South Africa

South Africa Imports 2023

Complete list of South Africa's 222 import sources and 100+ product categories. Sourced from CEPII BACI.

$106.87B
Total imports (2023)
#40
Global import rank
222
Source countries
100+
Product categories tracked

South Africa imported $106.87 billion of merchandise goods in 2023, making it the world's #40 largest importer. Goods came from 222 source countries, with the top ten sources providing 58.0% of total import value. The leading import was preparations n.e.c. containing by weight 70% or more of petroleum oils or oils from bituminous minerals, valued at $15.56 billion 14.6% of total imports.

The two tables below list every source 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 import sources

222 countries and territories. Click for the full bilateral page.

#Source2023 import value% of total
1China$22.27B20.84%
2Germany$8.21B7.68%
3India$7.64B7.15%
4USA$6.85B6.41%
5United Arab Emirates$4.26B3.99%
6Saudi Arabia$3.13B2.93%
7Oman$2.56B2.40%
8Italy$2.44B2.28%
9Nigeria$2.37B2.22%
10Thailand$2.22B2.08%
11Japan$2.04B1.91%
12France$1.99B1.86%
13United Kingdom$1.88B1.76%
14Ghana$1.85B1.73%
15Namibia$1.71B1.60%
16Netherlands$1.66B1.56%
17Brazil$1.66B1.56%
18Spain$1.61B1.51%
19Bahrain$1.53B1.43%
20Zimbabwe$1.43B1.34%
21Eswatini$1.43B1.34%
22Malaysia$1.23B1.15%
23Belgium$1.20B1.12%
24United Rep. of Tanzania$1.16B1.08%
25Poland$1.12B1.05%
26Australia$1.11B1.04%
27Mozambique$1.04B0.97%
28Viet Nam$1.01B0.95%
29Indonesia$972.76M0.91%
30Rep. of Korea$971.58M0.91%
31Sweden$889.39M0.83%
32Singapore$886.98M0.83%
33Türkiye$869.93M0.81%
34Austria$791.61M0.74%
35Other Asia, nes$700.95M0.66%
36Switzerland$660.14M0.62%
37Mexico$613.99M0.57%
38Czechia$610.77M0.57%
39Botswana$566.37M0.53%
40Russian Federation$522.78M0.49%
41Finland$474.30M0.44%
42Ireland$459.63M0.43%
43Côte d'Ivoire$445.32M0.42%
44Lesotho$443.25M0.41%
45Zambia$441.81M0.41%
46Angola$391.54M0.37%
47Canada$364.74M0.34%
48Slovakia$362.04M0.34%
49Qatar$351.66M0.33%
50Hungary$319.50M0.30%
51Portugal$312.54M0.29%
52Denmark$310.74M0.29%
53Israel$230.31M0.22%
54Kuwait$230.25M0.22%
55Argentina$219.52M0.21%
56Romania$207.45M0.19%
57Mauritius$202.17M0.19%
58Algeria$199.91M0.19%
59Pakistan$195.95M0.18%
60Lithuania$179.19M0.17%
61Bulgaria$155.64M0.15%
62Madagascar$154.02M0.14%
63Chile$131.04M0.12%
64Egypt$130.09M0.12%
65New Zealand$120.12M0.11%
66Greece$118.84M0.11%
67Bangladesh$116.59M0.11%
68Dem. Rep. of the Congo$115.45M0.11%
69Morocco$112.69M0.11%
70China, Hong Kong SAR$112.02M0.10%
71Philippines$111.60M0.10%
72Norway$101.48M0.09%
73Bermuda$96.34M0.09%
74Slovenia$88.97M0.08%
75Colombia$84.55M0.08%
76Cameroon$80.87M0.08%
77Togo$65.51M0.06%
78Kenya$56.62M0.05%
79Latvia$55.16M0.05%
80Brunei Darussalam$54.22M0.05%
81Malawi$52.40M0.05%
82Luxembourg$51.06M0.05%
83Sri Lanka$43.69M0.04%
84Panama$41.33M0.04%
85Cambodia$40.82M0.04%
86Tunisia$37.83M0.04%
87Serbia$37.62M0.04%
88Croatia$34.41M0.03%
89Peru$33.06M0.03%
90Uruguay$31.62M0.03%
91Estonia$25.10M0.02%
92Costa Rica$22.65M0.02%
93Jordan$20.73M0.02%
94Kazakhstan$20.36M0.02%
95Gabon$19.76M0.02%
96Congo$18.46M0.02%
97Ecuador$17.48M0.02%
98Niger$15.79M0.01%
99Uganda$14.68M0.01%
100Ukraine$14.22M0.01%
