A large portion of Asia’s major exports are electronics circuits including related components, crude and refined petroleum oils and mobile phones. Leading exported goods from Europe are cars and medication mixes.
Listed below are searchable tables showing the 25 major exported products specific to each continent. These continental scorecards are presented in descending order starting with geographic areas responsible for the highest overall value worth of exported goods. Please scroll down to see the continent-specific table that you wish to research.
Asia’s Major Exported Products
Asia is a dominant player in the international sales of integrated circuits and semi-conductors, key components particularly for computerized machinery and also solar power equipment. On the apparel front, Asia is the number one supplier of women’s clothing as well as cases, handbags and wallets.
Additionally, Asia leads with majority percentages for exporting both crude oil and refined petroleum oils. This is because many Middle Eastern fossil-fuel producing countries are geographically considered part of Asia.
| Rank | Export Product | US$ | Since 2017 | Global % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Integrated circuits/microassemblies | $910,047,297,000 | +32.6% | 88.5% |
| 2. | Phone devices incl. smartphones | $497,234,979,000 | +14.7% | 78% |
| 3. | Crude oil | $309,172,287,000 | +18.1% | 36.5% |
| 4. | Processed petroleum oils | $306,618,021,000 | +45.6% | 42.6% |
| 5. | Computers, optical readers | $294,591,202,000 | +19.4% | 66.7% |
| 6. | Cars | $186,879,737,000 | +16.1% | 26.2% |
| 7. | Automobile parts/accessories | $131,394,228,000 | +26.4% | 32.4% |
| 8. | Computer parts, accessories | $127,420,321,000 | +27.0% | 78.4% |
| 9. | Solar power diodes/semi-conductors | $116,958,774,000 | +23.5% | 80.2% |
| 10. | Gold (unwrought) | $110,806,978,000 | -26.7% | 28% |
| 11. | Petroleum gases | $104,083,996,000 | +17.2% | 27.6% |
| 12. | Electrical converters/power units | $76,406,901,000 | +26.8% | 59.8% |
| 13. | Machinery for making semi-conductors | $72,334,713,000 | +37.3% | 57.7% |
| 14. | TV/radio/radar device parts | $66,244,518,000 | +40.8% | 82.2% |
| 15. | Diamonds (unmounted/unset) | $65,739,896,000 | +51.5% | 59.5% |
| 16. | Insulated wire/cable | $61,414,357,000 | +27.2% | 40.5% |
| 17. | Miscellaneous furniture | $60,674,151,000 | +27.3% | 51.9% |
| 18. | Electric storage batteries | $59,409,211,000 | +41.9% | 59.9% |
| 19. | Lower-voltage switches, fuses | $58,495,225,000 | +24.4% | 47.4% |
| 20. | Jewelry | $58,271,051,000 | +43.2% | 57.7% |
| 21. | Liquid crystal/laser/optical tools | $56,129,451,000 | +25.5% | 84.3% |
| 22. | TV receivers/monitors/projectors | $55,819,463,000 | +17.1% | 52.4% |
| 23. | Printing machinery | $55,522,648,000 | +17.1% | 62.2% |
| 24. | Printed circuits | $53,521,445,000 | +26.4% | 89.6% |
| 25. | Models, puzzles, miscellaneous toys | $53,377,966,000 | +38.9% | 74.4% |
Year over year, the fastest growers among Asia’s major exported products are unmounted diamonds (up 51.5% from 2020 to 2021), processed petroleum oils (up 45.6%), jewelry (up 43.2%), electric storage devices (up 41.9%), then television or radio and radar device parts (up 40.8%).
Europe’s Major Exported Products
Europe is a primary source for medical-related exports notably drugs and medicines in dosage (79.4% of the global total), blood fraction including antisera (75%), and electro-medical equipment including xrays (47%).
Exporters in Europe generated the leading share of exported car sales (54.4% of the global total), turbo-jets (55.5%), and aircraft or spacecraft (74.7%).
