Nicknamed “Beautiful British Columbia” or simply “B.C.” and located on Canada’s west coast, the province of British Columbia shipped CDN$55.8 billion worth of exported products around the globe in 2024.

That dollar amount results from a 37.7% increase from $40.5 billion five years earlier in 2020.

Year over year, the overall value of British Columbian export sales declined by -2.7% compared to $57.3 billion for 2023.

British Columbia ranks as Canada’s fourth-best exporter by province or territory behind leading provinces Ontario, Alberta and Quebec. The value of British Columbia’s exports equals 7.2% of Canada’s overall exported products for 2024, down from 7.5% in 2023.

Based on statistics from the website Statista, British Columbia’s exported products represent 18.2% of the province’s total economic output or Gross Domestic Product ($306.9 billion for 2024). That percentage shows a slowdown from 18.9% one year prior.

Given British Columbia’s population of 5.1 million people, its total $55.8 billion in 2024 exports translates to roughly $11,000 for every resident in Canada’s western-most coastal province. That dollar metric lags the average $11,500 one year earlier in 2023.

British Columbia’s unemployment rate was 5.9% in July 2025, up from the province’s 5.7% jobless rate one year earlier per YCharts.

British Columbia’s Top 10 Exports

The following export products represent the highest dollar value for British Columbia’s global shipments during 2024. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from British Columbia.

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

1. Coal (non-agglomerated, bituminous): CDN$8.6 billion (15.5% of B.C.’s total exports)
2. Copper ores, concentrates $4.4 billion (7.9%)
3. Chemical woodpulp (coniferous): $2.8 billion (5%)
4. Natural gas (gaseous state): $2.5 billion (4.5%)
5. Crude petroleum oils: $2.5 billion (4.4%)
6. Lumber sawn or chipped lengthwise $2.2 billion (3.9%)
7. Coniferous lumber (sawn, chipped, sliced, peeled) $2 billion (3.5%)
8. Liquified propane: $1.4 billion (2.5%)
9. Unalloyed unwrought aluminum $1 billion (1.8%)
10. Electrical energy $920 million (1.6%)
11. Computer boards, panels $865.9 million (1.6%)
12. Gold (unwrought): $558.9 million (1%)
13. Miscellaneous food preparations $541.7 million (1%)
14. Unalloyed unwrought zinc (less than pure concentrate) $512 million (0.9%)
15. Unalloyed unwrought zinc (pure) $497.4 million (0.9%)

British Columbia’s top 15 exports accounted for over half (56%) of the overall value of the province’s global shipments.

Computer boards and panels represent the fastest grower among British Columbia’s top 15 export products, up by 42.8% from 2023 to 2024.

In second place were B.C.’s export sales of crude petroleum oils (up 36.7% from 2023), trailed by copper ores and concentrates (up 20%), liquified propane (up 15.2%) then coniferous chemical woodpulp (up 12.8%).

Double-digit decliners among British Columbia’s most valuable export products were sales of natural gas in gaseous state (down -48.1% from 2023), electrical energy (down -17.4%) then non-agglomerated, bituminous coal (down -16.5%).

More Key Facts about British Columbia’s International Trade

British Columbia incurred a -CDN$18.6 billion deficit exporting and importing products during 2024. That dollar amount reflects a 9.8% upturn from -$16.9 billion in red ink for 2023.

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 foreign goods or services.

All told, B.C. bought Cdn$74.4 billion worth of products imported from around the world during 2024.

Below are British Columbia’s top 10 import products highlighting the province’s highest spending on foreign-made goods in 2024.

1. Electric vehicles: CDN$2 billion (2.7% of B.C.’s total imports)
2. Miscellaneous petroleum oils: $1.8 billion (2.5%)
3. Mid-sized automobiles (piston engine): $1.8 billion (2.4%)
4. Electrical energy: $1 billion (1.4%)
5. Vehicles with both piston and electric motors: $889.4 million (1.2%)
6. Zinc ores, concentrates: $621.1 million (0.8%)
7. Small portable computing devices: $601.6 million (0.8%)
8. Wheeled toys (tricycles, scooters, pedal cars, doll carriages): $578.4 million (0.8%)
9. Modems, similar reception/transmission devices: $560.6 million (0.8%)
10. Derricks/cranes parts, attachments: $484 million (0.7%)

British Columbia has highly negative net exports in the international trade of electric vehicles, miscellaneous petroleum oils, machinery used to liquify air or other gases, and mid-sized automobiles powered by piston engine. In turn, these cashflows indicate British Columbia’s competitive disadvantages under related product categories.

British Columbia’s Major Trade Partners

The following list shows the top 10 customers that purchased 92.4% worth of the total value of products exported from the province of British Columbia during 2024.

1. United States: CDN$28.9 billion (51.8% of B.C.’s total exports)
2. mainland China: $8.7 billion (15.5%)
3. Japan: $5.7 billion (10.2%)
4. South Korea: $3.6 billion (6.5%)
5. India: $1.3 billion (2.3%)
6. Australia: $924.4 million (1.7%)
7. Taiwan: $835.2 million (1.5%)
8. Netherlands: $629.3 million (1.1%)
9. Germany: $494.3 million (0.9%)
10. Philippines: $491.4 million (0.9%)

British Columbia’s top trade partners in North America (mainly United States and, to a much lesser extent, Mexico) bought over half of the overall value of goods exported from B.C.

In comparison, B.C.’s leading importers in Asia (mainland China, Japan, South Korea, India, Taiwan and the Philippines) generated 36.9% of the province’s total export sales in 2024.

British Columbian 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 British Columbia.

• Goldcorp (mining)
• Lululemon Athletica (clothing)
• Teck Resources (mining)
• Telus (telecommunications)

Shown within brackets for each company is a summary of the international trade-related products or services which each business manages.
 
British Columbia’s capital is Victoria, nicknamed “The Garden City” and is associated with the motto “Forever free”. Victoria is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island.

See also Canada’s Top 10 Exports, Alberta’s Top Exports, and Ontario’s Top Exports

Research Sources:
Canada Population, British Columbia Population. Accessed on August 21, 2025

Government of Canada, Trade Data Online, Total exports, Distribution by province. Accessed on August 21, 2025

International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on August 21, 2025

International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on August 21, 2025

Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on August 21, 2025

Statista, GDP of British Columbia, Canada. Accessed on August 21, 2025

Wikipedia, British Columbia. Accessed on August 21, 2025

Wikipedia, Flag of British Columbia. Accessed on August 21, 2025

Wikipedia, List of largest public companies in Canada by profit. Accessed on August 21, 2025

Wikipedia, List of provincial and territorial nicknames in Canada. Accessed on August 21, 2025

Wikipedia, List of largest companies in Canada. Accessed on August 21, 2025

Wikipedia, Category:Manufacturing companies of Canada. Accessed on August 21, 2025

YCharts, Canada Labour Force Survey Report. Accessed on August 21, 2025