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Trade between South Africa and Spain

In 2024, South Africa exported $1.5 billion to Spain and imported $1.3 billion. South Africa ran a surplus of $130 million with Spain, compared with a deficit of $176 million in 2019. Spain was South Africa’s 25th largest trading partner (1% of its trade), and South Africa was Spain’s 48th (0.3%).

Summary

South Africa → Spain
$1.5billion
Spain → South Africa
$1.3billion
South Africa’s balance
$130million

Balance

South Africa’s trade balance with Spain

Trade between South Africa and Spain grew 2.8-fold since 1995

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

  • Exports 1.5
  • Imports 1.3
  • Balance +0.1

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearExportsImportsTrade balance
1995$749 million$260 million$489 million
1996$881 million$274 million$607 million
1997$676 million$249 million$427 million
1998$868 million$409 million$460 million
1999$930 million$266 million$663 million
2000$713 million$284 million$429 million
2001$802 million$273 million$529 million
2002$862 million$307 million$555 million
2003$1.1 billion$445 million$621 million
2004$1.4 billion$595 million$834 million
2005$1.6 billion$783 million$836 million
2006$1.7 billion$877 million$855 million
2007$2.1 billion$1 billion$1.1 billion
2008$2.4 billion$1 billion$1.3 billion
2009$1.2 billion$674 million$557 million
2010$1.3 billion$1 billion$225 million
2011$1.5 billion$1.2 billion$257 million
2012$1.1 billion$1.2 billion-$82 million
2013$936 million$1.8 billion-$895 million
2014$1 billion$1.6 billion-$571 million
2015$1.1 billion$1.3 billion-$227 million
2016$1 billion$1.2 billion-$178 million
2017$1.3 billion$1.5 billion-$164 million
2018$1.5 billion$1.2 billion$250 million
2019$1.2 billion$1.4 billion-$176 million
2020$889 million$1.4 billion-$501 million
2021$1.5 billion$1.4 billion$67 million
2022$1.5 billion$1.6 billion-$120 million
2023$1.6 billion$1.6 billion$64 million
2024$1.5 billion$1.3 billion$130 million

What they sell each other

What South Africa sells to Spain

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

  1. Cars$257 million · 17.6%
    15 thousand tonnes · South Africa’s destinations
  2. Trucks$247 million · 16.9%
    27 thousand tonnes · South Africa’s destinations
  3. Gold$144 million · 9.9%
    2 tonnes · South Africa’s destinations
  4. Stainless steel sheet$74 million · 5.1%
    25 thousand tonnes
  5. Citrus fruit$62 million · 4.3%
    53 thousand tonnes · South Africa’s destinations
  6. Fish fillets$45 million · 3.1%
    9 thousand tonnes
  7. Ferroalloys$44 million · 3%
    50 thousand tonnes · South Africa’s destinations
  8. Cane and beet sugar$43 million · 3%
    60 thousand tonnes
  9. Frozen fish$39 million · 2.7%
    12 thousand tonnes
  10. Unwrought aluminum$34 million · 2.3%
    13 thousand tonnes · South Africa’s destinations

What Spain sells to South Africa

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

  1. Cars$110 million · 8.2%
    9 thousand tonnes · Spain’s destinations
  2. Auto parts$67 million · 5.1%
    11 thousand tonnes · Spain’s destinations
  3. Medicines in measured doses or retail packs$61 million · 4.6%
    3 thousand tonnes · Spain’s destinations
  4. Mixed alkylbenzenes$52 million · 3.9%
    34 thousand tonnes
  5. New tires$35 million · 2.6%
    5 thousand tonnes · Spain’s destinations
  6. Makeup and skin care$28 million · 2.1%
    8 thousand tonnes · Spain’s destinations
  7. Instant coffee and tea extracts$24 million · 1.8%
    2 thousand tonnes
  8. Fruit and vegetable juices$22 million · 1.7%
    11 thousand tonnes
  9. Poultry meat$22 million · 1.7%
    15 thousand tonnes
  10. Mirrors and rear-view mirrors$21 million · 1.6%
    631 tonnes

How it travels

Estimated sea route from Durban to Valencia.

The estimated sea route between Durban and Valencia is 6,495 nautical miles (12,029 km) long: ≈ 15–19.5 days at sea (at 18 and 14 knots).

Passages it crosses: Cape of Good Hope and Strait of Gibraltar.

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$2.4 billion · 87%
  2. Air$362 million · 13%

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

How much each matters to the other

Spain was South Africa’s 25th largest trading partner (1% of its trade), and South Africa was Spain’s 48th (0.3%).

Spain in South Africa’s trade
1.1%
Spain’s rank among South Africa’s partners
25th
South Africa in Spain’s trade
0.3%
South Africa’s rank among Spain’s partners
48th

Compare with

Other partners of South Africa

Other partners of Spain

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.