South Africa Imports from United States
South Africa's imports from the United States fell to $6.98 billion in 2024, down from $9.2 billion in 2023, according to the UN Comtrade Database. This represents a decrease of 24.2% ($2.22 billion) from the previous year. Top imports for South Africa from the United States were Machinery, mechanical appliances, reactors ($1.33 billion), Mineral fuels, oils, waxes, bitumen ($1.06 billion) and Vehicles other than railway or tramway ($535.04 million).
South Africa moved from a trade deficit with United States of $880.47M in 2023 to a surplus of $1.23B in 2024. This represents a reversal of $2.11 billion (239.9%).
South Africa Imports from United States by Goods (2024)
The table below shows the ranking of South Africa imports from US by goods in 2024, highlighting the top imported goods.
| Import Rank | Imported Goods | Import Value (USD) ↓ | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Machinery, mechanical appliances, reactors | $1.33B | 2024 |
| 2 | Mineral fuels, oils, waxes, bitumen | $1.06B | 2024 |
| 3 | Vehicles other than railway or tramway and parts | $535.04M | 2024 |
| 4 | Optical, medical, measuring instruments | $492.93M | 2024 |
| 5 | Unspecified commodities | $487.06M | 2024 |
| 6 | Aircraft, spacecraft, parts | $444.80M | 2024 |
| 7 | Printed books, newspapers, printed matter | $417.24M | 2024 |
| 8 | Electrical machinery and equipment; audio and video equipment | $375.45M | 2024 |
| 9 | Miscellaneous chemical products | $313.53M | 2024 |
| 10 | Pharmaceutical products | $230.53M | 2024 |
| 11 | Plastics and plastic articles | $219.19M | 2024 |
| 12 | Rubber and rubber articles | $93.14M | 2024 |
| 13 | Organic chemicals | $69.68M | 2024 |
| 14 | Inorganic chemicals, precious metal compounds, isotopes | $68.76M | 2024 |
| 15 | Essential oils, perfumery, cosmetics | $64.48M | 2024 |
| 16 | Articles of iron or steel | $60.83M | 2024 |
| 17 | Man-made staple fibres | $59.86M | 2024 |
| 18 | Paper, paperboard and articles | $46.40M | 2024 |
| 19 | Pulp, recovered paper, paperboard | $44.03M | 2024 |
| 20 | Soap, detergents, waxes, candles, dental products | $39.54M | 2024 |
| 21 | Oilseeds, grains, fodder, medicinal plants | $38.26M | 2024 |
| 22 | Toys, games, sports goods | $34.99M | 2024 |
| 23 | Miscellaneous edible preparations | $32.65M | 2024 |
| 24 | Glues, enzymes, modified starches | $26.10M | 2024 |
| 25 | Tools, cutlery, base metal parts | $24.05M | 2024 |
| 26 | Pearls, precious stones, metals, jewelry, coins | $23.89M | 2024 |
| 27 | Meat and edible offal | $21.15M | 2024 |
| 28 | Dyes, pigments, tanning extracts, paints, inks | $20.46M | 2024 |
| 29 | Edible fruits and nuts, citrus or melon peel | $19.45M | 2024 |
| 30 | Beverages, spirits, vinegar | $19.09M | 2024 |
| 31 | Wood and wood products, charcoal | $18.41M | 2024 |
| 32 | Cereals | $17.63M | 2024 |
| 33 | Glass and glassware | $15.93M | 2024 |
| 34 | Articles of stone, cement, mica, asbestos | $13.35M | 2024 |
| 35 | Prepared vegetables, fruits, nuts | $13.16M | 2024 |
| 36 | Railway locomotives, rolling stock, track equipment | $12.64M | 2024 |
| 37 | Ceramic products | $11.99M | 2024 |
| 38 | Salt, sulphur, stone, cement | $10.77M | 2024 |
| 39 | Food industry residues, animal feed | $10.68M | 2024 |
| 40 | Furniture, bedding, lighting, prefabricated buildings | $10.48M | 2024 |
| 41 | Explosives, pyrotechnics, matches | $9.70M | 2024 |
| 42 | Miscellaneous base metal articles | $9.35M | 2024 |
| 43 | Ships, boats, floating structures | $8.31M | 2024 |
| 44 | Animal products | $7.93M | 2024 |
