Summary
- Nigeria → South Africa
- $2.5billion
- South Africa → Nigeria
- $406million
- Nigeria’s balance
- $2.1billion
Balance
Nigeria’s trade balance with South Africa
Trade between Nigeria and South Africa grew 50.4-fold since 1995
USD billions (current). Nigeria’s exports and imports; bars: its balance (green surplus, red deficit).
- Exports 2.5
- Imports 0.4
- Balance +2.1
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Exports | Imports | Trade balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | $7 million | $51 million | -$44 million |
| 1996 | $11 million | $70 million | -$59 million |
| 1997 | $74 million | $64 million | $10 million |
| 1998 | $30 million | $78 million | -$48 million |
| 1999 | $203 million | $116 million | $87 million |
| 2000 | $183 million | $122 million | $61 million |
| 2001 | $236 million | $301 million | -$64 million |
| 2002 | $344 million | $296 million | $48 million |
| 2003 | $405 million | $407 million | -$2 million |
| 2004 | $808 million | $445 million | $363 million |
| 2005 | $654 million | $528 million | $126 million |
| 2006 | $1.4 billion | $620 million | $816 million |
| 2007 | $1.8 billion | $799 million | $975 million |
| 2008 | $1.9 billion | $1 billion | $870 million |
| 2009 | $1.8 billion | $773 million | $1.1 billion |
| 2010 | $2.2 billion | $690 million | $1.5 billion |
| 2011 | $3.5 billion | $963 million | $2.5 billion |
| 2012 | $5 billion | $948 million | $4.1 billion |
| 2013 | $3.6 billion | $980 million | $2.7 billion |
| 2014 | $5.1 billion | $1.1 billion | $4 billion |
| 2015 | $3 billion | $744 million | $2.3 billion |
| 2016 | $2.1 billion | $533 million | $1.5 billion |
| 2017 | $1.7 billion | $446 million | $1.3 billion |
| 2018 | $3.8 billion | $488 million | $3.4 billion |
| 2019 | $3.7 billion | $556 million | $3.1 billion |
| 2020 | $2.2 billion | $534 million | $1.6 billion |
| 2021 | $2.2 billion | $577 million | $1.7 billion |
| 2022 | $2.3 billion | $538 million | $1.7 billion |
| 2023 | $2.4 billion | $441 million | $1.9 billion |
| 2024 | $2.5 billion | $406 million | $2.1 billion |
What they sell each other
What Nigeria sells to South Africa
The top 10 headings in 2024, with their share of the total.
What South Africa sells to Nigeria
The top 10 headings in 2024, with their share of the total.
How it travels
The estimated sea route between Lagos and Durban is 3,548 nautical miles (6,572 km) long: ≈ 8–10.5 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
Mode estimated from value per kilo and geography; both directions together.
How much each matters to the other
South Africa was Nigeria’s 11th largest trading partner (3% of its trade), and Nigeria was South Africa’s 23rd (1%).
- South Africa in Nigeria’s trade
- 2.6%
- South Africa’s rank among Nigeria’s partners
- 11th
- Nigeria in South Africa’s trade
- 1.2%
- Nigeria’s rank among South Africa’s partners
- 23rd
Compare with
Other partners of Nigeria
Other partners of South Africa
Sources and methodology
Sources and licenses
- CEPII BACI · Licence Ouverte Etalab 2.0
- World Bank, Global Shipping Traffic Density · CC BY 4.0 (route network derived by this site)
- World Port Index (NGA) · Public domain (US Government work)
- Natural Earth · Public domain
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.