OVERVIEW
South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of Africa, known for its diverse landscapes, natural parks, wildlife, historical sites like Robben Island, wine regions and vibrant mix of cultures, languages and traditions.
The country has three capitals, Pretoria, Cape Town and Bloemfontein and they serve, respectively, as the administrative, legislative and judicial center; they reflect its rich history and modern ambitions.
In 2023, South Africa ranked
- 40th in terms of GDP, currently valued as $381B, out of 195 economies in the world;
- 35th in terms of total exports out of 226 countries;
- 113th in terms of GDP per capita, valued with current US$, out of 196 economies in the world.
ECONOMIC COMPLEXITY RANKING
EXPORT
In 2025 it was estimated that the principal products that were exported from South Africa were
- Platinum - $980M;
- Gold - $800M;
- Cars - $670M;
- Delivery Trucks - $590M;
- Citrus - $560M.
On the other hand, the commonest destinations for the country's exports were
- China - $1.09B;
- Germany - $930M;
- Special Categories - $810M;
- United States - $680M;
- Mozambique - $510M.
IMPORT
In 2025 the most imported products from other countries to South Africa were
- Refined Petroleum - $1.17B;
- Commodities not elsewhere specified - $820M;
- Cars - $440M;
- Crude Petroleum - $390M;
- Telephones - $260M.
These goods were mainly produced by
- China - $2.05B;
- Germany - $700M;
- India - $650M;
- United States - $630M;
- Oman - $500M.
YEARLY TRADE
During the last five reported years, the exports of South Africa have increased by an amount of $22.9B from $122B in 2018 to $145B in 2023.
The most recent exports are led by
- Gold - $25.9B;
- Platinum - $13.8B;
- Coal Briquettes - $9.01B;
- Cars - $7.79B;
- Iron Ore - $7.04B.
They were exported primarily to
- China - $26.8B;
- India - $10.6B;
- United States - $9.72B;
- Germany - $8.76B;
- United Kingdom - $7.92B.
CONCLUSIONS
In 2025, South Africa maintained its role as a leading economy and cultural hub in Africa, with sectors like innovation and entrepreneurship that remarkably shaped the market, even because its strategic location and diverse talent pool attracted international interest.
Despite all the challenges, the country has always shown resilience and adaptability, and these qualities have created many growth opportunities in the region.
Source: https://oec.world/en
