South Africa vs United States: Food imports
Food imports over time
- South Africa
- United States
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 7.2% against 6.9% in United States, a difference of 0.3%.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 45 shared years of data; in 1974 it was United States ahead.
South Africa ranks 178th and United States ranks 180th of 196 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 4 and United States in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5.2% | 10.2% | 5.0% | United States |
| 1980s | 5.1% | 7.6% | 2.5% | United States |
| 1990s | 6.3% | 5.0% | 1.2% | South Africa |
| 2000s | 5.0% | 4.4% | 0.5% | South Africa |
| 2010s | 7.1% | 5.6% | 1.5% | South Africa |
| 2020s | 7.1% | 6.7% | 0.3% | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher food imports, South Africa or United States?
- South Africa, at 7.2% against 6.9% in United States as of 2025.
- What is the difference in food imports between South Africa and United States?
- 0.3%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and United States?
- 45 years are reported by both, from 1974 to 2024.
- How do South Africa and United States rank globally for food imports?
- South Africa ranks 178th and United States ranks 180th of 196 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division, published as Food imports (% of merchandise imports). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Food comprises the commodities in SITC (Rev. 3) sections 0 (food and live animals), 1 (beverages and tobacco), and 4 (animal and vegetable oils and fats) and division 22 (oil seeds, oil nuts, and oil kernels). This indicator is expressed as a percentage of merchandise imports which is comprised of goods whose economic ownership is changed between a non-resident and a resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e.