That dollar amount results from a 61.1% increase compared to $209.2 billion five years earlier in 2020.
Year over year, the overall value of Brazilian exports flatlined via a -0.8% slowdown from $339.7 billion in 2023.
Based on the average exchange rate for 2024, the Brazilian real depreciated by -6.8% against the US dollar from 2023 to 2024. Brazil’s weaker local currency makes Brazilian exports paid for in stronger US dollars relatively less expensive for international buyers.
Brazil’s 8 biggest exports by value in 2024 were crude oil, soya beans, iron ores and concentrates, sugar, processed petroleum oils, coffee, frozen beef and non-dissolving chemical woodpulp. Collectively, that leading subset of Brazilian products represents over half (53.2%) of Brazil’s exports during 2024.
Brazil’s Best International Trade Customers
The latest available country-specific data shows that 64.1% of products exported from Brazil was bought by importers in: mainland China (28% of the Brazilian total), United States of America (12%), Argentina (4.1%), Netherlands (3.5%), Spain (2.9%), Singapore (2.34%), Mexico (2.31%), Chile (2%), Canada (1.9%), Germany (1.74%), Japan (1.66%) and South Korea (1.63%).
From a continental perspective, 49.3% of Brazil exports by value was delivered to Asian countries while 16.7% was sold to importers in Europe. Brazil shipped another 16.3% worth of goods to buyers in North America.
Smaller percentages went to customers located in Latin America excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean (12.7%), Africa (4.7%) then Oceania (0.3%) led by Australia, Marshall Islands and New Zealand.
Given Brazil’s population of 212.5 million people, its total $337 billion in 2024 exports translates to roughly $1,600 for every resident in South America’s leading economy. That dollar metric mirrors the average $1,600 per capita one year earlier.
Brazil’s Top 10 Exports
The following export product groups categorize the highest dollar value in Brazilian global shipments during 2024. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from Brazil.
- Mineral fuels including oil: US$57.2 billion (17% of total exports)
- Oil seeds: $43.8 billion (13%)
- Ores, slag, ash: $35 billion (10.4%)
- Meat: $24.5 billion (7.3%)
- Sugar, sugar confectionery: $18.8 billion (5.6%)
- Machinery including computers: $13 billion (3.9%)
- Iron, steel: $11.92 billion (3.5%)
- Vehicles : $11.89 billion (3.5%)
- Coffee, tea, spices: $11.85 billion (3.5%)
- Food industry waste, animal fodder: $10.7 billion (3.2%)
Brazil’s top 10 export product categories exceeded two-thirds (70.8%) of the overall value of total Brazilian shipments.
Coffee, tea and spices was the fastest grower among the top 10 export categories, up by 52.3% from 2022 to 2023.
In second place for improving export sales was sugar including sugar confectionery which was up by 17.9%.
Brazil’s shipments of meat posted the third-fastest gain in value, rising 11.6% year over year.
The leading decliner among Brazil’s top 10 export categories was oil seeds, pulled down by a -18.9% setback.
Note that the results listed above are at the categorized two-digit Harmonized Tariff System (HTS) code level. For a more granular view of exported goods at the four-digit HTS code level, peruse the section below.
Searchable List of Brazil’s Most Valuable Export Products
At the more granular four-digit HTS code level, the following searchable table displays 100 of the most in-demand goods shipped from Brazil during 2024. Shown beside each product label is its total export value then the percentage increase or decrease since 2023.