101North Macedonia$11.64M0.01%
102Lebanon$10.61M0.01%
103Ethiopia$9.87M0.01%
104Myanmar$9.74M0.01%
105Guatemala$9.58M0.01%
106Dominican Rep.$7.89M0.01%
107Senegal$7.66M0.01%
108Malta$7.44M0.01%
109Dem. People's Rep. of Korea$6.71M0.01%
110Cyprus$6.23M0.01%
111Bosnia Herzegovina$6.21M0.01%
112Benin$5.83M0.01%
113Djibouti$5.00M0.00%
114Nicaragua$4.84M0.00%
115Iraq$4.45M0.00%
116Honduras$4.44M0.00%
117Iceland$4.10M0.00%
118New Caledonia$4.08M0.00%
119Georgia$4.03M0.00%
120Liberia$3.78M0.00%
121Bolivia (Plurinational State of)$3.75M0.00%
122Mali$3.73M0.00%
123Uzbekistan$3.59M0.00%
124El Salvador$3.57M0.00%
125Equatorial Guinea$3.47M0.00%
126Kyrgyzstan$3.11M0.00%
127Paraguay$3.01M0.00%
128Sierra Leone$2.97M0.00%
129Guinea$2.42M0.00%
130China, Macao SAR$2.26M0.00%
131Lao People's Dem. Rep.$2.11M0.00%
132Falkland Isds (Malvinas)$2.10M0.00%
133Rwanda$2.01M0.00%
134Cuba$1.88M0.00%
135Iran$1.74M0.00%
136Albania$1.69M0.00%
137Fiji$1.60M0.00%
138Seychelles$1.50M0.00%
139Br. Virgin Isds$1.44M0.00%
140Comoros$1.42M0.00%
141Tokelau$1.33M0.00%
142Burkina Faso$1.04M0.00%
143Mauritania$872,8930.00%
144Trinidad and Tobago$841,1080.00%
145Burundi$827,7140.00%
146Rep. of Moldova$711,4520.00%
147Central African Rep.$664,6840.00%
148Barbados$662,5020.00%
149Jamaica$647,4090.00%
150Belarus$599,6670.00%
151Nepal$527,6660.00%
152Cabo Verde$520,1390.00%
153San Marino$411,1870.00%
154Antigua and Barbuda$402,0340.00%
155Azerbaijan$371,2990.00%
156Tajikistan$345,5550.00%
157Syria$206,5850.00%
158Suriname$204,9570.00%
159Belize$202,2200.00%
160Bahamas$195,0780.00%
161Andorra$193,3500.00%
162Cocos Isds$186,1920.00%
163Gambia$171,7820.00%
164Afghanistan$162,5200.00%
165Saint Helena$142,5030.00%
166Br. Indian Ocean Terr.$136,9020.00%
167Eritrea$127,8710.00%
168American Samoa$101,1990.00%
169Haiti$77,0100.00%
170Montenegro$76,6380.00%
171Curaçao$67,5870.00%
172Marshall Isds$65,3140.00%
173Sao Tome and Principe$63,6510.00%
174Mongolia$61,4350.00%
175Greenland$55,6290.00%
176Libya$52,7110.00%
177Saint Kitts and Nevis$42,3450.00%
178Armenia$41,3360.00%
179Niue$40,0820.00%
180Montserrat$35,1910.00%
181Tonga$34,3250.00%
182Yemen$30,6970.00%
183South Sudan$30,4950.00%
184Chad$28,1070.00%
185Papua New Guinea$25,9240.00%
186Sudan$23,8400.00%
187Maldives$18,0570.00%
188French Polynesia$16,7150.00%
189Bhutan$16,4430.00%
190Turks and Caicos Isds$15,5020.00%
191Venezuela$14,8750.00%
192Guyana$10,7890.00%
193Turkmenistan$10,4430.00%
194State of Palestine$8,5620.00%
195Dominica$8,0000.00%
196FS Micronesia$7,2040.00%
197Aruba$7,1750.00%
198Timor-Leste$6,3420.00%
199Norfolk Isds$5,9080.00%
200Anguilla$5,8750.00%
201Somalia$5,3990.00%
202Tuvalu$4,8630.00%
203Christmas Isds$3,1120.00%
204Solomon Isds$2,4210.00%
205Kiribati$2,3890.00%
206Saint Maarten$2,0640.00%
207Cook Isds$1,8560.00%
208Gibraltar$1,1160.00%
209Guam$9970.00%
210N. Mariana Isds$9840.00%
211Samoa$9390.00%
212Saint Barthélemy$9290.00%
213Saint Vincent and the Grenadines$8660.00%
214Cayman Isds$7610.00%
215Saint Lucia$7320.00%
216Wallis and Futuna Isds$3130.00%
217Grenada$1580.00%
218Pitcairn$1100.00%
219Nauru$470.00%
220Fr. South Antarctic Terr.$410.00%
221Vanuatu$80.00%
222Saint Pierre and Miquelon$30.00%

