Countries
South Africa: trade by HS code
- US$152bnExports 2024
- US$101bnImports 2024
- 5,438HS6 · Exports
- Sub-Saharan AfricaRegion
- South African Rand (ZAR)Currency
In 2024, exports from South Africa came to US$152bn and imports to US$101bn.
Its main exports were unwrought gold (non-monetary) (7108.12), semi-manufactured gold (non-monetary) (7108.13) and chromium ores (2610.00).
Its largest customer was China and its largest supplier China.
In the 12 months to August 2026, the UK imported goods worth £20.5bn from South Africa (+53% on the year before), above all semi-manufactured gold (non-monetary), semi-manufactured platinum and unwrought platinum, and exported £1.5bn to it.
Under the UK–South Africa agreement, 92% of the UK tariff lines are duty-free for goods from South Africa that meet the rules of origin.
South Africa and the UK
Agreement or scheme: UK–South Africa agreement
What the UK imports from South Africa
- 7108.13Semi-manufactured gold (non-monetary)
- 7110.19Semi-manufactured platinum
- 7110.11Unwrought platinum
- 2616.90Gold and other precious metal ores
- 7110.31Unwrought rhodium
- 7110.21Unwrought palladium
- 8703.21Petrol cars up to 1000 cc
- 8703.60Plug-in hybrid cars (petrol)
- 8704.21Diesel trucks, GVW up to 5 t
- 8703.32Diesel cars, 1500-2500 cc
Data up to August 2026 (provisional) · HMRC
South Africa and the EU
Agreement or scheme: EU–South Africa agreement
What the EU imports from South Africa
- 2616.90Gold and other precious metal ores
- 7110.11Unwrought platinum
- 8703.21Petrol cars up to 1000 cc
- 8703.60Plug-in hybrid cars (petrol)
- 8703.32Diesel cars, 1500-2500 cc
- 8704.21Diesel trucks, GVW up to 5 t
- 7110.31Unwrought rhodium
- 7110.21Unwrought palladium
- 7112.92Platinum waste and scrap
- 7108.12Unwrought gold (non-monetary)
Data up to August 2026 (provisional) · Eurostat Comext
Top exports
- 7108.12Unwrought gold (non-monetary)
- 7108.13Semi-manufactured gold (non-monetary)
- 2610.00Chromium ores
- 2601.11Iron ore, non-agglomerated
- 7110.11Unwrought platinum
- 8704.21Diesel trucks, GVW up to 5 t
- 2701.12Bituminous coal
- 7202.41Ferro-chromium, over 4% carbon
- 2602.00Manganese ores
- 7115.90Other articles of precious metal
- 7110.21Unwrought palladium
- 7110.31Unwrought rhodium
- 7102.39Worked diamonds (non-industrial)
- 8703.23Petrol cars, 1500-3000 cc
- 8703.21Petrol cars up to 1000 cc
- 7110.19Semi-manufactured platinum
- 7601.10Unwrought aluminium, not alloyed
- 2701.19Other coal
- 8703.32Diesel cars, 1500-2500 cc
- 8421.32Catalytic converters and particulate filters
Top imports
- 2709.00Crude oil
- 7108.12Unwrought gold (non-monetary)
- 8517.13Smartphones
- 8703.22Petrol cars, 1000-1500 cc
- 7108.13Semi-manufactured gold (non-monetary)
- 3004.90Other medicines, dosed or for retail sale
- 8517.62Network switching and routing equipment
- 8471.30Laptops and portable computers (max 10 kg)
- 7501.10Nickel mattes
- 8701.21Diesel road tractors for semi-trailers
- 2818.20Aluminium oxide (alumina)
- 8504.40Static converters (inverters, chargers)
- 1006.30Milled rice
- 1001.99Wheat and meslin (not seed, not durum)
- 8703.23Petrol cars, 1500-3000 cc
- 2843.90Other precious metal compounds
- 1511.90Refined palm oil and fractions
- 8708.99Other motor vehicle parts
- 3302.10Flavouring mixtures for food and drink industry
- 8507.60Lithium-ion batteries
Main buyers from South Africa
Main suppliers of South Africa
Economy, trade and logistics
Key figures on the size of the economy, its place in world trade and how fast goods cross its borders, from the World Bank and UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Each value shows the year it refers to.
| Indicator | Value | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Economy | ||
| Population | 64.7m | 2025 |
| GDP (current US$) | US$427.2bn | 2025 |
| GDP per person (current US$) | US$6,598 | 2025 |
| Trade in goods and services, % of GDP | 61% | 2025 |
| Trade | ||
| Share of world goods exports | 0.44% | 2025 |
| Share of world goods imports | 0.48% | 2025 |
| Products exported (SITC 3-digit groups) | 254 | 2025 |
| Export concentration index · 0 = exports spread evenly across products, 1 = a single product | 0.153 | 2025 |
| Average applied tariff, simple mean, all products | 7.3% | 2022 |
| Average applied tariff, trade-weighted, all products | 4.7% | 2022 |
| Logistics | ||
| Logistics Performance Index (LPI) · score from 1 (low) to 5 (high) | 3.7 | 2022 |
| LPI: efficiency of customs and border clearance | 3.3 | 2022 |
| Liner shipping connectivity index · rank 46 in the world | 114.7 | 2026 Q3 |
| Container port throughput (TEU) | 4.3m | 2024 |
Time and cost at the border (2019)
For one shipment of the country's typical traded product, as measured by the World Bank's Doing Business survey in its last edition; the survey has since been discontinued.
| Indicator | Import | Export |
|---|---|---|
| Border compliance (hours) | 87 | 92 |
| Documentary compliance (hours) | 36 | 68 |
| Border compliance (US$) | US$676 | US$1,257 |
| Documentary compliance (US$) | US$73 | US$55 |
World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0); UNCTADstat (CC BY 3.0 IGO)
Questions and answers
What does South Africa export most?
In 2024, its largest export at the six-digit level was unwrought gold (non-monetary) (HS 7108.12), worth US$21bn.
Does the UK have a trade agreement with South Africa?
Yes: goods from South Africa can enter at preferential rates under the UK–South Africa agreement, duty-free on 92% of tariff lines, provided they meet the rules of origin and come with proof of origin.