Merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies in South Asia in South Africa
South Africa: Merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies in South Asia was 5.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies in South Asia in South Africa, 1998–2023
Source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of total merchandise exports.
Analysis
In 2023, merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies in south asia in South Africa stood at 5.4%.
That represents a change of down 3.6% on the previous year and up 38.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies in south asia in South Africa peaked at 6.7% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 1.6%, in 2003.
That places South Africa 40th out of 205 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies in South Asia in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % of total merchandise exports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 2.4% | — |
| 1999 | 2.6% | +11.4% |
| 2000 | 2.1% | -20.4% |
| 2001 | 2.3% | +10.5% |
| 2002 | 1.9% | -17.8% |
| 2003 | 1.6% | -13.9% |
| 2004 | 1.7% | +6.8% |
| 2005 | 3.0% | +71.8% |
| 2006 | 1.9% | -36.4% |
| 2007 | 2.6% | +34.7% |
| 2008 | 3.5% | +36.5% |
| 2009 | 4.3% | +22.1% |
| 2010 | 4.3% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 3.9% | -8.6% |
| 2012 | 4.6% | +18.3% |
| 2013 | 3.9% | -15.6% |
| 2014 | 5.0% | +28.6% |
| 2015 | 5.0% | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 5.5% | +10.0% |
| 2017 | 6.5% | +18.8% |
| 2018 | 6.7% | +2.6% |
| 2019 | 6.3% | -5.0% |
| 2020 | 5.5% | -13.4% |
| 2021 | 5.1% | -6.9% |
| 2022 | 5.6% | +9.4% |
| 2023 | 5.4% | -3.6% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 5.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.3%, 4.3× the median. (59 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 5.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.6%, 1.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.5% | 2.4% | 2.6% | 2 |
| 2000s | 2.5% | 1.6% | 4.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.2% | 3.9% | 6.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.4% | 5.1% | 5.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies in south asia in South Africa?
- Merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies in south asia in South Africa was 5.4% in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies in south asia recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 6.7% in 2018.
- What is the lowest merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies in south asia recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.6% in 2003.
- How does South Africa rank for merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies in south asia?
- South Africa ranks 40th out of 205 countries with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies in south asia rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 38.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Staff estimates, World Bank (WB), published as part of Merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies in South Asia (% of total merchandise exports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies in South Asia are the sum of merchandise exports from the reporting economy to low- and middle-income economies in the South Asia region according to World Bank classification of economies. Data are as a percentage of total merchandise exports by the economy. Data are computed only if at least half of the economies in the partner country group had non-missing data.