Top import products (HS6)

100 product categories ranked by 2023 import value.

#HS6ProductValue% of total
1271000Petroleum 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$15.56B14.56%
2270900Oils: petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals, crude$4.71B4.41%
3710813Metals: gold, semi-manufactured$2.82B2.64%
4851712Telephones for cellular networks or for other wireless networks$1.85B1.74%
5850760Electric accumulators: lithium-ion, including separators, whether or not rectangular (including square)$1.84B1.72%
6710812Metals: gold, non-monetary, unwrought (but not powder)$1.73B1.62%
7300490Medicaments: consisting of mixed or unmixed products n.e.c. in heading no. 3004, for therapeutic or prophylactic uses, packaged for retail sale$1.36B1.27%
8870322Vehicles: with only spark-ignition internal combustion reciprocating piston engine, cylinder capacity over 1000 but not over 1500cc$1.25B1.17%
9850440Electrical static converters$1.05B0.99%
10750110Nickel: nickel mattes$989.29M0.93%
11854140Electrical apparatus: photosensitive, including photovoltaic cells, whether or not assembled in modules or made up into panels, light-emitting diodes (LED)$979.79M0.92%
12851762Communication apparatus (excluding telephone sets or base stations): machines for the reception, conversion and transmission or regeneration of voice, images or other data, including switching and routing apparatus$966.77M0.90%
13847130Automatic data processing machines: portable, weighing not more than 10kg, consisting of at least a central processing unit, a keyboard and a display$880.11M0.82%
14870323Vehicles: with only spark-ignition internal combustion reciprocating piston engine, cylinder capacity over 1500 but not over 3000cc$788.99M0.74%
15870120Tractors: road, for semi-trailers$686.72M0.64%
16870410Vehicles: dumpers, designed for off-highway use, for transport of goods$626.52M0.59%
17870321Vehicles: with only spark-ignition internal combustion reciprocating piston engine, cylinder capacity not over 1000cc$615.18M0.58%
18100199Cereals: wheat and meslin, other than durum wheat, other than seed$610.83M0.57%
19100630Cereals: rice, semi-milled or wholly milled, whether or not polished or glazed$603.46M0.56%
20870899Vehicle parts and accessories: n.e.c. in heading no. 8708$579.96M0.54%
21281820Aluminium oxide: other than artificial corundum$508.96M0.48%
22870332Vehicles: with only compression-ignition internal combustion piston engine (diesel or semi-diesel), cylinder capacity over 1500 but not over 2500cc$490.85M0.46%
23870333Vehicles: with only compression-ignition internal combustion piston engine (diesel or semi-diesel), cylinder capacity over 2500cc$487.68M0.46%
24870829Vehicles: parts and accessories, of bodies, other than safety seat belts$476.37M0.45%
25740811Copper: wire, of refined copper, of which the maximum cross-sectional dimension exceeds 6mm$476.19M0.45%
26151190Vegetable oils: palm oil and its fractions, other than crude, whether or not refined, but not chemically modified$452.93M0.42%
27842952Mechanical shovels, excavators and shovel loaders: with a 360 degree revolving super structure$440.26M0.41%
28284390Inorganic or organic compounds of precious metals, n.e.c.: amalgams$437.86M0.41%
29330210Odoriferous substances and mixtures: of a kind used in the food or drink industries$435.60M0.41%
30847150Units of automatic data processing machines: processing units other than those of item no. 8471.41 or 8471.49, whether or not containing in the same housing one or two of the following types of unit: storage units, input units or output units$420.45M0.39%
31271111Petroleum gases and other gaseous hydrocarbons: liquefied, natural gas$407.50M0.38%
32843149Machinery: parts of machines handling earth, minerals or ores and n.e.c. in heading no. 8431$397.81M0.37%
33853710Boards, panels, consoles, desks and other bases: for electric control or the distribution of electricity, (other than switching apparatus of heading no. 8517), for a voltage not exceeding 1000 volts$392.20M0.37%
