Which countries does South Africa trade with?
James Williams
Updated on February 17, 2026
South Africa’s top trading partners are China, Germany, the United States, the UK, India and Japan. South Africa is the EU’s largest trading partner in Africa….Main Partner Countries.
| Main Customers (% of Exports) | 2019 |
|---|---|
| China | 10.7% |
| Germany | 8.0% |
| United States | 7.0% |
| United Kingdom | 5.2% |
Is South Africa a member of the European Union?
South Africa is the EU’s largest trading partner in Southern Africa and has a FTA with the EU.
Does the US trade with South Africa?
U.S.-South Africa Trade Facts South Africa is currently our 39th largest goods trading partner with $13.2 billion in total (two way) goods trade during 2019. Goods exports totaled $5.4 billion; goods imports totaled $7.8 billion. The U.S. goods trade deficit with South Africa was $2.4 billion in 2019.
Does South Africa use free trade?
South Africa has gazetted African free-trade deal regulations, including a list of thousands of products that can be imported and exported duty-free in future years. This could bring new competitors from other African countries to the local market, and also create opportunities to expand in other markets.
What is South Africa’s biggest trade?
Its main export commodities are gold, diamonds, platinum, other metals and minerals, machinery and equipment. South Africa’s main trade partners are the European Union, China, US, Japan and India.
What is South Africa’s biggest import?
South Africa main imports are: machinery (23.5 percent of total imports), mineral products (15.1 percent), vehicles and aircraft vessels (10 percent), chemicals (10.9 percent), equipment components (8.1 percent) and iron and steel products (5.3 percent).
How does South Africa benefit from AfCFTA?
Expected Economic Boost and Trade Diversity. UNECA estimates that AfCFTA will boost intra-African trade by 52.3% once import duties and non-tariff barriers are eliminated. The AfCFTA will cover a GDP of $2.5 trillion of the market.
Why does South Africa need to import oil?
Crude oil is imported into South Africa by private players linked to the major locally based energy multinationals, PetroSA and SASOL, that engage in petroleum refining, storage and marketing. High oil prices are a major threat to the country’s overall energy security and lead to high direct costs to consumers.
What are South Africa three most valuable exports?
Searchable List of South Africa’s Most Valuable Export Products
| RANK | SOUTH AFRICAN EXPORT PRODUCT | 2019 VALUE (US$) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Platinum (unwrought) | $8,245,494,000 |
| 2 | Cars | $6,681,545,000 |
| 3 | Iron ores, concentrates | $5,743,361,000 |
| 4 | Coal, solid fuels made from coal | $4,838,972,000 |
What does AfCFTA mean for South Africa?
African Continental Free Trade Area
The first day of 2021 marked the start of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The overarching aim of the AfCFTA is to create a single market for goods and services with free movement of capital.
What is South Africa’s main export?
Chief exports include corn, diamonds, fruits, gold, metals and minerals, sugar, and wool. Machinery and transportation equipment make up more than one-third of the value of the country’s imports.
What does South Africa export to Japan?
As can be seen the bulk of SA exports to Japan were precious metals, products of iron and steel and mineral products.
Does South Africa import toothpicks?
Unfortunately, due to the technical expertise needed to use these measures, South Africa and Egypt have been the only African countries to apply them effectively.
Who does South Africa have free trade agreements with?
Given that South Africa has recently entered into two free trade agreements, one with the South African Development Community (SADC) and the other with the European Union (EU), a methodology that attempts to establish the trade increasing effects of both of these agreements relies primarily on application of several …
Where does South Africa import oil from?
Saudi Arabia
Crude oil accounts for about 17% of South Africa’s primary energy needs (SANEA, 2003). About 86% of the crude oil imports come from three countries: Saudi Arabia (36%), Iran (34%) and Nigeria (16%) in 2006. Figure 1 shows diversified sources of sup- ply and fluctuations in crude oil imports and local production.
What are the top 3 Imports of South Africa?
How can South Africa benefit from AfCFTA?
Is South Africa part of AfCFTA?
The Agreement establishing AfCFTA came into force on 30 May 2019 and, so far, 30 countries on the continent have ratified the Agreement. As a member of the AU, South Africa endorsed the AfCFTA negotiations when they were launched during the 24th AU Assembly in June 2015, in South Africa.
What fruit does South Africa export?
Citrus fruits constituted the largest share of exported fruit, with a share value of 40.8 % collectively. Oranges topped the list of fruit exports by South Africa with a share value of 21.4 %, followed by table grapes, apples and lemons constituting a share value of 14.7 %, 12.4 % and 9.1 % respectively.
