A landlocked nation deep inside northeast Africa, the Republic of South Sudan shipped US$496.1 million worth of exported products around the globe in 2024.

That projected dollar amount results from a -42.1% reduction from $857.2 million 5 years earlier in 2020.

Year over year, the overall value of South Sudanese exports slowed by -24.1% compared to $653.6 million starting from 2023.

The top 2 most valuable exported goods from South Sudan are crude oil and processed petroleum oils. Combined, South Sudan’s leading pair of energy exports accounted for 92.3% of the country’s overall revenues from export sales. Such a high percentage belies an intensely concentrated portfolio of exported products.

South Sudan’s Major Trading Partners

The latest available country-specific data shows that 99.93% of products exported from South Sudan was bought by importers in: mainland China (60.5% of the South Sudanese total), Singapore (31.8%), Uganda (7.0%), France (0.26%), Ukraine (0.16%), Germany (0.07%), Uzbekistan (0.069%), Burundi (0.027%), Canada (0.021%), Kenya (0.02%), Egypt (0.013%) and Mozambique (0.01%).

From a continental perspective, 92.4% of South Sudan’s exports by value was delivered to Asian countries while 7.1% was sold to importers also in Africa. South Sudan shipped another 0.53% worth of goods to buyers in Europe.

Smaller percentages went to customers based in North America’s Canada (0.021%), Caribbean specifically Trinidad and Tobago and Costa Rica (0.01%) then Oceania (0.001%) only Australia.

Given South Sudan’s population of 15.45 million people, its total US$496.1 million in 2024 exported goods translates to roughly $35 for every resident in the northeast African nation. That dollar metric lags the average $40 per capita one year earlier during 2023.

South Sudan’s Top 10 Exports

The following export product groups categorize the highest dollar value in South Sudanese global shipments during 2024. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from South Sudan.

1. Mineral fuels including oil: US$458.1 million (92.3% of total exports)
2. Iron, steel: $22 million (4.4%)
3. Fish: $4.2 million (0.84%)
4. Copper: $2.8 million (0.57%)
5. Wood: $2.2 million (0.44%)
6. Gums, resins, other vegetable saps: $1.6 million (0.33%)
7. Plastics, plastic articles: $1.5 million (0.31%)
8. Machinery including computers: $857,000 (0.17%)
9. Milling products, malt, starches: $567,000 (0.114%)
10. Perfumes, cosmetics: $365,000 (0.074%)

South Sudan’s top 10 export product categories generated 99.6% of the overall value of its global shipments.

Perfumes and cosmetics was the fastest grower among the top 10 export categories, up by 40,400% from 2023 to 2024.

In second place for improving export sales was South Sudan’s wood via a 1,332% advance.

South Sudan’s shipments of machinery including computers posted the third-fastest gain in value, up by 110%.

The leading decliner among South Sudan’s top 10 export categories was plastics both as materials and items made from plastic, pulled down by a -57.7% year-over-year plunge.

Products Generating South Sudan’s Best Trade Surpluses

The following types of South Sudanese product shipments represent positive net exports or a trade balance surplus. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports.

In a nutshell, net exports represent the amount by which foreign spending on a home country’s goods or services exceeds or lags the home country’s spending on foreign goods or services.

1. Mineral fuels including oil: US$442 million (Down by -18.1% since 2023)
2. Fish: $3.6 million (Up by 94.2%)
3. Copper: $2.5 million (Reversing a -$1.5 million deficit)
4. Gums, resins, other vegetable saps: $1.6 million (Up by 17.7%)
5. Raw hides, skins not furskins, leather: $20,000 (Reversing a -$7,000 deficit)
6. Miscellaneous animal-origin products: $12,000 (Reversing a -$90,000 deficit)
7. Woodpulp: $7,000 (Reversing a -$6,000 deficit)
8. Zinc: $2,000 (Reversing a -$9,000 deficit)

Historically, South Sudan has highly positive net exports in the international trade of crude oil and, to a much lesser extent, refined petroleum oils. In turn, these cashflows support South Sudan’s strong competitive advantages under the mineral fuels-related product category.

Products Causing South Sudan’s Worst Trade Deficits

Overall South Sudan recorded an estimated -US$480 million trade surplus for 2024, shrinking by -41.8% from the -$824.3 million deficit one year earlier in 2023.

Below are exports from South Sudan that result in negative net exports or product trade balance deficits. These negative net exports reveal product categories where foreign spending on home country South Sudan’s goods trail South Sudanese importer spending on foreign products.

1. Milling products, malt, starches: -US$81 million (Up by 0.2% since 2023)
2. Machinery including computers: -$65.3 million (Down by -12.7%)
3. Salt, sulphur, stone, cement: -$62.7 million (Down by -6%)
4. Electrical machinery, equipment: -$61.1 million (Down by -24.8%)
5. Beverages, spirits, vinegar: -$55 million (Down by -34.5%)
6. Sugar, sugar confectionery: -$51.9 million (Up by 101.6%)
7. Vehicles: -$49.7 million (Down by -45.6%)
8. Articles of iron or steel: -$41.3 million (Up by 2.5%)
9. Miscellaneous food preparations: -$40.6 million (Down by -20%)
10. Animal/vegetable fats, oils, waxes: -$40.3 million (Down by -25.3%)

South Sudan has highly negative net exports and therefore deep international trade deficits under the milling products, malt and starches product category.

South Sudanese Export Companies

Not one South Sudanese corporation ranks among Forbes Global 2000 listing for the world’s largest companies.

Wikipedia does list some international trade-related companies from South Sudan. Selected examples are shown below.

• Buffalo Commercial Bank (commerical banking)
• Ivory Bank (commerical banking)
• Mountain Trade and Development Bank (commerical banking)
• Southern Sudan Beverages Limited (brewery)
• South Supreme Airlines (airliner)

 
In macroeconomic terms, South Sudan’s total exported goods represent 42.8% of its overall Gross Domestic Product for 2024 ($1.16 billion valued in Purchasing Power Parity US dollars).

Another key indicator of a country’s economic health is its unemployment rate. South Sudan’s unemployment rate averaged 12.65% for 2024, up from an average 12.5% in 2023 based on Trading Economics metrics.

South Sudan’s capital city is Juba.

See also Top South African Trading Partners, Kenya’s Top 10 Exports and Top African Export Countries

Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Africa: South Sudan. Accessed on November 13, 2025

Forbes, Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on November 13, 2025

International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on November 13, 2025

International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on November 13, 2025

Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on November 13, 2025

Wikipedia, Flag of South Sudan. Accessed on November 13, 2025

Wikipedia, List of Companies of South Sudan. Accessed on November 13, 2025

Wikipedia, South Sudan. Accessed on November 13, 2025