South Africa vs United States: Ores and metals imports (% of merchandise imports)
Ores and metals imports (% of merchandise imports) over time
- South Africa
- United States
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 2.5% against 2.4% in United States, a difference of 0.1%.
The two have swapped places 7 times across 46 shared years of data; in 1974 it was United States ahead.
South Africa ranks 59th and United States ranks 62nd of 196 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 3 and United States in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.7% | 5.0% | 2.3% | United States |
| 1980s | 1.9% | 3.7% | 1.8% | United States |
| 1990s | 2.1% | 2.4% | 0.3% | United States |
| 2000s | 2.7% | 2.2% | 0.5% | South Africa |
| 2010s | 2.5% | 2.2% | 0.3% | South Africa |
| 2020s | 2.6% | 2.4% | 0.1% | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher ores and metals imports, South Africa or United States?
- South Africa, at 2.5% against 2.4% in United States as of 2025.
- What is the difference in ores and metals imports between South Africa and United States?
- 0.1%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and United States?
- 46 years are reported by both, from 1974 to 2025.
- How do South Africa and United States rank globally for ores and metals imports?
- South Africa ranks 59th and United States ranks 62nd of 196 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division, published as Ores and metals imports (% of merchandise imports). 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). Imports of services are services provided by non-residents to residents. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of merchandise imports which is comprised of goods whose economic ownership is changed between a non-resident and a 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.