| Rank | Brazilian Export Product | Value (US$) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crude oil | $44,842,761,000 | +5.2% |
| 2 | Soya beans | $42,941,655,000 | -19.4% |
| 3 | Iron ores, concentrates | $29,845,780,000 | -2.4% |
| 4 | Sugar (cane or beet) | $18,608,795,000 | +18.1% |
| 5 | Processed petroleum oils | $11,694,053,000 | +3.9% |
| 6 | Coffee | $11,373,031,000 | +54.7% |
| 7 | Frozen beef | $10,086,891,000 | +18.2% |
| 8 | Chemical woodpulp (non-dissolving) | $9,772,113,000 | +36.2% |
| 9 | Soya-bean oil-cake, other solid residues | $9,690,040,000 | -15.7% |
| 10 | Poultry meat | $9,081,044,000 | +1.2% |
| 11 | Corn | $8,179,619,000 | -39.9% |
| 12 | Cotton (uncarded, uncombed) | $5,154,613,000 | +67.7% |
| 13 | Cars | $4,290,033,000 | +2.9% |
| 14 | Copper ores, concentrates | $4,160,171,000 | +20% |
| 15 | Gold (unwrought) | $3,960,421,000 | +13.6% |
| 16 | Iron or non-alloy steel products (semi-finished) | $3,864,537,000 | -25.9% |
| 17 | Aircraft, spacecraft | $3,766,810,000 | +25.8% |
| 18 | Iron ferroalloys | $3,646,964,000 | -6.1% |
| 19 | Aluminum oxide/hydroxide | $3,643,731,000 | +27.8% |
| 20 | Fruit and vegetable juices | $3,506,488,000 | +30.9% |
| 21 | Swine meat | $2,830,612,000 | +7.6% |
| 22 | Unmanufactured tobacco, tobacco waste | $2,774,826,000 | +9.1% |
| 23 | Heavy machinery (bulldozers, excavators, road rollers) | $00 | -23.3% |
| 24 | Trucks | $2,523,170,000 | -1.1% |
| 25 | Automobile parts/accessories | $2,473,029,000 | -17.1% |
| 26 | Pig iron | $1,652,992,000 | -8.2% |
| 27 | Fresh or chilled beef | $1,570,431,000 | +63.2% |
| 28 | Tractors | $1,332,437,000 | -17% |
| 29 | Soya-bean oil | $1,311,632,000 | -47.8% |
| 30 | Piston engine parts | $1,304,598,000 | -13.8% |
| 31 | Miscellaneous meat (preserved/prepared) | $1,101,223,000 | +2.5% |
| 32 | Rubber tires (new) | $1,063,230,000 | -7.1% |
| 33 | Ethyl alcohol | $1,058,153,000 | -34.2% |
| 34 | Coffee/tea extracts, concentrates | $979,889,000 | +31.8% |
| 35 | Electrical converters/power units | $931,860,000 | +38.5% |
| 36 | Monument/building stones, art | $915,340,000 | +12.9% |
| 37 | Iron or steel tubes, pipes | $910,625,000 | +43.3% |
| 38 | Ethylene polymers | $878,452,000 | +10.6% |
| 39 | Live bovine cattle | $850,307,000 | +74% |
| 40 | Laminated wood (including plywood, veneer panels) | $837,233,000 | +20.4% |
| 41 | Medication mixes in dosage | $837,191,000 | +2.7% |
| 42 | Chemical woodpulp (dissolving) | $832,816,000 | +10.3% |
| 43 | Electric motors, generators | $820,122,000 | +11.7% |
| 44 | Air or vacuum pumps | $788,163,000 | +27.8% |
| 45 | Uncoated paper for writing/printing | $784,430,000 | +4.9% |
| 46 | Alloy steel ingots | $784,155,000 | -26.8% |
| 47 | Sawn wood | $763,068,000 | +0.1% |
| 48 | Aluminum (unwrought) | $732,891,000 | +0.4% |
| 49 | Miscellaneous furniture | $668,150,000 | +4.2% |
| 50 | Taps, valves, similar appliances | $652,936,000 | -1.6% |
| 51 | Bovine/equine leather | $645,817,000 | +26.1% |
| 52 | Centrifuges, filters and purifiers | $631,122,000 | +4.8% |
| 53 | Shaped wood | $621,114,000 | +0.6% |
| 54 | Wheat | $608,161,000 | -16% |
| 55 | Aircraft or spacecraft parts | $587,986,000 | +6.1% |
| 56 | Essential oils | $583,394,000 | +22.4% |
| 57 | Light vessels, fire boats, floating docks | $566,612,000 | +46% |
| 58 | Other animal leather | $564,472,000 | -1% |
| 59 | Rice | $564,404,000 | -9.2% |
| 60 | Transmission shafts, gears, clutches | $549,106,000 | -4.5% |
