That dollar amount results from a 544.2% reduction from $509.1 million 5 years earlier in 2021.
Year over year, the overall value of South Sudanese exports spiked by 561.1% compared to $496.1 million starting from 2024.
The top exported good from South Sudan was crude petroleum oil, accounting for 99.3% 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 99.99% of products exported from South Sudan was bought by importers in: Malaysia (36.7% of the South Sudanese total), United Arab Emirates (19.2%), Singapore (17.4%), Italy (11.7%), mainland China (10.9%), Oman (1.2%), Thailand (1.1%), India (1%), Uganda (0.7%), Kenya (0.05%), France (0.01%) and Tanzania (0.004%).
From a continental perspective, 21.6% of South Sudan’s exports by value was delivered to fellow African countries while 2.2% was sold to importers in Europe.
South Sudan shipped another 1.9% worth of goods to buyers in Asia.
Tinier percentages went to customers based in North America’s United States and Canada (0.7%), Latin America (0.13%) specifically Brazil and Curaçao, then Oceania (0.01%) Australia and New Zealand only.
Given South Sudan’s population of 16 million people, its total US$3.3 billion in 2025 exported goods translates to roughly $200 for every resident in the northeast African nation. That dollar metric eclipses the average $35 per capita one year earlier during 2024.
South Sudan’s Top 10 Exports
The following export product groups categorize the highest dollar value in South Sudanese global shipments during 2025. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from South Sudan.
- Mineral fuels including oil: US$3.3 billion (99.3% of total exports)
- Iron, steel: $9.7 million (0.3%)
- Wood: $3.7 million (0.11%)
- Fish: $2.8 million (0.08%)
- Copper: $2.5 million (0.08%)
- Oil seeds: $1.2 million (0.038%)
- Live animals: $856,000 (0.026%)
- Plastics, plastic articles: $698,000 (0.021%)
- Gums, resins, other vegetable saps: $559,000 (0.017%)
- Milling products, malt, starches: $476,000 (0.015%)
South Sudan’s top 10 export product categories generated 99.96% of the overall value of its global shipments.
Oil seeds represent the fastest grower among the top 10 export categories, up by 2,647% from 2024 to 2025.
In second place for improving export sales was mineral fuels including oil via a 610.8% advance.
South Sudan’s shipments of live animals posted the third-fastest gain in value, up by 261.2%.
The leading decliner among South Sudan’s top 10 export categories was the gums, resins and miscellaneous vegetable saps, thanks to a -65.6% year-over-year drop.
Products Generating South Sudan’s Best Trade Surpluses
Overall South Sudan recorded a US$2.4 billion trade surplus for 2025.
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.
- Mineral fuels including oil: US$3.2 billion
- Fish: $2.5 million
- Copper: $2.4 million
- Gums, resins, other vegetable saps: $558,000
- Wood: $295,000
- Gems, precious metals: $74,000
- Miscellaneous animal-origin products: $7,000
- Raw hides, skins not furskins, leather: $6,000
- Collector items, art, antiques: $1,000
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
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.
- Milling products, malt, starches: -US$112 million
- Pharmaceuticals: -$74.4 million
- Animal/vegetable fats, oils, waxes: -$67.9 million
- Vehicles: -$66.4 million
- Sugar, sugar confectionery: -$61.6 million
- Salt, sulphur, stone, cement: -$46.7 million
- Beverages, spirits, vinegar: -$43.1 million
- Vegetables: -$32.3 million
- Iron, steel: -$31.4 million
- Soaps, washing preparations, lubricants, waxes: -$28.6 million
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 28.8% of its overall Gross Domestic Product for 2025 ($11.4 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 12.53% for 2025, up from an average 12.47% in 2024 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 September 24, 2026
Forbes, Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on September 24, 2026
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on September 24, 2026
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on September 24, 2026
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on September 24, 2026
Wikipedia, Flag of South Sudan. Accessed on September 24, 2026
Wikipedia, List of Companies of South Sudan. Accessed on September 24, 2026
Wikipedia, South Sudan. Accessed on September 24, 2026