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Trade between Singapore and South Africa

In 2024, Singapore exported $357 million to South Africa and imported $1.2 billion. Singapore ran a deficit of $878 million with South Africa, compared with a deficit of $21 million in 2019. South Africa was Singapore’s 40th largest trading partner (0.2% of its trade), and Singapore was South Africa’s 36th (0.6%).

Summary

Singapore → South Africa
$357million
South Africa → Singapore
$1.2billion
Singapore’s balance
-$878million

Balance

Singapore’s trade balance with South Africa

Trade between Singapore and South Africa grew 2.4-fold since 1995

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

  • Exports 0.4
  • Imports 1.2
  • Balance -0.9

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearExportsImportsTrade balance
1995$366 million$294 million$72 million
1996$359 million$351 million$8 million
1997$311 million$336 million-$25 million
1998$345 million$198 million$147 million
1999$279 million$235 million$45 million
2000$455 million$293 million$163 million
2001$210 million$260 million-$50 million
2002$235 million$198 million$37 million
2003$313 million$302 million$11 million
2004$469 million$357 million$111 million
2005$500 million$491 million$9 million
2006$1.1 billion$543 million$577 million
2007$809 million$469 million$340 million
2008$980 million$788 million$192 million
2009$786 million$378 million$408 million
2010$1.2 billion$453 million$698 million
2011$1.5 billion$486 million$1 billion
2012$1.3 billion$957 million$383 million
2013$2.1 billion$1.7 billion$396 million
2014$1.8 billion$1.1 billion$763 million
2015$1.4 billion$715 million$638 million
2016$422 million$728 million-$306 million
2017$545 million$708 million-$163 million
2018$611 million$751 million-$140 million
2019$574 million$595 million-$21 million
2020$381 million$612 million-$231 million
2021$403 million$892 million-$489 million
2022$1.2 billion$992 million$214 million
2023$884 million$729 million$155 million
2024$357 million$1.2 billion-$878 million

What they sell each other

What Singapore sells to South Africa

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

  1. Refined petroleum$66 million · 18.6%
    113 thousand tonnes · Singapore’s destinations
  2. Fuel and lubricant additives$18 million · 4.9%
    5 thousand tonnes
  3. Bulldozers and excavators$17 million · 4.7%
    4 thousand tonnes
  4. Cocoa butter$13 million · 3.5%
    2 thousand tonnes
  5. Orthopedic and hearing devices$11 million · 3.1%
    24 tonnes
  6. Polyethylene$11 million · 3%
    9 thousand tonnes · Singapore’s destinations
  7. Cameras and broadcast equipment$9 million · 2.5%
    9 tonnes
  8. Microchips$9 million · 2.4%
    Singapore’s destinations
  9. Fragrance mixtures$9 million · 2.4%
    641 tonnes
  10. Tugboats$8 million · 2.3%
    164 tonnes

What South Africa sells to Singapore

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

  1. Gold$546 million · 44.2%
    8 tonnes · South Africa’s destinations
  2. Open-chain hydrocarbons$127 million · 10.3%
    89 thousand tonnes
  3. Manganese ore$101 million · 8.2%
    837 thousand tonnes · South Africa’s destinations
  4. Chromium ore$66 million · 5.3%
    357 thousand tonnes · South Africa’s destinations
  5. Unwrought aluminum$32 million · 2.6%
    13 thousand tonnes · South Africa’s destinations
  6. Refined petroleum$32 million · 2.6%
    33 thousand tonnes · South Africa’s destinations
  7. Unwrought nickel$30 million · 2.4%
    2 thousand tonnes
  8. Cars$29 million · 2.4%
    2 thousand tonnes · South Africa’s destinations
  9. Medicines in measured doses or retail packs$22 million · 1.7%
    64 tonnes · Singapore’s sources
  10. Alcohols$20 million · 1.6%
    22 thousand tonnes

How it travels

Estimated sea route from Singapore to Durban.

The estimated sea route between Singapore and Durban is 5,047 nautical miles (9,347 km) long: ≈ 11.5–15 days at sea (at 18 and 14 knots).

Passages it crosses: Strait of Malacca and Singapore.

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$897 million · 56.3%
  2. Air$696 million · 43.7%

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

How much each matters to the other

South Africa was Singapore’s 40th largest trading partner (0.2% of its trade), and Singapore was South Africa’s 36th (0.6%).

South Africa in Singapore’s trade
0.2%
South Africa’s rank among Singapore’s partners
40th
Singapore in South Africa’s trade
0.6%
Singapore’s rank among South Africa’s partners
36th

Compare with

Other partners of Singapore

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.

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