| 45 | Fats and oils, edible fats, waxes | $7.01M | 2024 |
| 46 | Fertilizers | $6.66M | 2024 |
| 47 | Other base metals, cermets | $6.25M | 2024 |
| 48 | Aluminium and aluminium articles | $5.90M | 2024 |
| 49 | Photographic and cinematographic goods | $5.11M | 2024 |
| 50 | Sugar and confectionery | $4.61M | 2024 |
| 51 | Iron and steel | $4.52M | 2024 |
| 52 | Ores, slag, ash | $3.54M | 2024 |
| 53 | Copper and copper articles | $3.13M | 2024 |
| 54 | Miscellaneous manufactured goods | $3.12M | 2024 |
| 55 | Technical textile fabrics, coated fabrics | $2.97M | 2024 |
| 56 | Wool and animal hair fabrics | $2.63M | 2024 |
| 57 | Wadding, felt, twine, ropes, cords | $2.58M | 2024 |
| 58 | Works of art, antiques | $2.56M | 2024 |
| 59 | Edible vegetables, roots, tubers | $2.35M | 2024 |
| 60 | Other textile articles, worn clothing, rags | $2.35M | 2024 |
| 61 | Fish, crustaceans, molluscs, aquatic invertebrates | $2.31M | 2024 |
| 62 | Non-knitted clothing | $2.20M | 2024 |
| 63 | Knitted or crocheted clothing | $1.97M | 2024 |
| 64 | Leather goods, bags, saddlery, travel goods | $1.80M | 2024 |
| 65 | Cocoa and cocoa preparations | $1.70M | 2024 |
| 66 | Clocks, watches, parts | $1.57M | 2024 |
| 67 | Musical instruments, parts | $1.51M | 2024 |
| 68 | Zinc and zinc articles | $1.49M | 2024 |
| 69 | Lac, gums, resins, vegetable extracts | $1.39M | 2024 |
| 70 | Cereal, flour, starch, milk preparations, bakery | $1.38M | 2024 |
| 71 | Nickel and nickel articles | $1.35M | 2024 |
| 72 | Live animals | $1.32M | 2024 |
| 73 | Man-made filaments | $1.30M | 2024 |
| 74 | Footwear and parts | $1.20M | 2024 |
| 75 | Headgear | $913,833.45 | 2024 |
| 76 | Tobacco, nicotine products and substitutes | $607,903.29 | 2024 |
| 77 | Milling products, malt, starch, inulin, wheat gluten | $493,511.86 | 2024 |
| 78 | Cotton | $353,464.54 | 2024 |
| 79 | Dairy, eggs, honey, other animal products | $318,207.60 | 2024 |
| 80 | Special woven fabrics, lace, embroidery | $240,595.92 | 2024 |
| 81 | Feathers, down, artificial flowers, human hair goods | $192,333.28 | 2024 |
| 82 | Carpets and textile floor coverings | $188,847.87 | 2024 |
| 83 | Lead and lead articles | $176,881.77 | 2024 |
| 84 | Knitted or crocheted fabrics | $170,667.60 | 2024 |
| 85 | Coffee, tea, mate, spices | $161,709.40 | 2024 |
| 86 | Vegetable plaiting materials, other vegetable products | $58,166.94 | 2024 |
| 87 | Live plants, bulbs, roots, cut flowers, foliage | $56,479.38 | 2024 |
| 88 | Cork and cork products | $50,346.77 | 2024 |
| 89 | Raw hides, skins, leather | $46,625.30 | 2024 |
| 90 | Tin and tin articles | $40,684.75 | 2024 |
| 91 | Vegetable textile fibres, paper yarn | $34,704.02 | 2024 |
| 92 | Umbrellas, canes, whips, riding crops | $16,508.04 | 2024 |
| 93 | Furskins and artificial fur | $10,092.70 | 2024 |
| 94 | Prepared meat, fish, crustaceans, insects | $7,546.61 | 2024 |
| 95 | Basketware, wickerwork, straw goods | $6,019.00 | 2024 |
| 96 | Silk | $4,758.89 | 2024 |
South Africa Imports from United States (2000-2024)
The table below shows historical data for South Africa imports from US by year, expressed in Billion USD.
| Year | Import Value (Billion USD) |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 6.98 |
| 2023 | 9.20 |
| 2022 | 8.20 |
| 2021 | 6.58 |
| 2020 | 4.44 |
| 2019 | 5.78 |
| 2018 | 5.55 |
| 2017 | 5.50 |
| 2016 | 5.02 |
| 2015 | 6.01 |
| 2014 | 6.60 |
| 2013 | 6.57 |
| 2012 | 7.49 |
| 2011 | 8 |
| 2010 | 5.98 |
| 2009 | 4.95 |
| 2008 | 7.04 |
| 2007 | 6.17 |
| 2006 | 5.22 |
| 2005 | 4.35 |
| 2004 | 4.11 |
| 2003 | 3.41 |
| 2002 | 3.09 |
| 2001 | 3.05 |
| 2000 | 3.19 |