A strategic juncture for Europe, Asia and Africa, the Hellenic Republic commonly known as Greece shipped US$54 billion worth of exported products around the globe in 2024.

That dollar amount results from a 53.9% increase compared to $35.1 billion five years earlier during 2020.

Year over year, the overall value of Greek exports fell by -1.9% from $55.1 billion in 2023.

Based on the average exchange rate for 2024, Greece uses the euro which flatlined via a 0.02% gain against the US dollar from 2024 to 2024. The slightly stronger European Union currency made Greece’s exports paid for in weaker US dollars modestly more expensive for international buyers.

Greece’s 5 most valuable export products are refined petroleum oils, medication mixes in dosage, aluminum plates or sheets or strips, electrical energy then cheese and curd. Collectively, that leading quintet of products represents almost two-fifths (37.4%) of total Greek shipments in 2024. That percentage suggests a relatively concentrated portfolio of products.

Best Customers for Greek Exports

The latest available country-specific data shows that 59.0% of products exported from Greece was bought by importers in: Italy (10.5% of the Greek total), Germany (7.1%), Cyprus (6.6%), United Kingdom (6.4%), Bulgaria (5.9%), United States of America (4.7%), Romania (3.6%), Spain (3.1%), Türkiye (3%), France (2.9%), North Macedonia (2.7%) and Ukraine (2.5%).

From a continental perspective, 71.5% of Greece exports by value was delivered to fellow European countries while 14.2% was sold to importers located in Asia. Greece shipped another 6.7% worth of goods to Africa.

Smaller percentages went to North America (5.5%), Latin America (1.1%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, then Oceania led by Australia, Marshall Islands and New Zealand (0.9%).

Given Greece’s population of 10.4 million people, its total US$54 billion in 2024 exports translates to roughly $5,200 for every resident in the southern European nation. That per-capita metric lags the average $5,300 for 2023.

Greece’s Top 10 Exports

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

1. Mineral fuels including oil: US$16.1 billion (29.9% of total exports)
2. Pharmaceuticals: $3.05 billion (5.6%)
3. Aluminum: $2.97 billion (5.5%)
4. Electrical machinery, equipment: $2.5 billion (4.6%)
5. Machinery including computers: $2.2 billion (4.2%)
6. Vegetable/fruit/nut preparations: $1.9 billion (3.5%)
7. Fruits, nuts: $1.71 billion (3.2%)
8. Plastics, plastic articles: $1.66 billion (3.1%)
9. Dairy, eggs, honey: $1.6 billion (3%)
10. Animal/vegetable fats, oils, waxes: $1.2 billion (2.3%)

Greece’s top 10 export product categories generated nearly two-thirds (64.8%) of the overall value of total Greek shipments.

Vegetable, fruit or nut preparations was the fastest grower among the top 10 export categories, up by 12.9% from 2023 to 2024.

In second place for improving export sales was fruits and nuts, up by 10.9%.

Greece’s shipments of dairy, eggs and honey posted the third-fastest via a 10.1% advance.

The leading decliner among Greece’s top 10 export categories was animal or vegetable fats, oils and waxes dragged down by a -23.1% slowdown.

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, see the section below.

Searchable List of Greece’s Most Valuable Export Products

The following searchable table displays 100 of the most in-demand goods shipped from Greece during 2024. Shown beside each product label is its total export value then the percentage increase or decrease since 2023.

These 100 exported goods were worth a subtotal of US$42.4 billion or 78.5% by value for all products exported from Greece during 2024.

