Countries
South Sudan: trade by HS code
- US$507mExports 2024
- US$1bnImports 2024
- 491HS6 · Exports
- Sub-Saharan AfricaRegion
- Least developed country · Landlocked developing countryCountry groups
- South Sudanese Pound (SSP)Currency
South Sudan exported goods worth US$507m and imported US$1bn in 2024, in 491 and 2,752 different six-digit products.
Its main exports were crude oil (2709.00), waste and scrap of tinned iron or steel (7204.30) and copper scrap (7404.00).
Its largest customer was China and its largest supplier Uganda.
In the 12 months to August 2026, the UK imported goods worth £1.3m from South Sudan (+1587% on the year before), above all lac; natural gums, resins, gum-resins…, sesame seeds and soap in other forms (liquid, flakes), and exported £4m to it.
Under DCTS Comprehensive, 98% of the UK tariff lines are duty-free for goods from South Sudan that meet the rules of origin.
South Sudan and the UK
Agreement or scheme: DCTS Comprehensive
What the UK imports from South Sudan
- 1301.20Lac; natural gums, resins, gum-resins and oleoresins (for: gum Arabic
- 1207.40Sesame seeds
- 3401.20Soap in other forms (liquid, flakes)
- 3824.99Other chemical products and preparations
- 9619.00Sanitary pads, tampons and diapers
- 8512.20Vehicle lighting and signalling equipment
- 9021.31Artificial joints
- 6309.00Worn clothing (second-hand)
- 9403.20Other metal furniture
- 3926.90Other plastic articles
Data up to August 2026 (provisional) · HMRC
South Sudan and the EU
Agreement or scheme: GSP-EBA (Special arrangement for the least-developed countries - Everything But Arms)
What the EU imports from South Sudan
- 1301.20Lac; natural gums, resins, gum-resins and oleoresins (for: gum Arabic
- 6403.99Leather shoes (not ankle-covering)
- 8481.90Valve and tap parts
- 8703.24Petrol cars over 3000 cc
- 7117.90Other imitation jewellery
- 8418.50Refrigerated display cabinets and counters
- 3307.41‘Agarbatti’ and other odoriferous preparations which operate by burning
- 8418.61Heat pumps
- 8418.99Refrigeration equipment parts
- 8471.70Computer storage units
Data up to August 2026 (provisional) · Eurostat Comext
Top exports
- 2709.00Crude oil
- 7204.30Waste and scrap of tinned iron or steel
- 7404.00Copper scrap
- 1301.20Lac; natural gums, resins, gum-resins and oleoresins (for: gum Arabic
- 0305.69Fish, salted but not dried or smoked and fish in brine: other
- 0305.59Dried fish, other than edible fish offal, whether: other
- 4402.90Wood charcoal (non-bamboo)
- 3925.10Plastic tanks over 300 l
- 1102.20Cereal flours other than of wheat or meslin: maize (corn) flour
- 8411.22Turboprops over 1,100 kW
- 3915.90Other plastic waste and scrap
- 9705.10Collections and collectors’ pieces of archaeological, ethnographic or historical interest
- 7304.11Line pipe of a kind used for oil or gas pipelines: of stainless steel
- 4407.29Other sawn tropical wood
- 4403.42Other, of tropical wood: teak
- 0102.21Live bovine animals, cattle, pure-bred breeding animals
- 7010.90Glass bottles, jars and containers
- 4407.23Wood sawn or chipped lengthwise, sliced or peeled, whether: of tropical wood, teak
- 9701.91Paintings, drawings and pastels (hand-made)
- 8483.40Gears and gearboxes (machinery)
Top imports
- 2523.29Portland cement (non-white)
- 2106.90Other food preparations
- 1102.20Cereal flours other than of wheat or meslin: maize (corn) flour
- 1701.99Refined sugar (other)
- 1101.00Wheat flour
- 7214.20Steel rebar (deformed bars)
- 1511.90Refined palm oil and fractions
- 2202.10Sweetened or flavoured waters (soft drinks)
- 1007.90Grain sorghum (not seed)
- 2203.00Beer
- 7306.90Other welded or riveted tubes
- 3401.19Other bar soaps and soap products
- 2402.20Cigarettes containing tobacco
- 8703.33Diesel cars over 2500 cc
- 3004.90Other medicines, dosed or for retail sale
- 1516.20Hydrogenated vegetable fats and oils
- 8704.21Diesel trucks, GVW up to 5 t
- 0713.31Dried mung and urad beans
- 6907.22Ceramic tiles (absorption 0.5-10%)
- 0902.40Black tea (bulk, over 3 kg)
Main buyers from South Sudan
Main suppliers of South Sudan
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 | 12.2m | 2025 |
| GDP (current US$) | US$12bn | 2015 |
| GDP per person (current US$) | US$1,080 | 2015 |
| Trade in goods and services, % of GDP | 66% | 2015 |
| Trade | ||
| Share of world goods exports | 0.01% | 2025 |
| Share of world goods imports | 0% | 2025 |
| Products exported (SITC 3-digit groups) | 37 | 2025 |
| Export concentration index · 0 = exports spread evenly across products, 1 = a single product | 0.78 | 2025 |
Time and cost at the border (2019)
For one shipment of the country's typical traded product, as measured by the World Bank's Doing Business survey in its last edition; the survey has since been discontinued.
| Indicator | Import | Export |
|---|---|---|
| Border compliance (hours) | 179 | 146 |
| Documentary compliance (hours) | 360 | 192 |
| Border compliance (US$) | US$781 | US$763 |
| Documentary compliance (US$) | US$350 | US$194 |
World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0); UNCTADstat (CC BY 3.0 IGO)
Questions and answers
What does South Sudan export most?
In 2024, its largest export at the six-digit level was crude oil (HS 2709.00), worth US$397m.
Does the UK have a trade agreement with South Sudan?
Yes: goods from South Sudan can enter at preferential rates under DCTS Comprehensive, duty-free on 98% of tariff lines, provided they meet the rules of origin and come with proof of origin.