South Africa Balance of Trade

Last Release

Oct 31, 2024

Actual

14,630

Units In

ZAR Million

12,606

Frequency

Monthly

Next Release

Dec 31, 2024

Time to Release

30 Days 11 Hours

Highest	Lowest	Average	Date Range	Source
53,829.82 Mar 2021	-36,052.2 Apr 2020	1,462.78 ZAR Million	1957-2024	South African Revenue Service

In 2017, South Africa recorded the biggest trade deficits with China, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Thailand, France, Nigeria, Italy and Brazil and the biggest trade surpluses with Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Belgium and Netherlands.

Latest Updates

South Africa recorded a trade surplus of ZAR 14.6 billion in October 2024, up from a revised ZAR 12.6 billion in the prior month. This was the widest trade surplus in three months, as exports surged 5.3% over a month to a near one-year high of ZAR 179.6 billion, mainly buoyed by shipments of precious metals & stones (+31%). Exports also rose significantly for chemical products (+22%) and machinery & electronics (+16%). Meanwhile, imports rose 4.4% to ZAR 165 billion, on higher purchases of vehicles & transport equipment (+31%), base metals (+27%) and machinery & electronics (+11%).