01Key Takeaways
- Argentina's exports totaled $66.79 billion in 2023, down 24.5% from $88.45 billion in 2022, reversing two years of growth.
- Brazil was the top destination, absorbing 17.8% of exports worth $11.86 billion, followed by the USA at 8.5% ($5.65 billion).
- China ranked third at 7.7% ($5.17 billion), bringing the top three destinations to 34.0% of total export value.
- Food industries residues and prepared animal fodder led all export categories at 12.9% of total value ($8.63 billion), with cereals close behind at 12.9% ($8.62 billion).
025-Year Trend
| Year | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $65.1B | $54.9B | $77.9B | $88.4B | $66.8B |
03Top Export Markets (2023)
| Rank | Partner | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brazil | $11.9B | 17.8% |
| 2 | United States | $5.6B | 8.5% |
| 3 | China | $5.2B | 7.7% |
| 4 | Chile | $4.9B | 7.4% |
| 5 | Peru | $2.6B | 3.8% |
| 6 | India | $2.5B | 3.7% |
| 7 | Vietnam | $2.1B | 3.1% |
| 8 | Uruguay | $1.7B | 2.5% |
| 9 | Netherlands | $1.6B | 2.3% |
| 10 | Spain | $1.4B | 2.2% |
04Top Export Categories (2023)
| Rank | Category | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Residues and Waste from the Food Industries; Prepared Animal Fodder | $8.6B | 12.9% |
| 2 | Cereals | $8.6B | 12.9% |
| 3 | Vehicles other than Railway or Tramway Rolling-Stock, and parts and accessories thereof | $8.2B | 12.3% |
| 4 | Mineral Fuels, Mineral Oils and Products of their Distillation; Bituminous Substances; Mineral Waxes | $6.4B | 9.6% |
| 5 | Animal or Vegetable Fats and Oils and their Cleavage Products; Prepared Edible Fats; Animal or Vegetable Waxes | $5.7B | 8.5% |
| 6 | Commodities not specified according to kind | $3.4B | 5.0% |
| 7 | Meat and Edible Meat Offal | $3.1B | 4.7% |
| 8 | Natural or Cultured Pearls, Precious or Semi-Precious Stones, Precious Metals, Metals Clad with Precious Metal, and Articles thereof; Imitation Jewellery; Coin | $2.6B | 3.8% |
| 9 | Oil Seeds and Oleaginous Fruits; Miscellaneous Grains, Seeds and Fruit; Industrial or Medicinal Plants; Straw and Fodder | $2.1B | 3.1% |
| 10 | Fish and Crustaceans, Molluscs and other Aquatic Invertebrates | $1.7B | 2.6% |
05Trade Partner Map
06Analysis
Argentina's Top Export Destinations in 2023
Argentina exported $66.79 billion worth of goods in 2023, the latest year with verified trade data in this dataset. That total marks a decline of 24.5% from the $88.45 billion recorded in 2022, reversing two straight years of growth. Brazil was the largest destination for Argentina's exports, absorbing 17.8% of the total, worth $11.86 billion.
The United States ranked second at 8.5% ($5.65 billion), ahead of China at 7.7% ($5.17 billion) and Chile at 7.4% ($4.94 billion). Peru took fifth place at 3.8% ($2.55 billion), followed by India at 3.7% ($2.45 billion) and Vietnam at 3.1% ($2.09 billion). Uruguay supplied 2.5% ($1.66 billion), the Netherlands added 2.3% ($1.56 billion), and Spain rounded out the top ten at 2.2% ($1.44 billion). Together, the top three destinations made up 34.0% of total export value.
Brazil's leading position reflects deep regional trade integration, with the United States and China following as Argentina's largest overseas markets. Beyond the top three, the remaining seven partners in the top ten are more evenly spread, each holding between roughly 2.2% and 3.8% of the total, a mix of neighboring South American economies, Asian buyers, and European partners. That combination of a moderately concentrated top three and a longer, gradually tapering tail points to an export base with meaningful reach across multiple continents rather than dependence on one or two dominant relationships. Chile's fourth-place ranking also stands out, reflecting Argentina's overland trade relationship with its Andean neighbor alongside the larger, more distant markets that dominate the top of the list.
Leading Export Categories
Food industries residues and prepared animal fodder led all export categories in 2023, worth $8.63 billion and accounting for 12.9% of total export value. Cereals followed closely at 12.9%, worth $8.62 billion, and vehicles and related parts and accessories ranked third at 12.3% ($8.25 billion).
Mineral fuels added 9.6% ($6.38 billion), while animal or vegetable fats and oils contributed 8.5% ($5.70 billion). Commodities not specified according to kind brought in 5.0% ($3.35 billion), and meat and edible meat offal added 4.7% ($3.15 billion). Precious stones and metals contributed 3.8% ($2.56 billion), oil seeds and oleaginous fruits added 3.1% ($2.10 billion), and fish and crustaceans closed out the top ten at 2.6% ($1.74 billion).
The top five categories, food industry residues, cereals, vehicles, mineral fuels, and animal fats and oils, together dominate the ranking, with agricultural products and their processed derivatives, food residues, cereals, fats and oils, meat, and oil seeds, making up the majority of that group. That concentration in agricultural commodities and their processed derivatives reflects Argentina's longstanding role as a major global supplier of soy-based products, grains, and beef, alongside a smaller but still substantial vehicle manufacturing sector. Beyond the top five, the remaining categories taper off gradually rather than dropping sharply, with even the tenth-ranked category still holding a measurable 2.6% share. Vehicles standing as the third-largest category, ahead of mineral fuels, also points to a manufacturing base that extends beyond raw commodity production into finished goods, even as the agricultural side of the export mix remains the larger overall force.
A Sharp Decline Tied to Argentina's Worst Drought in Decades
The five-year trend shows exports climbing for two years before a sharp reversal. Exports moved from $65.12 billion in 2019 to $54.88 billion in 2020, recovered to $77.93 billion in 2021, climbed further to $88.45 billion in 2022, then fell 24.5% to $66.79 billion in 2023. That decline brought the total back down close to the 2019 starting point, erasing most of the gains made over the two preceding years. The scale of the swing across the five years, first climbing by more than 60% from the 2020 low to the 2022 peak, then giving back most of that gain in a single year, illustrates how heavily Argentina's export total depends on annual harvest conditions rather than following a smooth, steady year-over-year trajectory, a volatility pattern that stands out even within a five-year window that already includes a global pandemic disruption in 2020.
This pattern is consistent with reporting from the Buenos Aires Times, which described how the 2022-23 drought cut Argentina's soybean production by more than half, sharply reducing grain export revenue and handling volumes at the country's main agricultural export hub. 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.