South Africa (2025)
57.2
% of GDP
-1pp YoY
YoY Change
-1pp
percentage points
Trend
down
Series length
50
years of data

Data

South Africa Merchandise Trade (% of GDP) (2025) — source data. World Bank.
Year % of GDP YoY Change
2025 57.2 -1pp
2024 58.2 -5.1pp
2023 63.3 -0.3pp
2022 63.6 +7pp
2021 56.6 +6.3pp
2020 50.3 -0.4pp
2019 50.7 -0.6pp
2018 51.3 +1.4pp
2017 49.9 -2pp
2016 51.9 -1.6pp
2015 53.5 -2.9pp
2014 56.4 +0.9pp
2013 55.5 +3.3pp
2012 52.2 +1.3pp
2011 50.9 +5.8pp
2010 45.1 +3.9pp
2009 41.2 -16.5pp
2008 57.7 +10.2pp
2007 47.5 +2.4pp
2006 45.1 +5.6pp

About this Dataset

South Africa recorded 57.2 % of GDP in 2025. The latest change was -1pp. Across 1976–2025 the series ranges from 29.4 in 1992 to 63.6 in 2022.

This page tracks total merchandise trade (exports plus imports of goods) as a share of GDP in South Africa from 1990 to present. Merchandise trade openness measures the integration of the goods economy into global supply chains.

Data sourced from World Bank via Open Data API. Values use World Bank standardised methodology intended for cross-country comparison.

Frequently Asked Questions

This page tracks total merchandise trade (exports plus imports of goods) as a share of GDP in South Africa from 1990 to present. Merchandise trade openness measures the integration of the goods economy into global supply chains. It is published by World Bank and updated annually.

The most recent observation covers 2025. World Bank typically publishes this series with a lag of several months after the reference period. The series runs 1976–2025 (50 observations).

The series peaked at 63.6 % of GDP in 2022 and reached its lowest recorded value of 29.4 in 1992. The latest reading of 57.2 in 2025 represents a change of -1pp.