01Key Takeaways
- Ukraine exported $36.19 billion worth of goods in 2023, down 18.6% from $44.44 billion in 2022, a second consecutive year of decline and the most recent year with verified trade data available in this dataset.
- Cereals led every export category at 23.0% ($8.31 billion), by a wide margin the largest single category on this list.
- Poland was Ukraine's largest export partner, taking 13.2% of exports, worth $4.76 billion.
- The top three export partners together accounted for 30.2% of total export value.
025-Year Trend
| Year | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $50.1B | $49.2B | $65.9B | $44.4B | $36.2B |
03Top Export Markets (2023)
| Rank | Partner | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Poland | $4.8B | 13.2% |
| 2 | Romania | $3.8B | 10.4% |
| 3 | China | $2.4B | 6.7% |
| 4 | Turkey | $2.4B | 6.5% |
| 5 | Germany | $2.0B | 5.6% |
| 6 | Spain | $2.0B | 5.5% |
| 7 | Italy | $1.5B | 4.2% |
| 8 | Netherlands | $1.5B | 4.1% |
| 9 | Hungary | $1.2B | 3.3% |
| 10 | Egypt | $1.1B | 3.0% |
04Top Export Categories (2023)
| Rank | Category | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cereals | $8.3B | 23.0% |
| 2 | Animal or Vegetable Fats and Oils and their Cleavage Products; Prepared Edible Fats; Animal or Vegetable Waxes | $5.6B | 15.6% |
| 3 | Oil Seeds and Oleaginous Fruits; Miscellaneous Grains, Seeds and Fruit; Industrial or Medicinal Plants; Straw and Fodder | $2.8B | 7.8% |
| 4 | Iron and Steel | $2.6B | 7.3% |
| 5 | Ores, Slag and Ash | $1.9B | 5.2% |
| 6 | Electrical Machinery and Equipment and parts thereof; Sound Recorders and Reproducers, Television Image and Sound Recorders and Reproducers, and Parts and Accessories of such Articles | $1.7B | 4.6% |
| 7 | Wood and Articles of Wood; Wood Charcoal | $1.5B | 4.1% |
| 8 | Residues and Waste from the Food Industries; Prepared Animal Fodder | $1.4B | 3.9% |
| 9 | Nuclear Reactors, Boilers, Machinery and Mechanical Appliances; Parts thereof | $957.2M | 2.6% |
| 10 | Meat and Edible Meat Offal | $892.3M | 2.5% |
05Trade Partner Map
06Analysis
Export Value Fell for a Second Straight Year After a 2021 Peak
Ukraine exported $36.19 billion worth of goods in 2023, down 18.6% from $44.44 billion in 2022. This is the most recent year with verified trade data available in this dataset. The dataset covers a full five years, from 2019 through 2023, tracking this Eastern European agricultural exporter.
Export value stood at $50.05 billion in 2019. It eased slightly to $49.23 billion in 2020, then jumped to $65.87 billion in 2021, the high point of this five-year window. Export value then fell sharply to $44.44 billion in 2022 and further to $36.19 billion in 2023.
This dataset does not explain what drove that sharp reversal after 2021. Export value in 2023 fell to the lowest point of this entire five-year window, below even the 2019 starting level. A decline of 18.6% marks a second consecutive year of contraction rather than a single-year dip. Export value climbed for two straight years before 2021, then reversed sharply, a shape unlike the steadier trajectories seen in most trade datasets.
Cereals and Oilseeds Lead an Export List Reshaped by Wartime Logistics
Cereals led every export category in 2023, worth $8.31 billion, or 23.0% of the total, by a wide margin the largest single category on this list. Russia's blockade of Black Sea ports and withdrawal from the Black Sea grain initiative disrupted Ukraine's ability to ship agricultural goods by sea. That disruption pushed exporters toward overland routes through neighboring countries instead. That shift is reflected in Poland and Romania both ranking among Ukraine's top export partners. Animal, vegetable and microbial fats and oils ranked second at 15.6%, worth $5.65 billion. Cereals and fats and oils together make up nearly four in ten dollars of total export value, underscoring how heavily this list still leans on agricultural staples.
Oil seeds and oleaginous fruits contributed 7.8%, worth $2.82 billion, and iron and steel added 7.3%, worth $2.65 billion. Ores, slag and ash contributed a further 5.2%, worth $1.87 billion. Iron and steel and ores together reflect Ukraine's longstanding metals and mining base, a sector that predates the recent wartime disruption to agricultural trade.
Electrical machinery and equipment added 4.6% ($1.66 billion). Wood and articles of wood contributed 4.1% ($1488.78 million), and food industries residues and prepared animal fodder added 3.9%, worth $1.40 billion. Machinery and mechanical appliances contributed 2.6%, worth $957.16 million. Meat and edible meat offal closed out the top ten at 2.5%, worth $892.30 million, the smallest share among all ten categories on this list. A long tail of agricultural and industrial goods fills out the rest of this list. These ten categories span grains, oils, metals and light manufacturing, reflecting an economy still anchored in agricultural commodity exports.
Poland and Romania Lead a Partner List Reshaped by Wartime Routes
Poland was Ukraine's largest export partner in 2023, taking 13.2% of exports, worth $4.76 billion. Romania ranked second at 10.4%, worth $3.76 billion. China followed at 6.7%, worth $2.41 billion. Together, these top three partners accounted for 30.2% of total export value, a moderate concentration level for a top-three grouping.
Turkey contributed 6.5% ($2.37 billion), and Germany added 5.6% ($2.02 billion). Spain followed at 5.5% ($2.01 billion), and Italy added 4.2% ($1.54 billion). These middle-ranked partners span Southern and Western Europe alongside China and Türkiye, a mix of established buyers and newer markets.
Netherlands contributed 4.1% ($1490.81 million). Hungary ranked ninth at 3.3%, worth $1.18 billion. Egypt closed out the top ten at 3.0%, worth $1.09 billion, the smallest share among the ten partners listed here. This list is led by two neighboring EU member states that emerged as critical overland corridors after the Black Sea route was disrupted. Ranks four through ten here are packed within roughly three percentage points of each other, a tighter cluster than the wider gaps separating the top three.
Taken together, this dataset's most recent confirmed year describes an export profile still centered on cereals and agricultural staples. Total value has fallen for two straight years from its 2021 peak. That profile is sourced from a partner base reshaped by wartime logistics. Neighboring EU states now carry a disproportionate share of trade once routed through Black Sea ports. This shift illustrates how quickly a war can redraw a country's trading relationships, even as the underlying export categories remain largely unchanged.