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South Africa
(information)
Continent: Africa, Region: Africa
Population as of 2020: 59.7 million 24 of 193
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Nominal G.D.P. in 2024: $400.26 billion 39 of 193
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Reported special-trade merchandise exports in 2024: $110.04 billion. 35 of 193
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(special-trade basis; excludes warehoused exports and processing-regime trade)
Calendar-year 2024 goods exports, excluding services. Amounts are nominal U.S. dollars, with no inflation adjustment. Export values are free on board (FOB).
(Some gold destinations are unspecified. The destination table does not establish a complete national destination ranking.)
Top Exports
Top 20 export categories within the special-trade series, 2024
Ranked by export value within the stated restricted series. Unspecified commodities are included when ranked.
| Rank | Item | Dollar amount | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Platinum; unwrought or in semi-manufactured forms, or in powder form | $9.96 billion | Precious metals, stones and jewellery |
| 2 | Gold, unwrought or semi-manufactured, and gold powder | $8.17 billion | Precious metals, stones and jewellery |
| 3 | Iron ores and concentrates | $6.34 billion | Ores, slag and ash |
| 4 | Coal; briquettes, ovoids and similar solid fuels manufactured from coal | $6.29 billion | Mineral fuels and oils |
| 5 | Passenger cars and other passenger motor vehicles | $5.67 billion | Road vehicles and parts |
| 6 | Vehicles; for the transport of goods | $5.50 billion | Road vehicles and parts |
| 7 | Chromium ores and concentrates | $4.67 billion | Ores, slag and ash |
| 8 | Ferro-alloys | $4.18 billion | Iron and steel |
| 9 | Manganese ores and concentrates, including ferruginous manganese ores and concentrates with a manganese content of 20% or more, calculated on the dry weight | $3.09 billion | Ores, slag and ash |
| 10 | Refined petroleum oils and preparations | $2.97 billion | Mineral fuels and oils |
| 11 | Citrus fruit; fresh or dried | $1.81 billion | Fruit and nuts |
| 12 | Diamonds, whether or not worked, but not mounted or set | $1.68 billion | Precious metals, stones and jewellery |
| 13 | Unwrought aluminium | $1.53 billion | Aluminium and aluminium articles |
| 14 | Centrifuges, including centrifugal dryers; filtering or purifying machinery and apparatus for liquids or gases | $1.27 billion | Machinery and mechanical appliances |
| 15 | Chemical wood pulp, dissolving grades | $1.06 billion | Wood pulp and recovered paper |
| 16 | Grapes; fresh or dried | $1.02 billion | Fruit and nuts |
| 17 | Precious metal ores and concentrates | $1.00 billion | Ores, slag and ash |
| 18 | Maize (corn) | $862.44 million | Cereals |
| 19 | Apples, pears and quinces; fresh | $821.03 million | Fruit and nuts |
| 20 | Electrical energy | $774.29 million | Mineral fuels and oils |
10 largest disclosed destination economies within this series, 2024
(Disclosed destination economies only; 9.18% of this restricted series is assigned to unspecified areas, bunkers or special categories rather than individual destination economies. Those values remain in the total. Rankings cover disclosed flows within this series only.)
| Rank | Country | Dollar amount |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | $12.41 billion |
| 2 | United States (including Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands) | $8.20 billion |
| 3 | Germany | $7.08 billion |
| 4 | Mozambique | $6.57 billion |
| 5 | United Kingdom | $5.27 billion |
| 6 | Japan | $4.88 billion |
| 7 | India | $4.74 billion |
| 8 | Botswana | $4.33 billion |
| 9 | Netherlands | $4.28 billion |
| 10 | Namibia | $3.85 billion |