Products Creating the Greatest Trade Surpluses for Greece

The following types of Greek 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. Vegetable/fruit/nut preparations: US$1.4 billion (Up by 11.6% since 2023)
2. Fruits, nuts: $1.2 billion (Up by 8.1%)
3. Aluminum: $1 billion (Down by -7.7%)
4. Animal/vegetable fats, oils, waxes: $692.6 million (Down by -32.9%)
5. Tobacco, manufactured substitutes: $478.7 million (Up by 5.7%)
6. Cotton: $405.1 million (Up by 3%)
7. Salt, sulphur, stone, cement: $387 million (Down by -9.8%)
8. Fish: $332.4 million (Down by -8.8%)
9. Stone, plaster, cement, asbestos: $214.2 million (Up by 23.2%)
10. Ores, slag, ash: $205.6 million (Up by 113.8%)

Greece has highly positive net exports in the international trade of foodstuffs and aluminum. In turn, these cashflows indicate Greece’s strong competitive advantages under these product categories.

Products Causing the Biggest Trade Deficits for Greece

Overall Greece incurred a -US$37.4 billion trade deficit during 2024, an 11.6% expansion from the -$33.6 billion in red ink for 2023.

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

1. Mineral fuels including oil: -US$7.3 billion (Up by 6.8% since 2023)
2. Vehicles: -$4.8 billion (Up by 6%)
3. Electrical machinery, equipment: -$4.4 billion (Up by 25.2%)
4. Machinery including computers: -$4.3 billion (Up by 19.2%)
5. Organic chemicals: -$2.4 billion (Up by 0.7%)
6. Meat: -$1.7 billion (Up by 11%)
7. Plastics, plastic articles: -$1.5 billion (Up by 27.8%)
8. Iron, steel: -$1.28 billion (Up by 6.5%)
9. Pharmaceuticals: -$1.26 billion (Down by -6.5%)
10. Aircraft, spacecraft: -$1.1 billion (Up by 1081.4%)

Greece has highly negative net exports and therefore deep international trade deficits under the mineral fuels including oil subcategory, notably for crude petroleum oil.

These cashflow deficiencies clearly indicate Greece’s competitive disadvantages in the international mineral fuels market but also represent key opportunities for Greece to improve its position in the global economy through focused innovations in alternative energy resources.

Major Greek Export Companies

Based on Forbes Global 2000 rankings, here are examples of large international trade players headquartered in Greece.

• Hellenic Petroleum (refined oil, gas)
• Hellenic Telecom Organization (telecommunications)
• Motor Oil Hellas (oil, gas)

Global trade intelligence firm Zepol also mentions the following companies as examples of Greek exporters.

• Inomessiniak (wine, olive oil)
• Interoliva (olives, glass bottles and jars)
• Promelk (t-shirts, brassieres, sweaters)
• St Agelopoulo (olives, live carp)
• Tsalma Marble Of Central North Greece (monument/building stone, wood boxes/cases/crates)

 

In macroeconomic terms, Greece’s total exported goods represent 12.4% of its overall Gross Domestic Product for 2024 ($436.8 billion valued in Purchasing Power Parity US dollars). That 12.4% for exports to overall GDP in PPP for 2024 compares to 13.2% one year earlier. Those percentages suggest a relatively decreasing reliance on products sold on international markets for Greece’s total economic performance, albeit based on a short timeframe.

Another key indicator of a country’s economic performance is its unemployment rate. Greece’s unemployment rate averaged 10.52% in 2024, down from an average 11.075% for 2023 according to International Monetary Fund statistics.

Greece’s capital city is Athens.

See also Greece’s Top 10 Imports, Greece’s Top Trading Partners, italy’s Top 10 Exports and Top EU Export Countries

Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook: Country Profiles. Accessed on March 31, 2025

Forbes 2020 Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on March 31, 2025

International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on March 31, 2025

International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on March 31, 2025

Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on March 31, 2025

Wikipedia, Gross domestic product. Accessed on March 31, 2025

Wikipedia, List of Companies of Greece. Accessed on March 31, 2025

Wikipedia, Purchasing power parity. Accessed on March 31, 2025

X-rates.com, Exchange Rates: Euro to US Dollar (monthly average 2024). Accessed on March 31, 2025

Zepol’s company summary highlights by country. Accessed on March 31, 2025