34382499Chemical products, mixtures and preparations: n.e.c. heading 3824$389.30M0.36%
35870421Vehicles: 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$382.73M0.36%
36870840Vehicle parts: gear boxes and parts thereof$375.39M0.35%
37270400Coke and semi-coke: of coal, lignite or peat, whether or not agglomerated: retort carbon$358.08M0.34%
38840820Engines: compression-ignition internal combustion piston engines (diesel or semi-diesel engines), of a kind used for the propulsion of vehicles of chapter 87$357.76M0.33%
39310210Fertilizers, mineral or chemical: nitrogenous, urea, whether or not in aqueous solution$348.60M0.33%
40271600Electrical energy$341.37M0.32%
41901890Medical, surgical or dental instruments and appliances: n.e.c. in heading no. 9018$336.93M0.32%
42880240Aeroplanes and other aircraft: of an unladen weight exceeding 15,000kg$334.46M0.31%
43382200Reagents: diagnostic or laboratory reagents on a backing and prepared diagnostic or laboratory reagents whether or not on a backing, other than those of heading no. 3002 or 3006: certified reference material$326.03M0.31%
44844399Printing machinery: parts and accessories, n.e.c. in item no. 8443.91$305.43M0.29%
45870324Vehicles: with only spark-ignition internal combustion reciprocating piston engine, cylinder capacity over 3000cc$294.94M0.28%
46851770Telephone sets and other apparatus for the transmission or reception of voice, images or other data, via a wired or wireless network: parts$281.62M0.26%
47870850Vehicle parts: drive-axles with differential, whether or not provided with other transmission components, and non-driving axles: parts thereof$281.41M0.26%
48870195Tractors: n.e.c. in heading no 8701 (other than tractors of heading no 8709): of an engine power exceeding 130kW$279.45M0.26%
49640299Footwear: n.e.c. in heading no. 6402, (other than just covering the ankle), with outer soles and uppers of rubber or plastics$277.34M0.26%
50840734Engines: reciprocating piston engines, of a kind used for the propulsion of vehicles of chapter 87, of a cylinder capacity exceeding 1000cc$276.11M0.26%
51392690Plastics: other articles n.e.c. in chapter 39$271.35M0.25%
52848180Taps, cocks, valves and similar appliances: for pipes, boiler shells, tanks, vats or the like, including thermostatically controlled valves$265.61M0.25%
53840890Engines: compression-ignition internal combustion piston engines (diesel or semi-diesel engines), of a kind used for other than marine propulsion or the vehicles of chapter 87$262.27M0.25%
54842951Front-end shovel loaders$255.73M0.24%
55401180Rubber: new pneumatic tyres, of a kind used on construction, mining or industrial handling vehicles and machines$251.14M0.23%
56870830Vehicle parts: brakes, servo-brakes and parts thereof$237.27M0.22%
57401120Rubber: new pneumatic tyres, of a kind used on buses or lorries$236.38M0.22%
58020714Meat and edible offal: of fowls of the species Gallus domesticus, cuts and offal, frozen$235.32M0.22%
59380893Herbicides, anti-sprouting products and plant-growth regulators: other than containing goods of Subheading Note 1 to this Chapter: put up in forms or packings for retail sale or as preparations or articles$211.68M0.20%
60401110Rubber: new pneumatic tyres, of a kind used on motor cars (including station wagons and racing cars)$210.75M0.20%
61620342Trousers, bib and brace overalls, breeches and shorts: men's or boys', of cotton (not knitted or crocheted)$207.48M0.19%
62740311Copper: refined, unwrought, cathodes and sections of cathodes$207.18M0.19%
63843351Combine harvester-threshers$205.86M0.19%
64940190Seat: parts$202.91M0.19%
65850231Electric generating sets: wind-powered, (excluding those with spark-ignition or compression-ignition internal combustion piston engines)$201.53M0.19%
66847989Machines and mechanical appliances: having individual functions, n.e.c. or included in this chapter$200.05M0.19%
67270119Coal: (other than anthracite and bituminous), whether or not pulverised but not agglomerated$199.76M0.19%
68170113Sugars: cane sugar, raw, in solid form, as specified in Subheading Note 2 to this chapter, not containing added flavouring or colouring matter$193.93M0.18%
