South Africa's merchandise exports by the reporting economy, residual (% of total merchandise exports) was 0.01% in 2023, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 0.0043 percentage points from 0.02% in 2013.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 0.01% | 2023 |
| Five years earlier | 0.01% | 2018 |
| Ten years earlier | 0.02% | 2013 |
| Highest | 0.09% | 1998 |
| Lowest | 0.00156% | 2020 |
| Average since 2014 | 0.00725% | 2014–2023 |
| First recorded | 0.09% | 1998 |
What the numbers say
In 2023, South Africa's merchandise exports by the reporting economy, residual (% of total merchandise exports) rose 0 percentage points on 2022 (from 0.00763% to 0.01%).
Across the 24 yearly changes before that (1999 to 2022), the average change was −0 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.02 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.02 percentage points in 2001 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.05 percentage points in 2003. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2014 to 2023 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 5% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
How it compares
In 2023, South Africa had the 40th highest value of the 205 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| South Africa | 0.01% | 2023 |
| World | 0.05% | 2023 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 0.00319% | 2023 |
| Upper middle income | 0.1% | 2023 |
Closest to South Africa in the 2023 ranking
- Italy — 36th of 205: 0.02%
- Bangladesh — 37th of 205: 0.02%
- Egypt, Arab Rep. — 38th of 205: 0.01%
- Indonesia — 40th of 205: 0.01%
- Pakistan — 41st of 205: 0.00971%
- Denmark — 42nd of 205: 0.00946%
What this measures
Merchandise exports by the reporting economy residuals are the total merchandise exports by the reporting economy to the rest of the world as reported in the IMF's Direction of trade database, less the sum of exports by the reporting economy to high-, low-, and middle-income economies according to the World Bank classification of economies. Includes trade with unspecified partners or with economies not covered by World Bank classification. Data are as a percentage of total merchandise exports by the economy.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.
All 26 values
| Year | Merchandise exports by the reporting economy, residual (% of total merchandise exports) |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 0.0112 |
| 2022 | 0.0076 |
| 2021 | 0.0016 |
| 2020 | 0.0016 |
| 2019 | 0.0016 |
| 2018 | 0.01 |
| 2017 | 0.0054 |
| 2016 | 0.02 |
| 2015 | 0.0055 |
| 2014 | 0.0081 |
Merchandise exports by the reporting economy, residual (% of total merchandise exports) in nearby economies
- Angola — 0.00000535% (2023)
- Benin — -0.0000000000000113% (2023)
- Botswana — 0% (2023)
- Burkina Faso — 0% (2023)
- Burundi — 0.00000000000000475% (2023)
- Cabo Verde — 0% (2023)
- Cameroon — 0% (2023)
- Central African Republic
More private sector & trade data for South Africa
- Merchandise trade (% of GDP) — 57.23% (2025)
- Insurance and financial services (% of commercial service imports) — 5.66% (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$) — US$128.08 billion (2025)
- Computer, communications and other services (% of commercial service imports) — 44.21% (2025)
- Commercial service imports (current US$) — US$21.49 billion (2025)
- Transport services (% of commercial service imports) — 36.96% (2025)
- Travel services (% of commercial service imports) — 13.18% (2025)
- Insurance and financial services (% of commercial service exports) — 9.81% (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is South Africa's merchandise exports by the reporting economy, residual (% of total merchandise exports)?
- 0.01% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1998?
- It is down 0.08 percentage points from 0.09% in 1998. The highest value was 0.09% in 1998 and the lowest 0.00156% in 2020.
- How does South Africa rank?
- 40th highest of 205 economies with data for 2023.
- Is the latest change in merchandise exports by the reporting economy, residual (% of total merchandise exports) unusual for South Africa?
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator TX.VAL.MRCH.RS.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB); Direction of Trade database, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.
Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.
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