South Africa - Exports of goods and services (% of GDP)

Exports of goods and services (% of GDP) in South Africa was 27.78 as of 2020. Its highest value over the past 60 years was 34.34 in 1980, while its lowest value was 19.55 in 1994.

Definition: Exports of goods and services represent the value of all goods and other market services provided to the rest of the world. They include the value of merchandise, freight, insurance, transport, travel, royalties, license fees, and other services, such as communication, construction, financial, information, business, personal, and government services. They exclude compensation of employees and investment income (formerly called factor services) and transfer payments.

Source: World Bank national accounts data, and OECD National Accounts data files.

See also:

Year Value
1960 29.55
1961 29.32
1962 29.41
1963 28.61
1964 27.44
1965 25.70
1966 25.28
1967 24.57
1968 25.25
1969 23.00
1970 21.20
1971 21.27
1972 24.63
1973 24.62
1974 27.16
1975 26.84
1976 26.88
1977 29.31
1978 31.39
1979 34.17
1980 34.34
1981 27.47
1982 25.62
1983 23.96
1984 24.69
1985 30.44
1986 29.60
1987 29.31
1988 28.19
1989 25.87
1990 23.49
1991 21.10
1992 20.70
1993 19.91
1994 19.55
1995 20.04
1996 21.77
1997 21.66
1998 22.52
1999 22.27
2000 24.40
2001 26.36
2002 28.43
2003 23.92
2004 22.76
2005 23.60
2006 26.10
2007 27.96
2008 32.25
2009 24.98
2010 25.78
2011 27.70
2012 27.14
2013 28.38
2014 29.00
2015 27.71
2016 28.16
2017 27.34
2018 27.49
2019 27.34
2020 27.78

Limitations and Exceptions: Because policymakers have tended to focus on fostering the growth of output, and because data on production are easier to collect than data on spending, many countries generate their primary estimate of GDP using the production approach. Moreover, many countries do not estimate all the components of national expenditures but instead derive some of the main aggregates indirectly using GDP (based on the production approach) as the control total. Data on exports and imports are compiled from customs reports and balance of payments data. Although the data from the payments side provide reasonably reliable records of cross-border transactions, they may not adhere strictly to the appropriate definitions of valuation and timing used in the balance of payments or corresponds to the change-of ownership criterion. This issue has assumed greater significance with the increasing globalization of international business. Neither customs nor balance of payments data usually capture the illegal transactions that occur in many countries. Goods carried by travelers across borders in legal but unreported shuttle trade may further distort trade statistics.

Statistical Concept and Methodology: Gross domestic product (GDP) from the expenditure side is made up of household final consumption expenditure, general government final consumption expenditure, gross capital formation (private and public investment in fixed assets, changes in inventories, and net acquisitions of valuables), and net exports (exports minus imports) of goods and services. Such expenditures are recorded in purchaser prices and include net taxes on products.

Aggregation method: Weighted average

Periodicity: Annual

Classification

Topic: Economic Policy & Debt Indicators

Sub-Topic: National accounts