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Trade between Brazil and South Africa

In 2024, Brazil exported $1.3 billion to South Africa and imported $702 million. Brazil ran a surplus of $593 million with South Africa, compared with a surplus of $271 million in 2019. South Africa was Brazil’s 49th largest trading partner (0.3% of its trade), and Brazil was South Africa’s 31st (0.8%).

Summary

Brazil → South Africa
$1.3billion
South Africa → Brazil
$702million
Brazil’s balance
$593million

Balance

Brazil’s trade balance with South Africa

Trade between Brazil and South Africa grew 3.1-fold since 1995

USD billions (current). Brazil’s exports and imports; bars: its balance (green surplus, red deficit).

  • Exports 1.3
  • Imports 0.7
  • Balance +0.6

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearExportsImportsTrade balance
1995$285 million$364 million-$79 million
1996$313 million$465 million-$152 million
1997$349 million$434 million-$85 million
1998$250 million$340 million-$91 million
1999$249 million$237 million$12 million
2000$322 million$289 million$33 million
2001$692 million$401 million$291 million
2002$506 million$245 million$261 million
2003$720 million$247 million$473 million
2004$1 billion$329 million$709 million
2005$1.3 billion$405 million$940 million
2006$1.3 billion$540 million$720 million
2007$1.6 billion$613 million$988 million
2008$1.6 billion$886 million$666 million
2009$1.2 billion$477 million$720 million
2010$1.2 billion$831 million$411 million
2011$1.5 billion$977 million$532 million
2012$1.6 billion$905 million$654 million
2013$1.8 billion$782 million$1.1 billion
2014$1.3 billion$792 million$540 million
2015$1.4 billion$708 million$645 million
2016$1.4 billion$390 million$987 million
2017$1.5 billion$532 million$999 million
2018$1.4 billion$695 million$745 million
2019$1.1 billion$781 million$271 million
2020$1.1 billion$646 million$439 million
2021$1.4 billion$1.1 billion$340 million
2022$1.7 billion$988 million$680 million
2023$1.3 billion$680 million$607 million
2024$1.3 billion$702 million$593 million

What they sell each other

What Brazil sells to South Africa

The top 10 headings in 2024, with their share of the total.

  1. Poultry meat$235 million · 18.1%
    427 thousand tonnes · Brazil’s destinations
  2. Unwrought zinc$103 million · 8%
    36 thousand tonnes
  3. Coffee$49 million · 3.8%
    13 thousand tonnes · Brazil’s destinations
  4. Cane and beet sugar$41 million · 3.2%
    112 thousand tonnes · Brazil’s destinations
  5. Ferroalloys$41 million · 3.2%
    7 thousand tonnes · Brazil’s destinations
  6. Transformers and power supplies$40 million · 3.1%
    2 thousand tonnes
  7. Petroleum coke and bitumen$35 million · 2.7%
    75 thousand tonnes
  8. Tractors$33 million · 2.5%
    17 thousand tonnes · Brazil’s destinations
  9. Sorghum$32 million · 2.5%
    149 thousand tonnes
  10. Refined petroleum$30 million · 2.3%
    25 thousand tonnes · Brazil’s destinations

What South Africa sells to Brazil

The top 10 headings in 2024, with their share of the total.

  1. Platinum$225 million · 32.1%
    6 tonnes · South Africa’s destinations
  2. Cars$42 million · 6%
    2 thousand tonnes · South Africa’s destinations
  3. Coal$40 million · 5.7%
    277 thousand tonnes · South Africa’s destinations
  4. Centrifuges and filters$39 million · 5.5%
    933 tonnes
  5. Aluminum sheet$24 million · 3.4%
    6 thousand tonnes
  6. Titanium ore$18 million · 2.6%
    24 thousand tonnes
  7. Seeds for planting$18 million · 2.6%
    103 tonnes
  8. Niobium, tantalum, vanadium and zirconium ore$17 million · 2.4%
    10 thousand tonnes
  9. Unwrought nickel$17 million · 2.4%
    968 tonnes
  10. Unwrought aluminum$14 million · 1.9%
    5 thousand tonnes · South Africa’s destinations

How it travels

Estimated sea route from Santos to Durban.

The estimated sea route between Santos and Durban is 4,439 nautical miles (8,221 km) long: ≈ 10.5–13 days at sea (at 18 and 14 knots).

Passages it crosses: Cape of Good Hope.

Sailing estimate without port calls, waiting or transshipment; not a schedule. One main reference port per country: in large countries it does not represent all of its ports.

Split by transport mode

  1. Sea$1.6 billion · 82.6%
  2. Air$347 million · 17.4%

Mode estimated from value per kilo and geography; both directions together.

How much each matters to the other

South Africa was Brazil’s 49th largest trading partner (0.3% of its trade), and Brazil was South Africa’s 31st (0.8%).

South Africa in Brazil’s trade
0.3%
South Africa’s rank among Brazil’s partners
49th
Brazil in South Africa’s trade
0.8%
Brazil’s rank among South Africa’s partners
31st

Compare with

Other partners of Brazil

Other partners of South Africa

Sources and methodology

Sources and licenses

Methodology

Goods trade from CEPII BACI (BACI_HS92_V202601), in current US dollars, with exports and imports reconciled between countries. The transport mode is our own estimate based on value per kilo and geography. The sea route comes from our own network derived from World Bank shipping density (not from nautical charts), between one main reference port per country (World Port Index); days are the distance at 14 and 18 knots, without port calls or waiting. Data up to 2024.