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Where does South Africa get its medicines? Import sources 2024

In 2024, South Africa imported $1.9 billion of medicines (44 thousand tonnes), 0.4% of the world total. Its main sources were India (34%), Germany (9%) and the United Kingdom (7%). South Africa was the world’s 40th-largest importer of medicines.

Summary

Value
$1.9billion
Tonnes
44thousand tonnes
Share of world total
0.4%
World rank
40th
Routes from the main sources. Width: value; color: estimated transport mode.SeaAirLand

Sources

The 20 main sources in the latest year.

PartnerValue (USD millions)TonnesUSD per tonneShareMode
India653Tonnes: 19,960USD per tonne: $32,71333.8%Sea
Germany170Tonnes: 6,275USD per tonne: $27,0628.8%Sea
United Kingdom133Tonnes: 2,272USD per tonne: $58,3826.9%Air
United States131Tonnes: 1,018USD per tonne: $128,7766.8%Air
France126Tonnes: 2,383USD per tonne: $53,0706.6%Air
Italy107Tonnes: 1,348USD per tonne: $79,1875.5%Air
Ireland61.8Tonnes: 694USD per tonne: $89,0383.2%Air
Spain60.9Tonnes: 3,119USD per tonne: $19,5423.2%Sea
Denmark60.4Tonnes: 205USD per tonne: $294,7053.1%Air
Austria57.2Tonnes: 972USD per tonne: $58,8113%Air
Switzerland52.9Tonnes: 485USD per tonne: $109,2092.7%Air
Belgium re-exports42.9Tonnes: 438USD per tonne: $97,8712.2%Air
Sweden24Tonnes: 335USD per tonne: $71,5861.2%Air
Japan23Tonnes: 41USD per tonne: $559,6791.2%Air
Greece22.3Tonnes: 269USD per tonne: $82,8331.2%Air
Slovenia20.3Tonnes: 263USD per tonne: $77,3221.1%Air
Netherlands re-exports19.1Tonnes: 475USD per tonne: $40,2030.99%Air
China18.9Tonnes: 685USD per tonne: $27,5950.98%Sea
Canada18.2Tonnes: 158USD per tonne: $115,3350.94%Air
Brazil14.2Tonnes: 226USD per tonne: $62,6740.73%Air

Trend

Who it buys from

India has been its main source since 2010

Value in USD millions. The five largest sources in 2024.

  • India 653
  • Germany 170
  • United Kingdom 133
  • United States 131
  • France 126

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
Partner19952024
India0.92653
Germany53.9170
United Kingdom69.2133
United States13.8131
France27126

Sources and methodology

Other products of this country

Sources and licenses

Methodology

Goods trade from CEPII BACI (BACI_HS92_V202601), which reconciles what exporters and importers report: countries that stopped reporting (Russia since 2022) appear with their partners’ data. FOB values in current US dollars; tonnes when BACI reports them. The price per tonne is the value of the rows with a weight divided by that weight. The transport mode is our own estimate based on value per kilo and geography. Data up to 2024.

Hong Kong, Singapore, the Netherlands and Belgium re-export goods from other countries: their figures include transit.

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