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How dependent is Eswatini on South Africa?

In 2024, South Africa sold $1.7 billion to Eswatini, 79.3% of its imports, ranking 1st among its suppliers. Its share was 66.1% in 2019 and 0% in 1995. In 272 products it sells more than 50% of what Eswatini buys of them (in 247, more than 75%); what Eswatini buys from South Africa in those products (dominated value) adds up to $1.5 billion, 72.2% of its imports.

Summary

Share of its imports
79.3%
Value imported
$1.7billion
Rank among its suppliers
1st
Products where it sells over 50%
272
Products where it sells over 75%
247
Dominated value
$1.5billion
Share of total imports
72.2%

Trend

South Africa went from 0% to 79.3% of what Eswatini buys

Trend in shares

South Africa went from 0% to 79.3% of what Eswatini buys

Share (%)

  • South Africa 79.3%

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearValue (USD millions)ShareRank
199500%—
199600%—
199700%—
199800%—
199900%—
20001,02183.7%1
200173972%1
200284773.9%1
20031,19874.1%1
20041,56681.5%1
20051,33274.5%1
200696770.3%1
20071,03372.3%1
200899474.9%1
20091,00775.8%1
20101,45474.9%1
20112,10576.2%1
20121,52377.3%1
20131,51380.5%1
20141,45672.3%1
20151,24373.1%1
20161,18573%1
20171,22373.4%1
20181,35167%1
20191,32666.1%1
20201,13569%1
20211,51469.5%1
20221,49664.6%1
20231,46670.2%1
20241,68979.3%1

Products where South Africa sells more than half

272 products, 72.2% of what it buys
ProductSupplierShareSecondValue
Refined petroleumSouth Africa99.1%over 75%China · 0.78%$235 million
ElectricitySouth Africa91.4%over 75%Mozambique · 8.6%$82 million
CornSouth Africa99.4%over 75%Zambia · 0.57%$45 million
TrucksSouth Africa79.8%over 75%India · 17.8%$39 million
RiceSouth Africa93.2%over 75%Taiwan · 6.7%$26 million
CarsSouth Africa91.3%over 75%Japan · 5%$22 million
Soft drinksSouth Africa100%over 75%United Kingdom · 0%$21 million
WheatSouth Africa100%over 75%—$21 million
Plastic packagingSouth Africa99.1%over 75%Germany · 0.19%$20 million
Soybean meal and pelletsSouth Africa100%over 75%—$19 million
Auto partsSouth Africa99.3%over 75%China · 0.6%$19 million
Paper boxes and packagingSouth Africa98.5%over 75%Lesotho · 1.3%$18 million
Plastic pipes and hosesSouth Africa99.7%over 75%China · 0.12%$16 million
Coated flat steelSouth Africa92.9%over 75%China · 7.1%$15 million
Pesticides and herbicidesSouth Africa98.5%over 75%China · 1.5%$15 million
Medicines in measured doses or retail packsSouth Africa66.9%India · 14.2%$14 million
CementSouth Africa63%Mozambique · 37.1%$14 million
Toilet paper and tissuesSouth Africa99.2%over 75%Taiwan · 0.71%$13 million
Breakfast cerealsSouth Africa100%over 75%South Korea · 0%$13 million
Ginger, saffron, turmeric and other spicesSouth Africa100%over 75%Israel · 0.01%$13 million
Cables and wireSouth Africa93.4%over 75%China · 5.2%$13 million
Mixed fertilizersSouth Africa98.8%over 75%Zambia · 0.85%$12 million
Nitrogen fertilizersSouth Africa99.4%over 75%Mozambique · 0.63%$12 million
BeerSouth Africa100%over 75%Portugal · 0.05%$12 million
SoapSouth Africa100%over 75%India · 0.05%$12 million
Other sugarsSouth Africa96.9%over 75%China · 2.4%$11 million
Firewood and wood chipsSouth Africa100%over 75%—$11 million
Detergents and surfactantsSouth Africa99.8%over 75%Belgium · 0.15%$10 million
Steel structuresSouth Africa95.6%over 75%China · 2.7%$10 million
Bread, biscuits and pastriesSouth Africa100%over 75%India · 0.03%$10 million

and 242 more

A product has a dominant supplier when a single country sells more than 50% of what is bought of it; we flag it separately above 75%.

Are there other suppliers in the world?

Exports from the rest of the world already have buyers; the figure shows scale, not availability.

Seen from South Africa

South Africa’s 19th customer, 1.1% of its sales

Eswatini is South Africa’s 19th-largest customer, with 1.1% of its exports.

Sources and method

CEPII BACI and 1 more

Sources and licenses

Methodology

The data come from CEPII BACI (Etalab 2.0 licence), which reconciles what the exporting and the importing country report, in current USD, FOB. Data up to 2024.

Dependence is the share of a country’s imports (or exports) that each partner accounts for. It does not measure whether a product has a substitute or how much it would cost to change supplier.

The concentration index (HHI) adds up the square of each partner’s share, in percent: it runs from 0 to 10,000. Its equivalent is 10,000 ÷ HHI, the number of partners of the same size that would give that value.

Products are HS4 headings of the 1992 nomenclature (some combine different goods), with a floor of $1 million per product and country.

The EU is the 27 current members in every year; the United Kingdom is outside the EU throughout the series.

Re-exports: countries that act as redistribution hubs carry their notice and the figures are not corrected.