Kuwait (KWT) and South Africa (ZAF) Trade | The Observatory of Economic Complexity

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Kuwait-South Africa Trade: In 2023, Kuwait exported $237M to South Africa. The main products that Kuwait exported to South Africa were Refined Petroleum ($224M), Sulphur ($5.33M), and Propylene Polymers ($2.68M). Over the past 5 years the exports of Kuwait to South Africa have increased at an annualized rate of 32.3%, from $58.5M in 2018 to $237M in 2023.

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

South Africa-Kuwait Trade: In 2023, South Africa exported $138M to Kuwait. The main products that South Africa exported to Kuwait were Bovine Meat ($27.4M), Citrus ($24.6M), and Cars ($19.4M). Over the past 5 years the exports of South Africa to Kuwait have decreased at an annualized rate of 1.85%, from $152M in 2018 to $138M in 2023.

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

Comparison: In 2023, Kuwait ranked 53 in the Economic Complexity Index (ECI 0.21), and 47 in total exports ($71B). 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, Kuwait exported $237M to South Africa. The main products exported from Kuwait to South Africa were Refined Petroleum ($224M), Sulphur ($5.33M), and Propylene Polymers ($2.68M). During the last 5 years the exports of Kuwait to South Africa have increased at an annualized rate of 32.3%, from $58.5M in 2018 to $237M in 2023.

In 2018, South Africa exported $138M to Kuwait. The main products exported from South Africa to Kuwait were Bovine Meat ($27.4M), Citrus ($24.6M), and Cars ($19.4M). During the last 5 years the exports of South Africa to Kuwait have decreased at an annualized rate of 1.85%, from $152M in 2023 to $138M in 2018.

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

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

Latest Data

Trade between Kuwait () and South Africa ()

Kuwait Exports

Date

South Africa Exports

Date

Market Competitiveness

Color

Exports

Export Growth

Section

Year

Kuwait
Top DestinationChina$17.4B

South Africa
Top DestinationChina$29.5B

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

In 2023, countries that imported more from Kuwait than South Africa included Chinese Taipei ($4.74B), Egypt ($2.78B), and Pakistan ($2.13B).

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

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

Comparative Advantage Kuwait - South Africa

Flow

Section

HS2

HS4

Scale

Log

Linear

Year

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

During 2023, Kuwait had a large net trade with South Africa in the exports of Mineral Products ($229M), Chemical Products ($3.23M), and Plastics and Rubbers ($2.83M).

During 2018, South Africa had a large net trade with Kuwait in the exports of Vegetable Products ($50.2M), Animal Products ($49.2M), and Transportation ($24M).

Potential Exports

Depth

Section

HS2

HS4

View

Top 20

Top 15

Top 10

Sort By

Highest Potential

Most Saturated

Section

Top Product Potential Kuwait South Africa+$1.13MPlanes, Helicopters, and/or Spacecraft

Top Product Potential South Africa Kuwait+$28.2MCars

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

About

Historical Data

Bilateral Trade by Products

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

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

Latest Data

Trade between Kuwait () and South Africa ()

Kuwait Exports

South Africa Exports

Market Competitiveness

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

Comparative Advantage Kuwait - South Africa

Potential Exports

Potential Exports

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Economic Complexity

Competitive Landscape

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

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