Value of imported goods as a share of GDP (International Monetary) in South Africa
South Africa: Value of imported goods as a share of GDP (International Monetary) was 25.9% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Value of imported goods as a share of GDP in South Africa, 1998–2025
Source: International Monetary Fund (2026); National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for value of imported goods as a share of gdp in South Africa is 25.9%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 1.9% on the previous year and down 0.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, value of imported goods as a share of gdp in South Africa peaked at 30.3% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 17.3%, in 1999.
South Africa ranks 125th of 201 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Value of imported goods as a share of GDP (International Monetary) in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 18.8% | — |
| 1999 | 17.3% | -8.1% |
| 2000 | 18.6% | +7.5% |
| 2001 | 19.6% | +5.7% |
| 2002 | 21.2% | +8.1% |
| 2003 | 18.2% | -14.2% |
| 2004 | 19.5% | +6.9% |
| 2005 | 19.8% | +1.8% |
| 2006 | 23.7% | +19.6% |
| 2007 | 27.2% | +14.9% |
| 2008 | 30.3% | +11.5% |
| 2009 | 21.6% | -29.0% |
| 2010 | 20.8% | -3.3% |
| 2011 | 23.5% | +12.7% |
| 2012 | 25.2% | +7.3% |
| 2013 | 27.2% | +7.9% |
| 2014 | 27.6% | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 26.0% | -6.0% |
| 2016 | 24.4% | -6.2% |
| 2017 | 22.9% | -5.9% |
| 2018 | 24.1% | +5.3% |
| 2019 | 23.7% | -1.7% |
| 2020 | 21.4% | -10.0% |
| 2021 | 23.3% | +8.9% |
| 2022 | 28.5% | +22.8% |
| 2023 | 29.5% | +3.3% |
| 2024 | 26.4% | -10.5% |
| 2025 | 25.9% | -1.9% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 25.9% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 38.0%, 68% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 25.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 26.0%, 100% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 18.0% | 17.3% | 18.8% | 2 |
| 2000s | 22.0% | 18.2% | 30.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 24.5% | 20.8% | 27.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.8% | 21.4% | 29.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More economy & growth data for South Africa
- Real gdp growth, annual growth rate 108.41 % change on previous year (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 0.4836 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 1.4 Percent per annum (2029)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, annual growth rate 6.87 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0145 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per capita 95.75 units per person (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, annual growth rate 1.77 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0106 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per capita 69.91 units per person (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, annual growth rate -28.9 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is value of imported goods as a share of gdp in South Africa?
- Value of imported goods as a share of gdp in South Africa was 25.9% in 2025, according to International Monetary Fund (2026); National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest value of imported goods as a share of gdp recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 30.3% in 2008.
- What is the lowest value of imported goods as a share of gdp recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.3% in 1999.
- How does South Africa rank for value of imported goods as a share of gdp?
- South Africa ranks 125th out of 201 countries with data for 2025.
- Is value of imported goods as a share of gdp rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund (2026); National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Value of imported goods as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Value of a country’s total goods imports, including freight and insurance costs, as a percentage of a country’s gross domestic product (GDP).