2022
Flag  
GDP
$406BCURRENT US$
Rnk 37 / 186
2012-2022
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GDP GROWTH
-6.57%CURRENT US$
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2022
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 GDP
$25.5TCURRENT US$
Rnk 1 / 186
2012-2022
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GDP GROWTH
56.7%CURRENT US$
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2022
Flag
GDP PC 
$6,776CURRENT US$
Rnk 95 / 186
2012-2022
Flag
GDP PC GROWTH
-17.1%CURRENT US$
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2022
Flag
GDP PC
$76,399CURRENT US$
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2012-2022
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GDP PC GROWTH
47.5%CURRENT US$
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About

South Africa-United States Trade: In 2022, South Africa exported $10.9B to United States. The main products that South Africa exported to United States were Platinum ($3.97B), Cars ($1B), and Gold ($497M). Over the past 5 years the exports of South Africa to United States have increased at an annualized rate of 9.3%, from $6.98B in 2017 to $10.9B in 2022.

In 2022, South Africa did not export any services to United States.

United States-South Africa Trade: In 2022, United States exported $6.11B to South Africa. The main products that United States exported to South Africa were Motor vehicles; parts and accessories (8701 to 8705) ($370M), Cars ($273M), and Precious Metal Compounds ($246M). Over the past 5 years the exports of United States to South Africa have increased at an annualized rate of 3.15%,  from $5.23B in 2017 to $6.11B in 2022.

In 2017, United States exported services to South Africa worth $2.71B, with Travel ($629M), Royalties and license fees ($590M), and Financial services ($479M) being the largest in terms of value.

Comparison: In 2022,  South Africa ranked 59 in the Economic Complexity Index (ECI 0.076), and 34 in total exports ($147B). That same year, United States ranked 10 in the Economic Complexity Index (ECI 1.47), and 2 in total exports ($1.95T).

Historical Data

Bilateral Trade by Products

Depth
Value

In 2022, South Africa exported $10.9B to United States. The main products exported from South Africa to United States were Platinum ($3.97B), Cars ($1B), and Gold ($497M). During the last 5 years the exports of South Africa to United States have increased at an annualized rate of 9.3%, from $6.98B in 2017 to $10.9B in 2022.

In 2017, United States exported $6.11B to South Africa. The main products exported from United States to South Africa were Motor vehicles; parts and accessories (8701 to 8705) ($370M), Cars ($273M), and Precious Metal Compounds ($246M). During the last 5 years the exports of United States to South Africa have increased at an annualized rate of 3.15%, from $5.23B in 2022 to $6.11B in 2017.

Exports from South Africa (Flag) to United States (Flag) (2022)

Exports from United States (Flag) to South Africa (Flag) (2022)

Market Competitiveness

Color
South Africa
Top Destination
China$23.4B
United States
Top Destination
Canada$308B

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

In 2022, countries that imported more from South Africa than United States included Mozambique ($5.43B), Botswana ($4.74B), and Zimbabwe ($3.3B).

In 2022, countries that imported more from United States than South Africa included Canada ($308B), Mexico ($294B), and China ($151B).

Difference in imports from United States (Flag) and South Africa (Flag) (2022)

Comparative Advantage South Africa - United States

Flow
Scale

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

During 2022, South Africa had a large net trade with United States in the exports of Precious Metals ($5.05B), Metals ($1.59B), and Transportation ($1.25B).

During 2017, United States had a large net trade with South Africa in the exports of Machines ($1.6B), Transportation ($1.11B), and Chemical Products ($920M).

Potential Exports

Potential Exports

Depth
View
Sort By
Top Product Potential South Africa United States+$856MCars
Top Product Potential United States South Africa+$281MRefined Petroleum

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

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

Product Space of South Africa (Flag) and United States (Flag) (2022)

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