Iran (IRN) and South Africa (ZAF) Trade | The Observatory of Economic Complexity

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Iran-South Africa Trade: In 2023, Iran exported $1.74M to South Africa. The main products that Iran exported to South Africa were Tropical Fruits ($312k), Vegetable Saps ($251k), and Broadcasting Equipment ($211k). Over the past 5 years the exports of Iran to South Africa have decreased at an annualized rate of 44%, from $31.7M in 2018 to $1.74M in 2023.

In 2023, Iran did not export any services to South Africa.

South Africa-Iran Trade: In 2023, South Africa exported $16.5M to Iran. The main products that South Africa exported to Iran were Coal Briquettes ($11.9M), Perfume Plants ($1.22M), and Surveying Equipment ($531k). Over the past 5 years the exports of South Africa to Iran have decreased at an annualized rate of 32.2%, from $116M in 2018 to $16.5M in 2023.

In 2023, South Africa did not export any services to Iran.

Comparison: In 2023, Iran ranked 58 in the Economic Complexity Index (ECI 0.084), and 92 in total exports ($13.2B). That same year, South Africa ranked 59 in the Economic Complexity Index (ECI 0.07), and 34 in total exports ($154B).

Historical Data

Bilateral Trade by Products

Depth

HS2

HS4

HS6

Value

Trade

Growth

Growth (%)

Year

In 2023, Iran exported $1.74M to South Africa. The main products exported from Iran to South Africa were Tropical Fruits ($312k), Vegetable Saps ($251k), and Broadcasting Equipment ($211k). During the last 5 years the exports of Iran to South Africa have decreased at an annualized rate of 44%, from $31.7M in 2018 to $1.74M in 2023.

In 2018, South Africa exported $16.5M to Iran. The main products exported from South Africa to Iran were Coal Briquettes ($11.9M), Perfume Plants ($1.22M), and Surveying Equipment ($531k). During the last 5 years the exports of South Africa to Iran have decreased at an annualized rate of 32.2%, from $116M in 2023 to $16.5M in 2018.

Exports from Iran () to South Africa () (2023)

Exports from South Africa () to Iran () (2023)

Latest Data

Trade between Iran () and South Africa ()

South Africa Exports

Date

Market Competitiveness

Color

Exports

Export Growth

Section

Year

Iran
Top DestinationChina$4.59B

South Africa
Top DestinationChina$29.5B

This map shows whether countries import more from Iran or South Africa. Each country is colored based on the difference in imports they receive from Iran and South Africa or the difference in the growth in imports.

In 2023, countries that imported more from Iran than South Africa included Turkey ($2.18B), Pakistan ($943M), and Armenia ($597M).

In 2023, countries that imported more from South Africa than Iran included China ($29.5B), United States ($13B), and Germany ($10.8B).

Difference in imports from South Africa () and Iran () (2023)

Comparative Advantage Iran - South Africa

Flow

Section

HS2

HS4

Scale

Log

Linear

Year

This chart compares trade between Iran and South Africa by product, considering products traded by both, Iran and South Africa.

During 2023, Iran had a large net trade with South Africa in the exports of Vegetable Products ($638k), Machines ($422k), and Textiles ($341k).

During 2018, South Africa had a large net trade with Iran in the exports of Mineral Products ($12M), Vegetable Products ($1.53M), and Instruments ($938k).

Potential Exports

Depth

Section

HS2

HS4

View

Top 20

Top 15

Top 10

Sort By

Highest Potential

Most Saturated

Section

Top Product Potential Iran South Africa+$415kOther Nuts

Top Product Potential South Africa Iran+$3.15MCoal Briquettes

We estimate the export potential of an economy for each product and destination using an extension of the bilateral relatedness model of Jun et al. (2019).This extended gravity model considers similarities among products and geographies and explains more than 50% of the variance in future trade flows.

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Economic Complexity

Competitive Landscape

Year

This visualization shows the product space at the HS4 level with the flags of Iran and South Africa. This means that a dot/product with the flag of Iran indicates it has a comparative advantage over South Africa. Similarly, a dot/product with the flag of South Africa indicates it has a comparative advantage over Iran.

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Historical Data

Bilateral Trade by Products

Exports from Iran () to South Africa () (2023)

Exports from South Africa () to Iran () (2023)

Latest Data

Trade between Iran () and South Africa ()

South Africa Exports

Market Competitiveness

Difference in imports from South Africa () and Iran () (2023)

Comparative Advantage Iran - South Africa

Potential Exports

Potential Exports

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Economic Complexity

Competitive Landscape

Product Space of Iran () and South Africa () (2023)

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