How does South Africa rank for commercial service imports (current us$), per unit of gdp?

South Africa ranks 168th out of 198 countries with data for 2025.

Is commercial service imports (current us$), per unit of gdp rising or falling in South Africa?

Over the last ten years it is up 14.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.

Commercial service imports (current US$), per unit of GDP in South Africa

Name: Commercial service imports (current US$), per unit of GDP in South Africa
Creator: Statizoid (derived)
License: Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page

South Africa: Commercial service imports (current US$), per unit of GDP was 0.0503 current US$ per US$ of GDP in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)

0.0503 current US$ per US$ of GDP

Change on year

up 1.9%

World rank

168th

of 198 countries

All-time high

0.0517 current US$ per US$ of GDP

in 2008

All-time low

0.0256 current US$ per US$ of GDP

in 1961

Years of data

1960–2025

Commercial service imports (current US$), per unit of GDP in South Africa, 1960–2025

Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in current US$ per US$ of GDP.

Analysis

In 2025, commercial service imports (current us$), per unit of gdp in South Africa stood at 0.0503 current US$ per US$ of GDP.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.9% on the previous year and up 14.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, commercial service imports (current us$), per unit of gdp in South Africa peaked at 0.0517 current US$ per US$ of GDP in 2008 and was at its lowest, 0.0256 current US$ per US$ of GDP, in 1961.

That places South Africa 168th out of 198 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.

Commercial service imports (current US$), per unit of GDP in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Commercial service imports (current US$), per unit of GDP in South Africa, 1960 to 2025.
Year	current US$ per US$ of GDP	Change
1960	0.028 current US$ per US$ of GDP	—
1961	0.0256 current US$ per US$ of GDP	-8.4%
1962	0.0267 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+4.0%
1963	0.0307 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+15.1%
1964	0.0314 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+2.2%
1965	0.0342 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+8.9%
1966	0.033 current US$ per US$ of GDP	-3.4%
1967	0.0334 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+1.1%
1968	0.0328 current US$ per US$ of GDP	-1.7%
1969	0.0337 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+2.7%
1970	0.0377 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+12.1%
1971	0.0397 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+5.2%
1972	0.0361 current US$ per US$ of GDP	-9.2%
1973	0.0345 current US$ per US$ of GDP	-4.3%
1974	0.0357 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+3.5%
1975	0.0421 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+18.0%
1976	0.0364 current US$ per US$ of GDP	-13.5%
1977	0.039 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+7.1%
1978	0.0404 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+3.5%
1979	0.0385 current US$ per US$ of GDP	-4.8%
1980	0.0371 current US$ per US$ of GDP	-3.4%
1981	0.0419 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+12.8%
1982	0.0394 current US$ per US$ of GDP	-5.9%
1983	0.033 current US$ per US$ of GDP	-16.4%
1984	0.0341 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+3.4%
1985	0.0344 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+1.0%
1986	0.0361 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+5.1%
1987	0.032 current US$ per US$ of GDP	-11.5%
1988	0.0307 current US$ per US$ of GDP	-4.2%
1989	0.0304 current US$ per US$ of GDP	-0.8%
1990	0.0292 current US$ per US$ of GDP	-4.1%
1991	0.0271 current US$ per US$ of GDP	-7.0%
1992	0.0287 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+5.7%
1993	0.0308 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+7.4%
1994	0.0319 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+3.5%
1995	0.0336 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+5.3%
1996	0.0338 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+0.7%
1997	0.0344 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+1.8%
1998	0.0358 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+3.9%
1999	0.0369 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+3.2%
2000	0.0375 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+1.4%
2001	0.0378 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+0.9%
2002	0.0416 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+10.2%
2003	0.0398 current US$ per US$ of GDP	-4.4%
2004	0.0393 current US$ per US$ of GDP	-1.2%
2005	0.0411 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+4.4%
2006	0.045 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+9.5%
2007	0.0471 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+4.8%
2008	0.0517 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+9.7%
2009	0.0446 current US$ per US$ of GDP	-13.7%
2010	0.0455 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+1.9%
2011	0.044 current US$ per US$ of GDP	-3.2%
2012	0.042 current US$ per US$ of GDP	-4.6%
2013	0.0437 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+4.1%
2014	0.0439 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+0.4%
2015	0.0441 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+0.6%
2016	0.046 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+4.3%
2017	0.0425 current US$ per US$ of GDP	-7.7%
2018	0.0409 current US$ per US$ of GDP	-3.7%
2019	0.0413 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+1.0%
2020	0.0327 current US$ per US$ of GDP	-20.9%
2021	0.032 current US$ per US$ of GDP	-2.0%
2022	0.0445 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+39.0%
2023	0.0487 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+9.3%
2024	0.0494 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+1.4%
2025	0.0503 current US$ per US$ of GDP	+1.9%

