Botswana (BWA) and South Africa (ZAF) Trade | The Observatory of Economic Complexity

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Botswana-South Africa Trade: In 2023, Botswana exported $548M to South Africa. The main products that Botswana exported to South Africa were Insulated Wire ($152M), Diamonds ($93.4M), and Carbonates ($61.8M). Over the past 5 years the exports of Botswana to South Africa have increased at an annualized rate of 2.33%, from $489M in 2018 to $548M in 2023.

In 2023, Botswana did not export any services to South Africa.

South Africa-Botswana Trade: In 2023, South Africa exported $4.28B to Botswana. The main products that South Africa exported to Botswana were Refined Petroleum ($773M), Diamonds ($247M), and Flavored Water ($158M). Over the past 5 years the exports of South Africa to Botswana have increased at an annualized rate of 1.22%, from $4.03B in 2018 to $4.28B in 2023.

In 2023, South Africa did not export any services to Botswana.

Comparison: In 2023, Botswana ranked 80 in the Economic Complexity Index (ECI -0.41), and 122 in total exports ($6.59B). That same year, South Africa ranked 59 in the Economic Complexity Index (ECI 0.07), and 34 in total exports ($154B).

Historical Data

Bilateral Trade by Products

Depth

HS2

HS4

HS6

Value

Trade

Growth

Growth (%)

Year

In 2023, Botswana exported $548M to South Africa. The main products exported from Botswana to South Africa were Insulated Wire ($152M), Diamonds ($93.4M), and Carbonates ($61.8M). During the last 5 years the exports of Botswana to South Africa have increased at an annualized rate of 2.33%, from $489M in 2018 to $548M in 2023.

In 2018, South Africa exported $4.28B to Botswana. The main products exported from South Africa to Botswana were Refined Petroleum ($773M), Diamonds ($247M), and Flavored Water ($158M). During the last 5 years the exports of South Africa to Botswana have increased at an annualized rate of 1.22%, from $4.03B in 2023 to $4.28B in 2018.

Exports from Botswana () to South Africa () (2023)

Exports from South Africa () to Botswana () (2023)

Latest Data

Trade between Botswana () and South Africa ()

Botswana Exports

Date

South Africa Exports

Date

Market Competitiveness

Color

Exports

Export Growth

Section

Year

Botswana
Top DestinationUnited Arab Emirates$1.81B

South Africa
Top DestinationChina$29.5B

This map shows whether countries import more from Botswana or South Africa. Each country is colored based on the difference in imports they receive from Botswana and South Africa or the difference in the growth in imports.

In 2023, countries that imported more from Botswana than South Africa included Cambodia ($68M) and Anguilla ($33.6M).

In 2023, countries that imported more from South Africa than Botswana included China ($29.5B), United States ($13B), and Germany ($10.8B).

Difference in imports from South Africa () and Botswana () (2023)

Comparative Advantage Botswana - South Africa

Flow

Section

HS2

HS4

Scale

Log

Linear

Year

This chart compares trade between Botswana and South Africa by product, considering products traded by both, Botswana and South Africa.

During 2023, Botswana had a large net trade with South Africa in the exports of Machines ($168M), Precious Metals ($125M), and Chemical Products ($64.9M).

During 2018, South Africa had a large net trade with Botswana in the exports of Mineral Products ($886M), Foodstuffs ($611M), and Machines ($526M).

Potential Exports

Depth

Section

HS2

HS4

View

Top 20

Top 15

Top 10

Sort By

Highest Potential

Most Saturated

Section

Top Product Potential Botswana South Africa+$22.3MDiamonds

Top Product Potential South Africa Botswana+$4.88MCars

We estimate the export potential of an economy for each product and destination using an extension of the bilateral relatedness model of Jun et al. (2019).This extended gravity model considers similarities among products and geographies and explains more than 50% of the variance in future trade flows.

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Economic Complexity

Competitive Landscape

Year

This visualization shows the product space at the HS4 level with the flags of Botswana and South Africa. This means that a dot/product with the flag of Botswana indicates it has a comparative advantage over South Africa. Similarly, a dot/product with the flag of South Africa indicates it has a comparative advantage over Botswana.

About

Historical Data

Bilateral Trade by Products

Exports from Botswana () to South Africa () (2023)

Exports from South Africa () to Botswana () (2023)

Latest Data

Trade between Botswana () and South Africa ()

Botswana Exports

South Africa Exports

Market Competitiveness

Difference in imports from South Africa () and Botswana () (2023)

Comparative Advantage Botswana - South Africa

Potential Exports

Potential Exports

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Economic Complexity

Competitive Landscape

Product Space of Botswana () and South Africa () (2023)

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