Nicknamed “Beautiful British Columbia” or simply “B.C.” and located on Canada’s west coast, the province of British Columbia shipped US$50.4 billion worth of products around the globe in 2022.

That dollar amount represents a 37.8% increase from $36.5 billion four years earlier in 2018.

Year over year, the overall value of British Columbia’s export sales accelerated by 15.1% compared to $43.7 billion for 2021.

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 8.4% of Canada’s overall exported products for 2022, down from 8.7% in 2021.

Based on statistics from the website Statista which we converted to American currency, British Columbia’s exported products represent 24.1% of the province’s total economic output or Gross Domestic Product ($262.2 billion for 2021—the latest data available on article publication). Currency used for this calculation started from chained 2012 Canadian dollars.

Given British Columbia’s population of 5.4 million people, its total $50.4 billion in 2022 exports translates to roughly $9,400 for every resident in Canada’s western-most coastal province. That dollar metric exceeds the average $8,750 one year earlier in 2021.

British Columbia’s unemployment rate was 5.1% in February 2023, up from the province’s 4.7% 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 2022. 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) US$9.1 billion (18.1% of BC’s exports)
2. Natural gas (gaseous state): $5.56 billion (11.0%)
3. Copper ores and concentrates: $2.8 billion (5.7%)
4. Chemical woodpulp (coniferous): $2.2 billion (4.3%)
5. Coniferous lumber (sawn, chipped, sliced, peeled): $2 billion (4.1%)
6. Crude petroleum oils: $1.6 billion (3.2%)
7. Electrical energy: $1.4 billion (2.7%)
8. Oriented wood strand board: $475.4 million (0.9%)
9. Unalloyed unwrought zinc (99.99% or more zinc): $473.7 million (0.9%)
10. Miscellaneous food preparations $467.1 million (0.9%)
11. Fresh or chilled salmon excluding fillets: $466.7 million (0.9%)
12. Unalloyed unwrought zinc (under 99.99% zinc): $398.9 million (0.8%)
13. Unalloyed unwrought aluminum (pure zinc): $385.5 million (0.8%)
14. Sawdust, wood waste, scrap: $362.3 million (0.7%)
15. Coniferous wood logs: $352.3 million (0.7%)

British Columbia’s top 15 exports accounted for over half (55.8%) of the overall value of the province’s global shipments.

Electrical energy represents the fastest grower among British Columbia’s top 15 export products, up by 68.1% from 2021 to 2022.

In second place were B.C.’s export sales of non-agglomerated bituminous coal (up 59.7% from 2021), trailed by natural gas in gaseous state (up 56.2%), crude petroleum oils (up 50.6%), fresh or chilled salmon (up 26.7%) then sawdust and wood waste or scrap (up 20%).

The severest decliner among British Columbia’s most valuable export products was copper ores and concentrates weighed down by a -15.9% drop year over year.

More Key Facts about British Columbia’s International Trade

British Columbia incurred a -$9.2 billion deficit exporting and importing products during 2022. That dollar amount reflects a 9.5% annual expansion from -$8.4 billion in red ink for 2021.

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 $59.6 billion worth of products imported from around the world during 2022.

Below are British Columbia’s top 10 import products highlighting the province’s highest spending on foreign-made goods in 2022.

1. Miscellaneous petroleum oils: US$1.5 billion (2.5% of B.C.’s imports)
2. Machinery to liquify air or other gases: $1.3 billion (2.2%)
3. Electric vehicles: $1.1 billion (1.9%)
4. Mid-sized automobiles (piston engine): $837.25 million (1.4%)
5. Zinc ores, concentrates: $775.6 million (1.3%)
6. Modems, similar reception/transmission devices: $540.8 million (0.9%)
7. Small portable computers: $525 million (0.9%)
8. Wheeled toys (tricycles, scooters, pedal cars, carriages): $506.8 billion (0.9%)
9. Mechanical shovels, excavators: $451.4 billion (0.8%)
10. Derricks/cranes parts, attachments: $451 billion (0.8%)

British Columbia has highly negative net exports in the international trade of miscellaneous petroleum oils, electric vehicles, 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 92.6% worth of the total value of products exported from the province of British Columbia during 2022.

1. United States: US$28.3 billion (56.2% of B.C.’s exports)
2. China: $6.7 billion (13.2%)
3. Japan: $4.7 billion (9.3%)
4. South Korea: $3.2 billion (6.3%)
5. India: $1.2 billion (2.4%)
6. Taiwan: $847.2 million (1.7%)
7. Germany: $471.4 million (0.9%)
8. United Kingdom: $450.2 million (0.9%)
9. Australia: $442.6 million (0.9%)
10. Netherlands: $387.2 million (0.8%)

British Columbia’s top trade partners in North America (mainly United States and, to a much lesser extent, Mexico) bought over half (56.3%) 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 and Taiwan) generated 32.9% of the province’s total export sales in 2022.

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 March 17, 2023

Government of Canada, Trade Data Online, Total exports, Distribution by province. Accessed on March 17, 2023

International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on March 17, 2023

International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on March 17, 2023

Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on March 17, 2023

Statista, GDP of British Columbia, Canada. Accessed on March 17, 2023

Wikipedia, British Columbia. Accessed on March 17, 2023

Wikipedia, Flag of British Columbia. Accessed on March 17, 2023

Wikipedia, List of largest public companies in Canada by profit. Accessed on March 17, 2023

Wikipedia, List of provincial and territorial nicknames in Canada. Accessed on March 17, 2023

Wikipedia, List of largest companies in Canada. Accessed on March 17, 2023

Wikipedia, Category:Manufacturing companies of Canada. Accessed on March 17, 2023

YCharts, Canada Labour Force Survey Report. Accessed on March 17, 2023