| 61 | Other food preparations | $528,847,000 | +3.7% |
| 62 | Red meat offal | $518,442,000 | +23% |
| 63 | Insulated wire/cable | $516,492,000 | +0.7% |
| 64 | Turbo-jets | $508,723,000 | -12.3% |
| 65 | Miscellaneous animal feed preparations | $502,548,000 | +11.4% |
| 66 | Harvest/threshing machinery | $486,145,000 | -17.9% |
| 67 | Piston engines | $477,249,000 | -14.5% |
| 68 | Hydrogen, rare gases | $471,010,000 | -24% |
| 69 | Packaged insecticides/fungicides/herbicides | $466,294,000 | +9% |
| 70 | Wood carpentry, builders' joinery | $458,823,000 | +7.9% |
| 71 | Footwear (rubber or plastic) | $443,102,000 | -15.7% |
| 72 | Salted/dried/smoked meat | $439,278,000 | -6.2% |
| 73 | Miscellaneous machinery | $438,678,000 | +9.3% |
| 74 | Liquid pumps and elevators | $435,624,000 | +5.6% |
| 75 | Chassis fitted with engine | $433,032,000 | +2.9% |
| 76 | Cellulose fiber paper | $423,028,000 | +3.4% |
| 77 | Uncoated kraft paper | $404,343,000 | +14.6% |
| 78 | Coated paper | $403,339,000 | +5.1% |
| 79 | Dates/pineapples/mangoes/avocados/guavas | $398,694,000 | +9.1% |
| 80 | Automobile bodies | $00 | -0.7% |
| 81 | Oil seeds | $374,218,000 | +58.5% |
| 82 | Footwear (leather) | $373,227,000 | -11.6% |
| 83 | Unglazed ceramic tiles, cubes | $365,293,000 | -6.7% |
| 84 | Unroasted ground-nuts | $359,961,000 | -18.9% |
| 85 | Aluminum plates, sheets, strips | $354,273,000 | +20.8% |
| 86 | Petroleum oil residues | $348,518,000 | -42.6% |
| 87 | Animal guts, bladders excluding fish | $347,158,000 | +35.9% |
| 88 | Temperature-change machines | $343,291,000 | +88.9% |
| 89 | Bovine, sheep, goat fats | $340,009,000 | +8.5% |
| 90 | Precious metal ores, concentrates | $337,038,000 | +22.8% |
| 91 | Dried shelled vegetables | $336,514,000 | +164.4% |
| 92 | Bombs, grenades, ammunition | $321,362,000 | +1.9% |
| 93 | Plastic plates, sheets, film, tape, strips | $319,317,000 | -7.4% |
| 94 | Melons, watermelons, papayas | $316,885,000 | +0.1% |
| 95 | Flat-rolled iron/non-alloy steel goods (plated/coated) | $315,006,000 | -27.3% |
| 96 | Zinc (unwrought) | $309,048,000 | -1.6% |
| 97 | Hot-rolled iron or non-alloy steel products | $304,181,000 | -46.6% |
| 98 | Engines (diesel) | $302,321,000 | -23.7% |
| 99 | Mineral substances like perlite | $299,114,000 | -48.6% |
| 100 | Unwrought tin | $297,950,000 | +6.7% |
These 100 exported goods were worth a subtotal of US$298.4 billion or 88.5% by value for all international product sales originating from Brazil during 2024.
Brazil’s Major Trade Surpluses by Product Category
Brazil achieved an overall US$74.6 billion trade surplus for 2024 down by -24.6% from its $98.9 billion positive trade balance one year earlier in 2023.
The following types of Brazilian 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.
- Oil seeds: US$43.2 billion (Down by -19.6% since 2022)
- Ores, slag, ash: $34.4 billion (Up by 0.4%)
- Meat: $24.2 billion (Up by 11.6%)
- Mineral fuels including oil: $22.8 billion (Up by 23.9%)
- Sugar, sugar confectionery: $18.7 billion (Up by 18%)
- Coffee, tea, spices: $11.7 billion (Up by 53.8%)
- Woodpulp: $10.4 billion (Up by 34.4%)
- Food industry waste, animal fodder: $10.3 billion (Down by -15.3%)
- Iron, steel: $7.2 billion (Down by -28.4%)
- Cereals: $6.5 billion (Down by -48.5%)
Brazil has highly positive net exports in the international trade of oil seeds. In turn, these cashflows indicate Brazil’s strong competitive advantages under the oil seeds product category.