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1960s	0.0309 current US$ per US$ of GDP	0.0256 current US$ per US$ of GDP	0.0342 current US$ per US$ of GDP	10
1970s	0.038 current US$ per US$ of GDP	0.0345 current US$ per US$ of GDP	0.0421 current US$ per US$ of GDP	10
1980s	0.0349 current US$ per US$ of GDP	0.0304 current US$ per US$ of GDP	0.0419 current US$ per US$ of GDP	10
1990s	0.0322 current US$ per US$ of GDP	0.0271 current US$ per US$ of GDP	0.0369 current US$ per US$ of GDP	10
2000s	0.0426 current US$ per US$ of GDP	0.0375 current US$ per US$ of GDP	0.0517 current US$ per US$ of GDP	10
2010s	0.0434 current US$ per US$ of GDP	0.0409 current US$ per US$ of GDP	0.046 current US$ per US$ of GDP	10
2020s	0.0429 current US$ per US$ of GDP	0.032 current US$ per US$ of GDP	0.0503 current US$ per US$ of GDP	6

Countries ranked near South Africa

165 Niger 0.0518 current US$ per US$ of GDP compare
166 India 0.0509 current US$ per US$ of GDP compare
167 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 0.0504 current US$ per US$ of GDP compare
169 Myanmar 0.0477 current US$ per US$ of GDP compare
170 Ecuador 0.047 current US$ per US$ of GDP compare
171 Peru 0.0468 current US$ per US$ of GDP compare

See the full ranking of 245 places →

More private sector data for South Africa

Merchandise trade 57.2% (2025)
Food imports 7.2% (2025)
Manufactures imports 62.1% (2025)
Merchandise imports 128.08 billion current US$ (2025)
Food exports 12.8% (2025)
Manufactures exports 38.3% (2025)
Merchandise exports 116.40 billion current US$ (2025)
Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 1,798 current US$ per person (2025)
Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2725 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 5.74 % change on previous year (2025)

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is commercial service imports (current us$), per unit of gdp in South Africa?: Commercial service imports (current us$), per unit of gdp in South Africa was 0.0503 current US$ per US$ of GDP in 2025, according to Statizoid (derived).
What is the highest commercial service imports (current us$), per unit of gdp recorded in South Africa?: The highest recorded value was 0.0517 current US$ per US$ of GDP in 2008.
What is the lowest commercial service imports (current us$), per unit of gdp recorded in South Africa?: The lowest recorded value was 0.0256 current US$ per US$ of GDP in 1961.
How does South Africa rank for commercial service imports (current us$), per unit of gdp?: South Africa ranks 168th out of 198 countries with data for 2025.
Is commercial service imports (current us$), per unit of gdp rising or falling in South Africa?: Over the last ten years it is up 14.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?: The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Commercial service imports (current US$), per unit of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Commercial service imports (current US$), per unit of GDP in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Statizoid (derived). Retrieved 06 September 2026, from https://private-sector.statizoid.com/stat/commercial-service-imports-current-us-per-unit-of-gdp/south-africa/

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How this figure is calculated

Commercial service imports (current US$) divided by GDP (current US$), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.

Commercial service imports (current US$) ÷ GDP (current US$)

Computed from

Commercial service imports Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF)
GDP Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks

Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.

About this data

Indicator: Commercial service imports (current US$), per unit of GDP
Unit: current US$ per US$ of GDP
Source: Statizoid (derived)
Licence: Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page
Coverage: 245 places, 9,662 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed: 20 August 2026

Commercial service imports (current US$) divided by GDP (current US$), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.