South Africa’s imports of goods and services fell to 29.5% of GDP in 2025.

Neither way is good in itself. A rising share can reflect strong demand for machinery and other inputs, or deeper reliance on foreign supply. A falling share can reflect more local production, or weak spending. Either direction therefore depends on what is driving it. The latest figure is 29.5% of GDP for 2025, down from 29.9% of GDP in 2024, a change of 0.35 percentage points. Since 2016 the share has ranged from a low of 23.2% of GDP in 2020 to a high of 32.4% of GDP in 2023, so the current reading sits in the upper part of that range.

Why it matters. At 29.5% of GDP, imports are a large part of what South African households and firms spend. Fuel, vehicles and factory equipment are priced partly in foreign currency, so the rand's moves reach shop prices and business costs quickly. Manufacturers that rely on imported inputs feel the same effect in their budgets. For the state, a high import share widens the base for customs duties and VAT collected at the border, while also tying the trade balance closely to the exchange rate.