South Africa - Foreign trade
Gold, diamonds and other metals and minerals are the most valuable export commodities. Exports of gold, platinum, coal, and iron account for approximately 17% of commodity exports. The share of gold as a percentage of total merchandise exports fell from 51.4% in 1980 to 13% in 2000. In 1995, processed primary product exports exceeded those of gold for the first time. The top nine exports are as follows:
| % OF COUNTRY TOTAL | |
| Diamonds | 6.7 |
| Coal, lignite and peat | 5.1 |
| Pig iron | 5.0 |
| Iron and steel primary forms | 2.5 |
| Inorganic chemicals | 2.5 |
| Base metal ores | 2.4 |
| Fruits and nuts | 2.2 |
| Pulp and waste paper | 1.9 |
| Iron and steel plates | 1.4 |
In 2000 South Africa's imports were distributed among the following categories:
| Consumer goods | 11.1% |
| Food | 3.8% |
| Fuels | 14.2% |
| Industrial supplies | 24.7% |
| Machinery | 27.7% |
| Transportation | 10.4% |
| Other | 8.1% |
The US and South Africa established bilateral trade agreements in the late 1990s. Principal trading partners in 2000 (in millions of US dollars) were as follows:
| COUNTRY | EXPORTS | IMPORTS | BALANCE |
| United States | 2,409 | 3,187 | -778 |
| United Kingdom | 2,288 | 2,251 | 37 |
| Germany | 1,900 | 3,524 | -1,624 |
| Japan | 1,355 | 2,131 | -776 |
| Netherlands | 1,010 | 513 | 497 |
| Belgium | 965 | 410 | 555 |
| Italy | 838 | 894 | -56 |
| China (inc. Hong Kong) | 662 | 1,275 | -613 |
| France | 564 | 1,138 | -574 |
| Iran | n.a. | 1,164 | n.a. |