Nigeria vs South Africa: Merchandise imports

Nigeria
29.11 billion constant US$
in 2007
South Africa
26.58 billion constant US$
in 2009
Nigeria rank
2nd
South Africa rank
3rd

Merchandise imports over time

  • Nigeria
  • South Africa
010.0B20.0B30.0B196519872009

How they compare

Nigeria currently reports 29.11 billion constant US$ against 26.58 billion constant US$ in South Africa, a difference of 2.53 billion constant US$.

That makes Nigeria's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 43 shared years of data; in 1965 it was South Africa ahead.

Nigeria ranks 2nd and South Africa ranks 3rd of 45 countries.

Across the 5 decades both report, Nigeria averaged higher in 2 and South Africa in 3.

Head to head by decade

Decade Nigeria South Africa Difference Ahead
1960s 2.78 billion constant US$ 16.12 billion constant US$ 13.35 billion constant US$ South Africa
1970s 11.83 billion constant US$ 11.57 billion constant US$ 256.62 million constant US$ Nigeria
1980s 13.62 billion constant US$ 7.53 billion constant US$ 6.09 billion constant US$ Nigeria
1990s 7.41 billion constant US$ 23.31 billion constant US$ 15.90 billion constant US$ South Africa
2000s 17.93 billion constant US$ 22.78 billion constant US$ 4.86 billion constant US$ South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher merchandise imports, Nigeria or South Africa?
Nigeria, at 29.11 billion constant US$ against 26.58 billion constant US$ in South Africa as of 2007.
What is the difference in merchandise imports between Nigeria and South Africa?
2.53 billion constant US$, with Nigeria ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Nigeria and South Africa?
43 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2007.
How do Nigeria and South Africa rank globally for merchandise imports?
Nigeria ranks 2nd and South Africa ranks 3rd of 45 countries.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank country economists, published as Merchandise imports (constant US$). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Nigeria vs South Africa: Merchandise imports. Statizoid, drawing on World Bank country economists. Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://trade.statizoid.com/compare/merchandise-imports-constant-us/nigeria/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Merchandise imports (constant US$)
Unit
constant US$
Source
World Bank country economists
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
51 places, 1,355 data points, 1965–2011
Last refreshed

Total merchandise imports, cif (includes freight and insurance costs) in 1987 constant US dollars.