Merchandise exports by the reporting economy (current US$), per unit in South Africa

South Africa: Merchandise exports by the reporting economy (current US$), per unit was 0.2709 current US$ per US$ of GDP in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
0.2709 current US$ per US$ of GDP
Change on year
down 5.7%
World rank
73rd
of 202 countries
All-time high
0.2872 current US$ per US$ of GDP
in 2022
All-time low
0.125 current US$ per US$ of GDP
in 1998
Years of data
26
1998–2023

Merchandise exports by the reporting economy (current US$), per unit in South Africa, 1998–2023

00.10.20.31998201020231998: 0.125 current US$ per US$ of GDP1999: 0.137 current US$ per US$ of GDP2000: 0.143 current US$ per US$ of GDP2001: 0.158 current US$ per US$ of GDP2002: 0.174 current US$ per US$ of GDP2003: 0.157 current US$ per US$ of GDP2004: 0.155 current US$ per US$ of GDP2005: 0.161 current US$ per US$ of GDP2006: 0.172 current US$ per US$ of GDP2007: 0.19 current US$ per US$ of GDP2008: 0.231 current US$ per US$ of GDP2009: 0.165 current US$ per US$ of GDP2010: 0.198 current US$ per US$ of GDP2011: 0.214 current US$ per US$ of GDP2012: 0.207 current US$ per US$ of GDP2013: 0.221 current US$ per US$ of GDP2014: 0.225 current US$ per US$ of GDP2015: 0.216 current US$ per US$ of GDP2016: 0.218 current US$ per US$ of GDP2017: 0.217 current US$ per US$ of GDP2018: 0.216 current US$ per US$ of GDP2019: 0.216 current US$ per US$ of GDP2020: 0.231 current US$ per US$ of GDP2021: 0.272 current US$ per US$ of GDP2022: 0.287 current US$ per US$ of GDP2023: 0.271 current US$ per US$ of GDP

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

Analysis

In 2023, merchandise exports by the reporting economy (current us$), per unit in South Africa stood at 0.2709 current US$ per US$ of GDP.

The figure is down 5.7% on the previous year and up 22.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, merchandise exports by the reporting economy (current us$), per unit in South Africa peaked at 0.2872 current US$ per US$ of GDP in 2022 and was at its lowest, 0.125 current US$ per US$ of GDP, in 1998.

South Africa ranks 73rd of 202 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.

Merchandise exports by the reporting economy (current US$), per unit in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Merchandise exports by the reporting economy (current US$), per unit of GDP in South Africa, 1998 to 2023.
Year current US$ per US$ of GDP Change
1998 0.125 current US$ per US$ of GDP
1999 0.1369 current US$ per US$ of GDP +9.5%
2000 0.1428 current US$ per US$ of GDP +4.3%
2001 0.1577 current US$ per US$ of GDP +10.4%
2002 0.1736 current US$ per US$ of GDP +10.1%
2003 0.1568 current US$ per US$ of GDP -9.7%
2004 0.1549 current US$ per US$ of GDP -1.2%
2005 0.1611 current US$ per US$ of GDP +4.0%
2006 0.1725 current US$ per US$ of GDP +7.0%
2007 0.1904 current US$ per US$ of GDP +10.4%
2008 0.2308 current US$ per US$ of GDP +21.2%
2009 0.1649 current US$ per US$ of GDP -28.6%
2010 0.1982 current US$ per US$ of GDP +20.2%
2011 0.2136 current US$ per US$ of GDP +7.7%
2012 0.2069 current US$ per US$ of GDP -3.1%
2013 0.2212 current US$ per US$ of GDP +6.9%
2014 0.2249 current US$ per US$ of GDP +1.7%
2015 0.2163 current US$ per US$ of GDP -3.8%
2016 0.218 current US$ per US$ of GDP +0.8%
2017 0.2173 current US$ per US$ of GDP -0.3%
2018 0.2165 current US$ per US$ of GDP -0.4%
2019 0.2163 current US$ per US$ of GDP -0.1%
2020 0.2311 current US$ per US$ of GDP +6.8%
2021 0.2721 current US$ per US$ of GDP +17.7%
2022 0.2872 current US$ per US$ of GDP +5.5%
2023 0.2709 current US$ per US$ of GDP -5.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0.1309 current US$ per US$ of GDP 0.125 current US$ per US$ of GDP 0.1369 current US$ per US$ of GDP 2
2000s 0.1706 current US$ per US$ of GDP 0.1428 current US$ per US$ of GDP 0.2308 current US$ per US$ of GDP 10
2010s 0.2149 current US$ per US$ of GDP 0.1982 current US$ per US$ of GDP 0.2249 current US$ per US$ of GDP 10
2020s 0.2653 current US$ per US$ of GDP 0.2311 current US$ per US$ of GDP 0.2872 current US$ per US$ of GDP 4

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 70 Portugal 0.2789 current US$ per US$ of GDP compare
  2. 71 Paraguay 0.2756 current US$ per US$ of GDP compare
  3. 72 Finland 0.2746 current US$ per US$ of GDP compare
  4. 74 Bahrain 0.2657 current US$ per US$ of GDP compare
  5. 75 Solomon Islands 0.2651 current US$ per US$ of GDP compare
  6. 76 Saudi Arabia 0.2644 current US$ per US$ of GDP compare

See the full ranking of 249 places →

More private sector data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is merchandise exports by the reporting economy (current us$), per unit in South Africa?
Merchandise exports by the reporting economy (current us$), per unit in South Africa was 0.2709 current US$ per US$ of GDP in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
What is the highest merchandise exports by the reporting economy (current us$), per unit recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 0.2872 current US$ per US$ of GDP in 2022.
What is the lowest merchandise exports by the reporting economy (current us$), per unit recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.125 current US$ per US$ of GDP in 1998.
How does South Africa rank for merchandise exports by the reporting economy (current us$), per unit?
South Africa ranks 73rd out of 202 countries with data for 2023.
Is merchandise exports by the reporting economy (current us$), per unit rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 22.5%. 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 Merchandise exports by the reporting economy (current US$), per unit of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Merchandise exports by the reporting economy (current US$), per unit in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Statizoid (derived). Retrieved 11 September 2026, from https://private-sector.statizoid.com/stat/merchandise-exports-by-the-reporting-economy-current-us-per-unit-of-gdp/south-africa/

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How this figure is calculated

Merchandise exports by the reporting economy (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.

Merchandise exports by the reporting economy (current US$) ÷ GDP (current US$)

Computed from

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
Merchandise exports by the reporting economy (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
249 places, 12,888 data points, 1960–2023
Last refreshed

Merchandise exports by the reporting economy (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.