Today, Gov. Kay Ivey announced that Alabama’s exports in 2021 surged more than 20% in value compared to the previous year. This means exports have surpassed pre-pandemic levels.
New federal government figures show that Alabama’s exports of goods and services totaled nearly $20.9 billion last year, above the 2019 total of $20.8 billion. 2021 exports increased more than 21.8% from the 2020 total. Many key export categories showed robust growth last year.
“We are very pleased to see that our optimism at this time a year ago was well-founded. Alabama’s export numbers in 2021 exceeded those of 2019,” stated Ivey. “This is a promising sign that demand for Alabama-made goods and services remains strong and that Alabama has an integral role to play in the worldwide recovery.”
Ivey stated on Twitter, “I’m very pleased to announce Alabama’s exports in 2021 surged more than 20% in value compared to the previous year, surpassing pre-pandemic levels and indicating the underlying resilience of the state’s economy.”
Alabama businesses exported to 189 countries in 2021, with the top five destinations being Germany, Canada, China, Mexico, and South Korea. Rounding out the 10 top destinations for exports were Japan, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Brazil.
Transportation equipment, the state’s No.1 export, jumped 25.8% to reach $10.35 billion, beating the total for 2019. Overseas shipments of Alabama-made motor vehicles rose by 38.4%, while exports of ships and boats jumped 40% last year.
“It is critical that we build on the successes of 2021 in order to keep the momentum going,” said Greg Canfield, Secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce. “The impressive growth in exports of motor vehicles, iron and steel products, in addition to machinery, plastics, and forestry products shows that Alabama is well-positioned to meet the demands of overseas buyers in a wide variety of sectors.”
Alabama ranked No. 24 among the states in export volume for 2021, moving up from No. 25 in 2020.
