Value of imported goods as a share of GDP in South Africa
South Africa: Value of imported goods as a share of GDP was 31.3% in 2014. ▼ Falling
Latest (2014)
31.3%
Change on year
up 1.0%
World rank
124th
of 193 countries
All-time high
38.0%
in 1920
All-time low
9.9%
in 1987
Years of data
104
1911–2014
Value of imported goods as a share of GDP in South Africa, 1911–2014
Source: Fouquin and Hugot (2016) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 31.3% for value of imported goods as a share of gdp in 2014.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 37.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, value of imported goods as a share of gdp in South Africa peaked at 38.0% in 1920 and was at its lowest, 9.9%, in 1987.
That places South Africa 124th out of 193 countries with data for 2014, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 104 years of available data.
Value of imported goods as a share of GDP in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1911 | 25.4% | — |
| 1912 | 25.2% | -0.5% |
| 1913 | 26.9% | +6.7% |
| 1914 | 24.0% | -10.8% |
| 1915 | 22.0% | -8.2% |
| 1916 | 24.0% | +9.0% |
| 1917 | 20.5% | -14.8% |
| 1918 | 24.8% | +21.1% |
| 1919 | 21.0% | -15.4% |
| 1920 | 38.0% | +81.2% |
| 1921 | 23.7% | -37.6% |
| 1922 | 23.5% | -0.9% |
| 1923 | 24.3% | +3.2% |
| 1924 | 25.7% | +5.8% |
| 1925 | 25.3% | -1.4% |
| 1926 | 26.2% | +3.4% |
| 1927 | 25.1% | -4.0% |
| 1928 | 26.0% | +3.5% |
| 1929 | 27.5% | +6.0% |
| 1930 | 23.1% | -16.1% |
| 1931 | 19.7% | -14.6% |
| 1932 | 10.7% | -45.6% |
| 1933 | 18.8% | +75.6% |
| 1934 | 22.2% | +17.8% |
| 1935 | 22.0% | -0.7% |
| 1936 | 22.4% | +1.7% |
| 1937 | 25.3% | +12.9% |
| 1938 | 22.7% | -10.1% |
| 1939 | 20.4% | -10.3% |
| 1940 | 21.3% | +4.3% |
| 1941 | 21.9% | +2.9% |
| 1942 | 18.9% | -13.5% |
| 1943 | 16.2% | -14.5% |
| 1944 | 14.7% | -9.2% |
| 1945 | 14.8% | +0.6% |
| 1946 | 26.3% | +77.7% |
| 1947 | 33.1% | +26.1% |
| 1948 | 33.2% | +0.2% |
| 1949 | 24.8% | -25.1% |
| 1950 | 20.6% | -17.0% |
| 1951 | 28.5% | +38.2% |
| 1952 | 23.8% | -16.6% |
| 1953 | 22.9% | -3.4% |
| 1954 | 20.8% | -9.2% |
| 1955 | 21.9% | +5.3% |
| 1956 | 20.1% | -8.1% |
| 1957 | 21.4% | +6.2% |
| 1958 | 21.4% | +0.1% |
| 1959 | 18.3% | -14.5% |
| 1960 | 18.4% | +0.4% |
| 1961 | 15.8% | -13.9% |
| 1962 | 15.0% | -5.1% |
| 1963 | 17.5% | +16.7% |
| 1964 | 21.1% | +20.2% |
| 1965 | 21.3% | +1.3% |
| 1966 | 18.2% | -14.7% |
| 1967 | 18.1% | -0.5% |
| 1968 | 17.3% | -4.8% |
| 1969 | 17.0% | -1.3% |
| 1970 | 18.8% | +10.2% |
| 1971 | 19.0% | +1.3% |
| 1972 | 16.1% | -15.0% |
| 1973 | 16.4% | +1.5% |
| 1974 | 19.8% | +20.7% |
| 1975 | 19.9% | +0.7% |
| 1976 | 18.4% | -7.7% |
| 1977 | 14.8% | -19.2% |
| 1978 | 15.8% | +6.6% |
| 1979 | 14.6% | -7.5% |
| 1980 | 16.3% | +11.2% |
| 1981 | 17.4% | +7.0% |
| 1982 | 15.1% | -13.1% |
| 1983 | 12.6% | -16.5% |
| 1984 | 13.9% | +9.9% |
| 1985 | 11.5% | -17.0% |
| 1986 | 10.3% | -10.5% |
| 1987 | 9.9% | -4.1% |
| 1988 | 11.0% | +11.7% |
| 1989 | 10.2% | -8.0% |
| 1990 | 11.3% | +11.5% |
| 1991 | 11.2% | -0.9% |
| 1992 | 10.7% | -4.9% |
| 1993 | 10.7% | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 12.4% | +16.8% |
| 1995 | 15.8% | +27.0% |
| 1996 | 16.5% | +4.5% |
| 1997 | 15.4% | -6.7% |
| 1998 | 21.1% | +37.0% |
| 1999 | 19.2% | -9.1% |
| 2000 | 21.5% | +12.2% |
| 2001 | 22.8% | +6.1% |
| 2002 | 24.7% | +8.2% |
| 2003 | 21.3% | -13.8% |
| 2004 | 22.7% | +6.5% |
| 2005 | 23.1% | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 27.5% | +19.0% |
| 2007 | 31.4% | +14.2% |
| 2008 | 34.7% | +10.4% |
| 2009 | 24.9% | -28.2% |
| 2010 | 24.2% | -2.8% |
| 2011 | 26.3% | +8.6% |
| 2012 | 28.7% | +9.2% |
| 2013 | 30.9% | +7.7% |
| 2014 | 31.3% | +1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 23.8% | 20.5% | 26.9% | 9 |
| 1920s | 26.5% | 23.5% | 38.0% | 10 |
| 1930s | 20.8% | 10.7% | 25.3% | 10 |
| 1940s | 22.5% | 14.7% | 33.2% | 10 |
| 1950s | 22.0% | 18.3% | 28.5% | 10 |
| 1960s | 18.0% | 15.0% | 21.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 17.4% | 14.6% | 19.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 12.8% | 9.9% | 17.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 14.4% | 10.7% | 21.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 25.5% | 21.3% | 34.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 28.3% | 24.2% | 31.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More economy & growth data for South Africa
- 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)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant LCU), per capita 7,985 constant LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), annual 5.53 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 0.2409 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 1,589 current US$ per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), annual 2.99 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), per 4.31 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), per 28,432 current LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) -1.57 % 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 31.3% in 2014, according to Fouquin and Hugot (2016) – processed 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 38.0% in 1920.
- What is the lowest value of imported goods as a share of gdp recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.9% in 1987.
- How does South Africa rank for value of imported goods as a share of gdp?
- South Africa ranks 124th out of 193 countries with data for 2014.
- Is value of imported goods as a share of gdp rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 37.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Fouquin and Hugot (2016) – processed 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 — 104 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimates correspond to merchandise import-to-GDP ratios for countries and regions. All ratios are taken at current prices. See source for more details.