SOUTH Africa is the number one exporter for platinum, ranks among world-leading export nations for iron, and is a major competitor selling coal on international markets.
The latest available country-specific data shows that 60.8% of products exported from South Africa were bought by importers in: China (11.4% of the global total), United States (8.3%), Germany (8.2%), United Kingdom (4.9%), Japan (4.4%), Netherlands (3.8%), Botswana (3.8%), India (3.8%), Mozambique (3.6%), Namibia (3.1%), Belgium (2.8%) and Zimbabwe (2.6%).
From a continental perspective, about 33.8% of South African exports by value were delivered to importers in Asia while 28.6% were sold to European countries. South Africa shipped another 25.2% worth of its goods to fellow African nations. Smaller percentages arrived in North America (9.7%), Oceania (1.1%) led by Australia, and Latin America (0.9%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean.
Given South Africa’s population of 59.7 million people, its total $86.1 billion in 2020 exports translates to roughly $1,450 for every resident in the relatively wealthy African nation.
South Africa is situated on one of the busiest international sea routes‚ critical to international maritime transportation‚ and its geographical location presents a huge opportunity for investing in a diversified maritime market.
