Antigua and Barbuda Export Trade Data: $30.5M, Up 39.4%

Antigua and Barbuda's Top Export Destinations in 2023

Antigua and Barbuda exported $30.5 million worth of goods in 2023, the latest year with verified trade data in this dataset. That total marks an increase of 39.4% over the $21.9 million recorded in 2022, a second straight year of growth. The United States was the largest destination for Antigua and Barbuda's exports, absorbing 25.3% of the total, worth $7.71 million.

Sint Maarten ranked second at 13.6% ($4.14 million), ahead of China at 9.4% ($2.86 million) and the Netherlands at 9.0% ($2.74 million). Montserrat took fifth place at 6.4% ($1.95 million), followed by St. Kitts & Nevis at 5.2% ($1.60 million) and Dominica at 5.2% ($1.59 million). St. Lucia supplied 4.6% ($1.40 million), the United Kingdom added 3.3% ($1.01 million), and France rounded out the top ten at 2.9% ($874,755). Together, the top three destinations made up 48.3% of total export value.

Several of Antigua and Barbuda's top ten destinations are neighboring Caribbean islands, including Sint Maarten, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Dominica, and Saint Lucia, which together account for more than a third of total export value. That pattern points to Antigua and Barbuda's role as a regional supply and re-export point within the Eastern Caribbean, moving goods such as fuel and provisions to smaller neighboring markets alongside its trade with larger partners like the United States and China. The gap between the top partner and the rest of the list is fairly gradual rather than sharply concentrated, with no single partner beyond the USA holding more than 14% of the total, and the bottom seven partners in the top ten all clustered within a few percentage points of each other. That mix of one large external market alongside a cluster of regional neighbors reflects a trade structure built around both long-haul commercial relationships and short-haul regional distribution, rather than depending on a small handful of major global partners alone.

Leading Export Categories

Mineral fuels, mineral oils, and related distillation products led all export categories in 2023, worth $7.95 million and accounting for 26.1% of total export value. Fish and crustaceans, molluscs, and other aquatic invertebrates followed at 10.7%, worth $3.28 million, and iron or steel articles ranked third at 10.4% ($3.16 million).

Beverages, spirits, and vinegar added 8.4% ($2.56 million), while nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery, and mechanical appliances contributed 7.0% ($2.13 million). Vehicles and related parts and accessories brought in 3.7% ($1.14 million), and ships, boats, and floating structures added 3.5% ($1.08 million). Apparel and clothing accessories not knitted or crocheted contributed 2.8% ($867,120), textiles and worn clothing added 2.7% ($831,606), and miscellaneous edible preparations closed out the top ten at 2.6% ($788,609).

The category mix, spanning fuel re-exports, seafood, beverages, and light manufactured goods such as iron and steel articles, reflects a small, diversified export base typical of an island economy built more around trade and services than large-scale manufacturing. Fuel re-exports and fish products together make up more than a third of total export value, while the remaining seven categories past the top three are spread fairly evenly, each contributing between roughly 2.6% and 8.4% of the total, without any single category among them standing out sharply from the rest. That gradual taper, rather than a steep drop after the top category, suggests the export base rests on a handful of moderately sized activities working together rather than one segment carrying the bulk of the total on its own.

A Second Year of Recovery After a Multi-Year Decline

The five-year trend shows exports falling for two consecutive years before rebounding. Exports moved from $37.4 million in 2019 to $22.2 million in 2020, fell further to $19.1 million in 2021, then began recovering, climbing to $21.9 million in 2022 and further to $30.5 million in 2023. Even with two years of recovery, the 2023 total remains below the 2019 starting point, indicating exports have not yet fully returned to their pre-2020 level, even as the pace of the recent recovery has been faster than the pace of the earlier decline.

This pattern is consistent with the World Bank's WITS trade summary for Antigua and Barbuda, which confirms the USA's leading role among the country's export destinations alongside petroleum products as the top exported category. For a closer look at how individual partner countries or product categories break down year over year, the data panels above provide the full detail behind these figures.