Zambia (ZMB) and South Africa (ZAF) Trade | The Observatory of Economic Complexity

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Zambia-South Africa Trade: In 2023, Zambia exported $433M to South Africa. The main products that Zambia exported to South Africa were Refined Copper ($102M), Raw Tobacco ($60.3M), and Cobalt Oxides and Hydroxides ($47.1M). Over the past 5 years the exports of Zambia to South Africa have increased at an annualized rate of 5.45%, from $332M in 2018 to $433M in 2023.

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

South Africa-Zambia Trade: In 2023, South Africa exported $2.72B to Zambia. The main products that South Africa exported to Zambia were Delivery Trucks ($140M), Refined Petroleum ($140M), and Nitrogenous Fertilizers ($136M). Over the past 5 years the exports of South Africa to Zambia have increased at an annualized rate of 0.021%, from $2.72B in 2018 to $2.72B in 2023.

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

Comparison: In 2023, Zambia ranked 94 in the Economic Complexity Index (ECI -0.65), and 85 in total exports ($15.9B). 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, Zambia exported $433M to South Africa. The main products exported from Zambia to South Africa were Refined Copper ($102M), Raw Tobacco ($60.3M), and Cobalt Oxides and Hydroxides ($47.1M). During the last 5 years the exports of Zambia to South Africa have increased at an annualized rate of 5.45%, from $332M in 2018 to $433M in 2023.

In 2018, South Africa exported $2.72B to Zambia. The main products exported from South Africa to Zambia were Delivery Trucks ($140M), Refined Petroleum ($140M), and Nitrogenous Fertilizers ($136M). During the last 5 years the exports of South Africa to Zambia have increased at an annualized rate of 0.021%, from $2.72B in 2023 to $2.72B in 2018.

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

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

Latest Data

Trade between Zambia () and South Africa ()

Zambia Exports

Date

South Africa Exports

Date

Market Competitiveness

Color

Exports

Export Growth

Section

Year

Zambia
Top DestinationSwitzerland$4.26B

South Africa
Top DestinationChina$29.5B

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

In 2023, countries that imported more from Zambia than South Africa included Egypt ($165M), Switzerland ($4.26B), and Democratic Republic of the Congo ($1.6B).

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

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

Comparative Advantage Zambia - South Africa

Flow

Section

HS2

HS4

Scale

Log

Linear

Year

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

During 2023, Zambia had a large net trade with South Africa in the exports of Metals ($147M), Foodstuffs ($108M), and Chemical Products ($49.6M).

During 2018, South Africa had a large net trade with Zambia in the exports of Chemical Products ($518M), Machines ($448M), and Transportation ($406M).

Potential Exports

Depth

Section

HS2

HS4

View

Top 20

Top 15

Top 10

Sort By

Highest Potential

Most Saturated

Section

Top Product Potential Zambia South Africa+$28.2MGold

Top Product Potential South Africa Zambia+$10MCars

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

About

Historical Data

Bilateral Trade by Products

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

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

Latest Data

Trade between Zambia () and South Africa ()

Zambia Exports

South Africa Exports

Market Competitiveness

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

Comparative Advantage Zambia - South Africa

Potential Exports

Potential Exports

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Economic Complexity

Competitive Landscape

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

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