Nicknamed “The Energy Province” with the slogan “Wild Rose Country” and located in Western Canada, the province of Alberta shipped US$110.4 billion worth of products around the globe in 2021.

That dollar amount results from a 41.9% increase from $77.8 billion five years earlier in 2017.

Year over year, the overall value of Albertan exports accelerated by 60.1% compared to $69 billion for 2020.

Alberta ranks as Canada’s second-biggest exporter by province or territory behind the front-runner province Ontario. The value of Alberta’s exports equals 21.9% of Canada’s overall exported products for 2021, up from 17.6% in 2020.

Looking ahead to 2022, the value of Alberta’s exports from January to August 2022 totaled $107.5 billion. The dollar sum of exports from Alberta is projected to be an annualized $161.3 billion potentially expanding by 46.1% from the province’s $110.4-billion in exports for 2021.

Based on statistics from the Albertan government, Alberta’s exported products represent 34.2% of the province’s total economic output or Gross Domestic Product ($323.1 billion for 2021). Currency used for this calculation was based on US dollars in basic prices.

Given Alberta’s population of 4.5 million people, its total $110.4 billion in 2021 exports translates to roughly $24,500 for every resident in the Western Canadian province. That dollar metric exceeds the average $15,500 per capita one year earlier in 2020.

Alberta’s unemployment rate was 5.5% in September 2022, down from the Canadian province’s long-term average of 6.56% per YCharts.

Alberta’s Top 15 Exports

The following export products represent the highest dollar value for Alberta’s global shipments during 2021. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from Alberta.

Figures are shown at the more granular six-digit Harmonized Tariff System code level, for more precise product identification.

1. Crude petroleum oils: US$67.6 billion (61.2% of Alberta’s exports)
2. Natural gas (gaseous state): $6.9 billion (6.3%)
3. Ethylene-alpha-olefin copolymers: $2.5 billion (2.3%)
4. Liquified propane: $1.8 billion (1.7%)
5. Beef cuts (boneless, fresh/chilled): $1.7 billion (1.5%)
6. Coniferous lumber (sawn, chipped, sliced, peeled): $1.7 billion (1.5%)
7. Wheat (excluding durum): $1624.9 million (1.5%)
8. Miscellaneous petroleum oils: $1504.2 million (1.4%)
9. Oriented wood strand board $1436.1 million (1.3%)
10. Colza oilseed, rapeseed (low erucic acid): $1366.2 million (1.2%)
11. Crude canola/colza oil (low erucic acid): $905.5 million (0.8%)
12. Polyethylene of specific gravity: $862 million (0.8%)
13. Oil-cake, other solid residues from canola/colza seeds: $607.5 million (0.6%)
14. Chemical woodpulp (coniferous): $574.9 million (0.5%)
15. Ethylene glycol (ethanediol): $574.8 million (0.5%)

Alberta’s top 15 exports accounted for 83% of the overall value of the province’s global shipments.

Natural gas in gaseous state was the fastest grower among Alberta’s top 15 export products, up by 130.3% from 2020 to 2021.

In second place for improving export sales was oriented wood strand board via a 118.7% expansion.

Alberta’s shipments of liquified propane posted the third-fastest gain in value up by 118.7% ahead of sawn, chipped, sliced or peeled coniferous lumber (up 76.9%) and crude petroleum oils (up 72.8%).

The lone decliner among Alberta’s top export products from 2020 to 2021 was ethylene glycol (also called ethanediol), dragged down by a -9.9% drop year over year.

More Key Facts about Alberta’s International Trade

Overall, Alberta earned an $86 billion surplus exporting and importing products during 2021. That dollar amount reflects a 69.1% year-over-year upturn from $50.9 billion in black ink for 2020.

Another way of saying surplus or deficit is positive or negative net exports. In a nutshell, the term “net exports” quantifies the amount by which foreign spending on a province’s goods or services exceeds or lags that same province’s spending on imported foreign goods or services.

Below are Alberta’s top 10 import products highlighting the province’s highest spending on foreign-origin goods in 2021.

1. Light petroleum oils: US$5.4 billion (22.2% of Alberta’s imports)
2. Large aircraft: $438.4 million (1.8%)
3. Modems, similar reception/transmission devices: $301 million (1.2%)
4. Grape wines excluding sparkling varieties: $282 million (1.2%)
5. Saturated acyclic hydrocarbons: $235.4 million (1%)
6. Ethanol (denatured): $222.1 million (0.9%)
7. Taps, valves, similar appliances: $219.6 million (0.9%)
8. Miscellaneous cattle: $218.1 million (0.9%)
9. Ammonium dihydrogen orthophosphate: $193 million (0.8%)
10. Miscellaneous petroleum oils: $172.9 million (0.7%)

Alberta has highly positive net exports in the international trade of crude oil and natural gas. In turn, these cashflows indicate Alberta’s competitive advantages under related product categories.

Alberta’s Major Trade Partners

The following list shows the top 10 customers that purchased 96.4% worth of the total value of products exported from the province of Alberta during 2021.

1. United States: US$97.9 billion (88.6% of Alberta’s total exports)
2. China: $3.6 billion (3.3%)
3. Japan: $2 billion (1.8%)
4. Mexico: $1167 million (1.1%)
5. South Korea: $534.3 million (0.5%)
6. Peru: $312.3 million (0.3%)
7. Netherlands: $259.6 million (0.2%)
8. Indonesia: $245 million (0.2%)
9. Australia: $240.8 million (0.2%)
10. United Arab Emirates: $232.9 million (0.2%)

Alberta’s trade partners in North America (United States and Mexico) bought 89.7% of the overall value of export sales for The Energy Province during 2021.

Albertan Export Companies

Below are some of Canada’s largest businesses that are involved in international trade either directly or indirectly. Their corporate headquarters are in the province of Alberta.

• Canadian Natural Resources (oil and gas)
• Canadian Pacific Railway (transportation)
• Cenovus Energy (oil and gas)
• Enbridge (oil and gas)
• Husky Energy (oil and gas)
• Pembina Pipeline (oil and gas)
• Suncor Energy (oil and gas)
• TC Energy (oil and gas)

Shown within brackets for each company is a summary of the international trade-related products or services which each business manages.
 
Alberta’s capital is Edmonton, nicknamed “The Big E” and “Edmonchuk”. Edmonton also has a wide range of other nicknames.

See also Canada’s Top 10 Exports, Canada’s Top 10 Imports and Top Canadian Trade Balances

Research Sources:
Alberta Government website, Economic Dashboard. Accessed on November 1, 2022

Government of Canada, Trade Data Online, Total exports, Distribution by province. Accessed on November 1, 2022

International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on November 1, 2022

International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on November 1, 2022

Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on November 1, 2022

Statistics Canada, Gross domestic product, expenditure-based, by province and territory. Accessed on November 1, 2022

Wikipedia, Alberta. Accessed on November 1, 2022

Wikipedia, Flag of Alberta. Accessed on November 1, 2022

Wikipedia, List of largest public companies in Canada by profit. Accessed on November 1, 2022

Wikipedia, List of provincial and territorial nicknames in Canada. Accessed on November 1, 2022

Wikipedia, List of largest companies in Canada. Accessed on November 1, 2022

Wikipedia, Category:Manufacturing companies of Canada. Accessed on November 1, 2022

YCharts, Canada Labour Force Survey Report. Accessed on November 1, 2022