods, (of a g.v.w. not exceeding 5 tonnes), n.e.c. in item no 8704.1$234.74M0.16%
63740319Copper: refined, unwrought, n.e.c. in item no. 7403.1$230.18M0.16%
64710210Diamonds: whether or not worked, but not mounted or set, unsorted$223.26M0.15%
65080830Fruit, edible: pears, fresh$220.36M0.15%
66732690Iron or steel: articles n.e.c. in heading 7326$218.82M0.15%
67740311Copper: refined, unwrought, cathodes and sections of cathodes$216.43M0.15%
68340290Washing and cleaning preparations: surface-active, whether or not containing soap (excluding those of heading no. 3401), including auxiliary washing preparations, not for retail sale$211.34M0.15%
69283325Sulphates: of copper$209.81M0.15%
70730890Iron or steel: structures and parts thereof, n.e.c. in heading 7308$207.21M0.14%
71841391Pumps: parts thereof$198.48M0.14%
72261800Slag, granulated (slag sand): from the manufacture or iron or steel$198.02M0.14%
73840999Engines: parts for internal combustion piston engines (excluding spark-ignition)$196.41M0.14%
74080440Fruit, edible: avocados, fresh or dried$187.17M0.13%
75081040Fruit, edible: cranberries, bilberries and other fruits of the genus vaccinium, fresh$181.77M0.13%
76440122Wood: for fuel, in chips or particles, non-coniferous, whether or not agglomerated$181.47M0.13%
77251010Natural calcium phosphates, natural aluminium calcium phosphates and phosphatic chalk: unground$179.52M0.12%
78711319Jewellery: of precious metal (excluding silver) whether or not plated or clad with precious metal, and parts thereof$175.92M0.12%
79252922Fluorspar: containing by weight more than 97% of calcium fluoride$171.75M0.12%
80210690Food preparations: n.e.c. in item no. 2106.10$170.51M0.12%
81220210Waters: including mineral and aerated, containing added sugar or other sweetening matter or flavoured$165.27M0.11%
82110313Cereal groats and meal: of maize (corn)$164.26M0.11%
83890391Sailboats: with or without auxiliary motor, for pleasure or sports, other than inflatable$163.13M0.11%
84220710Undenatured ethyl alcohol: of an alcoholic strength by volume of 80% vol. or higher$161.77M0.11%
85870120Tractors: road, for semi-trailers$159.78M0.11%
86720719Iron or non-alloy steel: semi-finished products of iron or non-alloy steel, containing by weight less than 0.25% of carbon, other than rectangular or square cross-section$155.98M0.11%
87280920Phosphoric acid and polyphosphoric acids$155.49M0.11%
88382499Chemical products, mixtures and preparations: n.e.c. heading 3824$152.85M0.11%
89100199Cereals: wheat and meslin, other than durum wheat, other than seed$152.34M0.11%
90210390Sauces and preparations therefor: mixed condiments and mixed seasonings$152.11M0.11%
91870324Vehicles: with only spark-ignition internal combustion reciprocating piston engine, cylinder capacity over 3000cc$150.13M0.10%
92290513Alcohols: saturated monohydric, butan-1-ol (n-butyl alcohol)$149.64M0.10%
93080540Fruit, edible: grapefruit, including pomelos, fresh or dried$148.64M0.10%
94401110Rubber: new pneumatic tyres, of a kind used on motor cars (including station wagons and racing cars)$145.17M0.10%
95080262Nuts, edible: macadamia, fresh or dried, shelled$137.65M0.10%
96721420Iron or non-alloy steel: bars and rods, hot-rolled, hot-drawn or hot-extruded, containing indentations, ribs, grooves or other deformations produced during the rolling process or twisted after rolling$137.09M0.09%
97290512Alcohols: saturated monohydric, propan-1-ol (propyl alcohol) and propan-2-ol (isopropyl alcohol)$135.36M0.09%
98760120Aluminium: unwrought, alloys$134.73M0.09%
99382370Industrial fatty alcohols$132.81M0.09%
100870360Vehicles: with both spark-ignition internal combustion reciprocating piston engine and electric motor for propulsion, capable of being charged by plugging to external source of electric power$132.19M0.09%