Kenya (KEN) and South Africa (ZAF) Trade | The Observatory of Economic Complexity

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Kenya-South Africa Trade: In 2023, Kenya exported $50.9M to South Africa. The main products that Kenya exported to South Africa were Gold ($25.4M), Carbonates ($2.42M), and Cut Flowers ($2.4M). Over the past 5 years the exports of Kenya to South Africa have increased at an annualized rate of 1.26%, from $47.8M in 2018 to $50.9M in 2023.

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

South Africa-Kenya Trade: In 2023, South Africa exported $679M to Kenya. The main products that South Africa exported to Kenya were Semi-Finished Iron ($119M), Coal Briquettes ($109M), and Corn ($49.9M). Over the past 5 years the exports of South Africa to Kenya have decreased at an annualized rate of 1.54%, from $734M in 2018 to $679M in 2023.

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

Comparison: In 2023, Kenya ranked 86 in the Economic Complexity Index (ECI -0.47), and 109 in total exports ($8.59B). 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, Kenya exported $50.9M to South Africa. The main products exported from Kenya to South Africa were Gold ($25.4M), Carbonates ($2.42M), and Cut Flowers ($2.4M). During the last 5 years the exports of Kenya to South Africa have increased at an annualized rate of 1.26%, from $47.8M in 2018 to $50.9M in 2023.

In 2018, South Africa exported $679M to Kenya. The main products exported from South Africa to Kenya were Semi-Finished Iron ($119M), Coal Briquettes ($109M), and Corn ($49.9M). During the last 5 years the exports of South Africa to Kenya have decreased at an annualized rate of 1.54%, from $734M in 2023 to $679M in 2018.

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

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

Latest Data

Trade between Kenya () and South Africa ()

Kenya Exports

Date

South Africa Exports

Date

Market Competitiveness

Color

Exports

Export Growth

Section

Year

Kenya
Top DestinationUganda$893M

South Africa
Top DestinationChina$29.5B

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

In 2023, countries that imported more from Kenya than South Africa included Uganda ($893M), Pakistan ($520M), and Rwanda ($302M).

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

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

Comparative Advantage Kenya - South Africa

Flow

Section

HS2

HS4

Scale

Log

Linear

Year

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

During 2023, Kenya had a large net trade with South Africa in the exports of Precious Metals ($25.4M), Vegetable Products ($8.91M), and Chemical Products ($5.25M).

During 2018, South Africa had a large net trade with Kenya in the exports of Mineral Products ($158M), Metals ($152M), and Transportation ($87.1M).

Potential Exports

Depth

Section

HS2

HS4

View

Top 20

Top 15

Top 10

Sort By

Highest Potential

Most Saturated

Section

Top Product Potential Kenya South Africa+$1.96MTea

Top Product Potential South Africa Kenya+$15.3MCars

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

About

Historical Data

Bilateral Trade by Products

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

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

Latest Data

Trade between Kenya () and South Africa ()

Kenya Exports

South Africa Exports

Market Competitiveness

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

Comparative Advantage Kenya - South Africa

Potential Exports

Potential Exports

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Economic Complexity

Competitive Landscape

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

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