Brazil’s Major Trade Deficits by Product Category
Below are exports from Brazil that result in negative net exports or product trade balance deficits. These negative net exports reveal product categories where foreign spending on home country Brazil’s goods trail Brazilian importer spending on foreign products.
- Machinery including computers: -US$28 billion (Up by 36.4% since 2023)
- Electrical machinery, equipment: -$26.2 billion (Up by 8.3%)
- Fertilizers: -$13.3 billion (Down by -7.5%)
- Organic chemicals: -$12 billion (Up by 5.1%)
- Vehicles: -$11.14 billion (Up by 87%)
- Pharmaceuticals: -$11.13 billion (Up by 14.3%)
- Plastics, plastic articles: -$7.8 billion (Up by 27%)
- Optical, technical, medical apparatus: -$7.2 billion (Up by 14%)
- Other chemical goods: -$6 billion (Up by 5.4%)
- Rubber, rubber articles: -$2.8 billion (Up by 21.7%)
Brazil has highly negative net exports and therefore deep international trade deficits for machinery and assembled electronic equipment. Those loss-leader machinery categories encompass consumer electronics.
These cashflow deficiencies clearly indicate Brazil’s competitive disadvantages in the international trade market, but also represent key opportunities for Brazil to improve its position in the global economy through focused innovations.
Brazilian Major Export Companies
Twenty-five Brazilian corporations ranked among Forbes Global 2000. Below is a sample of the major Brazilian companies that Forbes included.
- Braskem (specialized chemicals)
- BRF-Brasil Foods (food processing)
- Cosan (food processing)
- CSN (iron, steel)
- Embraer (aerospace)
- Itaúsa (industrials conglomerate)
- JBS (food processing)
- Metalurgica Gerdau (iron, steel)
- Petrobras (oil, gas)
- Vale (iron, steel)
- WEG (electrical equipment)
Wikipedia lists many of the larger international trade players from Brazil, plus:
- Grupo Pão de Açúcar (retail including online)
- Oi (telecommunications)
According to global trade intelligence firm Zepol, the following smaller companies are also examples of Brazilian exporters.
- Afil Import Export E Comercio (garlic, flaxseed, corn)
- American Safety Razor Brazil (razor blades, adipic acid)
- Hapag Lloyd Brazil (containers, siliceous earths, white cement)
- Inergy Automotive Systems Do Brazil (combustion engine internal pumps, gas station external pumps)
- Vanguard Logistics Services Do Brazil (transmission belts, rubber/plastic molds, malt beer)
In macroeconomic terms, Brazil’s total exported goods represent 7.2% of its overall Gross Domestic Product for 2024 ($4.702 trillion valued in Purchasing Power Parity US dollars). That 7.2% for exports to overall GDP in PPP for 2024 compares to 8.3% for 2023. Those percentages suggest a relatively decreasing reliance on products sold on international markets for Brazil’s total economic performance, albeit based on a short timeframe.
Another key indicator of a country’s economic performance is its unemployment rate. Brazil’s unemployment rate averaged 7.163% for 2024, down from an average 7.975% for 2023 according to the International Monetary Fund statistics.
Brazil’s capital city is Brasilia, although many tourists still assume that flamboyant Rio de Janeiro is the country’s capital–at least for entertainment purposes.
See also Brazil’s Top 10 Imports, Brazil’s Top Trade Partners, Top Brazilian Trade Balances and Brazil’s Top 10 Major Export Companies
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Country Profiles. Accessed on February 17, 2025
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on February 17, 2025
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on February 17, 2025
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on February 17, 2025
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on February 17, 2025
Wikipedia, Brazil. Accessed on February 17, 2025
Wikipedia, Gross domestic product. Accessed on February 17, 2025
Wikipedia, List of Companies of Brazil. Accessed on February 17, 2025
Wikipedia, Purchasing power parity. Accessed on February 17, 2025
X-rates.com, Exchange Rates: Brazilian Real to US Dollar (monthly average 2024). Accessed on February 17, 2025
Zepol’s company summary highlights by country. Accessed on February 17, 2025