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From a continental perspective, 45.1% of South Africa's total import value was purchased from Asian countries in 2018. European trading partners provided 30.6% of imports purchased by South Africa, while 12.4% of the value came from other African countries. North American exporters accounted for 7% of South Africa's imports, with 2.6% coming from Latin America (excluding Mexico) plus the Caribbean, and another 1.6% from Oceania, led by Australia.
Given South Africa's population of 55.4 million people, its 2018 imports totaled $93.4 billion, implying that each person in resource-rich South Africa needs about $1,700 a year in products.
The following product categories represent the highest dollar value of South Africa's import purchases in 2018. Also shown is each product category's percentage share of overall South African imports.
i, Fossil fuels including oil: $17 billion (18.2% of total imports)
ii, Machinery (including computers): $11.5 billion (12.3%)
iii, Electromechanical equipment: $8.6 billion (9.2%)
iv, Vehicles: $7.1 billion (7.6%)
v. Plastics, plastic products: $2.8 billion (3 percent)
VI. Pharmaceuticals: $2.5 billion (2.7 percent)
VII. Optical, technical, medical equipment: $2.3 billion (2.4 percent)
VIII. Other chemicals: $1.7 billion (1.8 percent)
IX. Organic chemicals: $1.6 billion (1.7 percent)
X. Inorganic chemicals. Inorganic chemicals: $1.6 billion (1.7%)
X.