69722592Steel, alloy: flat-rolled, width 600mm or more, n.e.c. in heading no. 7225, plated or coated with zinc (other than electrolytically)$192.53M0.18%
70210690Food preparations: n.e.c. in item no. 2106.10$185.90M0.17%
71270112Coal: bituminous, whether or not pulverised, but not agglomerated$183.97M0.17%
72842911Bulldozers and angledozers: self-propelled, track laying$182.89M0.17%
73854449Insulated electric conductors: for a voltage not exceeding 1000 volts, not fitted with connectors$182.37M0.17%
74710231Diamonds: non-industrial, unworked or simply sawn, cleaved or bruted, but not mounted or set$179.97M0.17%
75844331Printing, copying, and facsimile machines: machines which perform two or more of the functions of printing, copying or facsimile transmission, capable of connecting to an automatic data processing machine or to a network$178.68M0.17%
76854430Insulated electric conductors: ignition wiring sets and other wiring sets of a kind used in vehicles, aircraft or ships$178.47M0.17%
77151211Vegetable oils: sunflower seed or safflower oil and their fractions, crude, not chemically modified$177.40M0.17%
78271112Petroleum gases and other gaseous hydrocarbons: liquefied, propane$176.80M0.17%
79330499Cosmetic and toilet preparations: n.e.c. in heading no. 3304, for the care of the skin (excluding medicaments, including sunscreen or sun tan preparations)$173.51M0.16%
80271312Petroleum coke: calcined, obtained from bituminous minerals$167.47M0.16%
81870194Tractors: n.e.c. in heading no 8701 (other than tractors of heading no 8709): of an engine power exceeding 75kW but not exceeding 130kW$166.22M0.16%
82847490Machines, 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$166.07M0.16%
83721049Iron or non-alloy steel: flat-rolled, width 600mm or more, (not corrugated), plated or coated with zinc (not electrolytically)$164.64M0.15%
84300215Blood, human or animal, antisera, other blood fractions and immunological products: immunological products, put up in measured doses or in forms or packings for retail sale$164.45M0.15%
85880330Aircraft and spacecraft: parts of aeroplanes or helicopters n.e.c. in heading no. 8803$164.40M0.15%
86848340Gears and gearing: (not toothed wheels, chain sprockets and other transmission elements presented separately): ball or roller screws: gear boxes and other speed changers, including torque converters$160.05M0.15%
87640419Footwear: (other than sportswear), with outer soles of rubber or plastics and uppers of textile materials$158.46M0.15%
88847170Units of automatic data processing machines: storage units$157.33M0.15%
89880230Aeroplanes and other aircraft: of an unladen weight exceeding 2000kg but not exceeding 15,000kg$153.09M0.14%
90481159Paper and paperboard: coated, impregnated or covered with plastics (excluding adhesives), other than bleached and weighing more than 150g/m2, other than goods of heading no. 4803, 4809, or 4810$152.70M0.14%
91610910T-shirts, singlets and other vests: of cotton, knitted or crocheted$152.20M0.14%
92220830Whiskies$150.57M0.14%
93390120Ethylene polymers: in primary forms, polyethylene having a specific gravity of 0.94 or more$150.54M0.14%
94710239Diamonds: non-industrial, (other than unworked or simply sawn, cleaved or bruted), but not mounted or set$150.54M0.14%
95847190Magnetic or optical readers, machines for transcribing data onto data media in coded form and machines for processing such data, not elsewhere specified or included$149.55M0.14%
96854370Electrical machines and apparatus: having individual functions, not specified or included elsewhere in this chapter, n.e.c. in heading no. 8543$148.94M0.14%
97381121Lubricating oil additives: containing petroleum oils or oils obtained from bituminous minerals$147.60M0.14%
98852580Television cameras, digital cameras and video camera recorders$147.03M0.14%
99240120Tobacco: partly or wholly stemmed or stripped$146.90M0.14%
100843041Boring or sinking machinery: self-propelled, n.e.c. in heading no. 8430$146.57M0.14%