Small states vs South Africa: Ores and metals exports
Ores and metals exports over time
- Small states
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 30.3% against 5.1% in Small states, a difference of 25.2%.
That makes South Africa's figure about 6.0 times Small states's.
Across all 30 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.
Small states ranks 18th and South Africa ranks 18th of 46 groups.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Small states | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.0% | 11.6% | 5.6% | South Africa |
| 2000s | 4.4% | 22.4% | 18.0% | South Africa |
| 2010s | 5.8% | 25.7% | 19.9% | South Africa |
| 2020s | 5.6% | 31.8% | 26.2% | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher ores and metals exports, Small states or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 30.3% against 5.1% in Small states as of 2025.
- What is the difference in ores and metals exports between Small states and South Africa?
- 25.2%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Small states and South Africa?
- 30 years are reported by both, from 1995 to 2024.
- How do Small states and South Africa rank globally for ores and metals exports?
- Small states ranks 18th and South Africa ranks 18th of 46 groups.
- Where does this data come from?
- Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division, published as Ores and metals exports (% of merchandise exports). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Ores and metals comprise the commodities in SITC (Rev. 3) sections 27 (crude fertilizer, minerals nes); 28 (metalliferous ores, scrap); and 68 (non-ferrous metals). Exports of services are services provided by residents to non-residents. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of merchandise exports which is comprised of goods whose economic ownership is changed between a resident and a non-resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e.