Thailand (THA) and South Africa (ZAF) Trade | The Observatory of Economic Complexity

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Thailand-South Africa Trade: In 2023, Thailand exported $2B to South Africa. The main products that Thailand exported to South Africa were Rice ($464M), Cars ($177M), and Motor vehicles; parts and accessories (8701 to 8705) ($176M). Over the past 5 years the exports of Thailand to South Africa have increased at an annualized rate of 3.45%, from $1.69B in 2018 to $2B in 2023.

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

South Africa-Thailand Trade: In 2023, South Africa exported $594M to Thailand. The main products that South Africa exported to Thailand were Raw Aluminium ($98.6M), Acyclic Hydrocarbons ($66.8M), and Centrifuges ($66.7M). Over the past 5 years the exports of South Africa to Thailand have decreased at an annualized rate of 8.91%, from $948M in 2018 to $594M in 2023.

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

Comparison: In 2023, Thailand ranked 29 in the Economic Complexity Index (ECI 0.96), and 25 in total exports ($332B). 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, Thailand exported $2B to South Africa. The main products exported from Thailand to South Africa were Rice ($464M), Cars ($177M), and Motor vehicles; parts and accessories (8701 to 8705) ($176M). During the last 5 years the exports of Thailand to South Africa have increased at an annualized rate of 3.45%, from $1.69B in 2018 to $2B in 2023.

In 2018, South Africa exported $594M to Thailand. The main products exported from South Africa to Thailand were Raw Aluminium ($98.6M), Acyclic Hydrocarbons ($66.8M), and Centrifuges ($66.7M). During the last 5 years the exports of South Africa to Thailand have decreased at an annualized rate of 8.91%, from $948M in 2023 to $594M in 2018.

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

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

Latest Data

Trade between Thailand () and South Africa ()

Thailand Exports

Date

South Africa Exports

Date

Market Competitiveness

Color

Exports

Export Growth

Section

Year

Thailand
Top DestinationUnited States$58.5B

South Africa
Top DestinationChina$29.5B

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

In 2023, countries that imported more from Thailand than South Africa included United States ($58.5B), Japan ($24.9B), and China ($44.1B).

In 2023, countries that imported more from South Africa than Thailand included Mozambique ($6.13B), Botswana ($4.28B), and United Kingdom ($9.01B).

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

Comparative Advantage Thailand - South Africa

Flow

Section

HS2

HS4

Scale

Log

Linear

Year

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

During 2023, Thailand had a large net trade with South Africa in the exports of Transportation ($522M), Vegetable Products ($479M), and Machines ($365M).

During 2018, South Africa had a large net trade with Thailand in the exports of Metals ($205M), Chemical Products ($94.6M), and Machines ($76.1M).

Potential Exports

Depth

Section

HS2

HS4

View

Top 20

Top 15

Top 10

Sort By

Highest Potential

Most Saturated

Section

Top Product Potential Thailand South Africa+$55.7MCars

Top Product Potential South Africa Thailand+$107MGold

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 Thailand and South Africa. This means that a dot/product with the flag of Thailand 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 Thailand.

About

Historical Data

Bilateral Trade by Products

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

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

Latest Data

Trade between Thailand () and South Africa ()

Thailand Exports

South Africa Exports

Market Competitiveness

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

Comparative Advantage Thailand - South Africa

Potential Exports

Potential Exports

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Economic Complexity

Competitive Landscape

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

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