| Rank | Export Product | US$ | Since 2017 | Global % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Cars | $387,476,570 | +9.4% | 54.4% |
| 2. | Medication mixes in dosage | $333,215,439 | +2.8% | 79.4% |
| 3. | Processed petroleum oils | $275,382,976 | +54.5% | 38.2% |
| 4. | Blood fractions (including antisera) | $268,403,507 | +43.3% | 75% |
| 5. | Automobile parts/accessories | $190,796,856 | +15.5% | 47.1% |
| 6. | Crude oil | $173,259,235 | +51.8% | 20.4% |
| 7. | Gold (unwrought) | $164,910,948 | +22% | 41.6% |
| 8. | Petroleum gases | $108,783,353 | +167.9% | 28.9% |
| 9. | Phone devices incl. smartphones | $91,686,375 | +6.8% | 14.4% |
| 10. | Computers, optical readers | $83,884,886 | +10.7% | 19% |
| 11. | Electro-medical equip (e.g. xrays) | $72,051,021 | +15.4% | 47% |
| 12. | Turbo-jets | $65,071,171 | +8.8% | 55.5% |
| 13. | Integrated circuits/microassemblies | $61,025,635 | +22.8% | 5.9% |
| 14. | Aircraft, spacecraft | $59,771,342 | +5.6% | 74.7% |
| 15. | Insulated wire/cable | $55,708,650 | +29% | 36.7% |
| 16. | Heterocyclics, nucleic acids | $55,612,494 | -0.4% | 69.5% |
| 17. | Trucks | $50,342,761 | +16.8% | 35.5% |
| 18. | Electrical energy | $49,488,800 | +175.3% | 80.2% |
| 19. | Taps, valves, similar appliances | $48,585,827 | +17.5% | 47.4% |
| 20. | Miscellaneous furniture | $47,121,382 | +22.9% | 40.3% |
| 21. | Lower-voltage switches, fuses | $47,006,610 | +20.9% | 38.1% |
| 22. | Miscellaneous machinery | $46,276,468 | +15.9% | 49.8% |
| 23. | Platinum (unwrought) | $45,583,038 | +24.1% | 50.3% |
| 24. | Orthopedic appliances | $44,304,399 | +20.7% | 64.8% |
| 25. | Centrifuges, filters and purifiers | $43,400,422 | +16.6% | 49.6% |
Year over year, energy-related products appreciated at the fastest pace from 2020 to 2021. These include electrical energy (up 175.3%), petroleum gases (up 167.9%), refined petroleum oils (up 54.5%), and crude oil (up 51.8%).
North America’s Major Exported Products
North America places high on the scorecard for exported soya beans via its 38.1% global share, second only to Latin America plus the Caribbean at 57.4%.
Over a third (34.2%) of internationally sold trucks came from North America in 2021.
In contrast, North America supplied only 17.4% of overall exported cars compared to 54.4% from Europe and 26.2% from Asia. Another notable fact is that North American providers accounted for 7.1% of globally exported mobile phones, far behind growing suppliers in Asia (78%) and Europe (14.4%).
| Rank | Export Product | US$ | Since 2017 | Global % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Crude oil | $175,318,047 | +56.8% | 20.7% |
| 2. | Cars | $123,744,139 | +4.7% | 17.4% |
| 3. | Processed petroleum oils | $99,609,394 | +50.6% | 13.8% |
| 4. | Petroleum gases | $82,935,779 | +106.3% | 22% |
| 5. | Automobile parts/accessories | $77,149,836 | +11.6% | 19% |
| 6. | Computers, optical readers | $61,779,817 | +6.1% | 14% |
| 7. | Integrated circuits/microassemblies | $57,227,683 | +20.1% | 5.6% |
| 8. | Trucks | $48,527,880 | +20.5% | 34.2% |
| 9. | Gold (unwrought) | $46,185,640 | +15.4% | 11.7% |
| 10. | Phone devices incl. smartphones | $45,325,474 | +9% | 7.1% |
| 11. | Blood fractions (including antisera) | $44,882,160 | +67.8% | 12.5% |
| 12. | Electro-medical equip (e.g. xrays) | $41,491,598 | +11.5% | 27.1% |
| 13. | Medication mixes in dosage | $38,559,022 | +22.1% | 9.2% |
| 14. | Soya beans | $30,008,467 | +9% | 38.1% |
| 15. | Machinery for making semi-conductors | $26,555,596 | +34.1% | 21.2% |
| 16. | Insulated wire/cable | $24,920,281 | +24.8% | 16.4% |
| 17. | Ethylene polymers | $19,937,243 | +33.7% | 19.6% |
| 18. | Corn | $19,665,116 | +95.8% | 36.4% |
| 19. | TV receivers/monitors/projectors | $18,357,456 | +15.8% | 17.2% |
| 20. | Computer parts, accessories | $18,296,998 | +25.9% | 11.3% |
| 21. | Sawn wood | $16,857,198 | +63.5% | 30% |
| 22. | Turbo-jets | $16,699,579 | +6.3% | 14.2% |
| 23. | Centrifuges, filters and purifiers | $16,507,506 | +15.1% | 18.9% |
| 24. | Diamonds (unmounted/unset) | $16,323,063 | +44.1% | 14.8% |
| 25. | Coal, solid fuels made from coal | $15,756,329 | +66.4% | 12.7% |
Year over year, fastest growers among North America’s major exported goods are petroleum gases (up 106.3% from 2020), corn (up 95.8%), blood fractions including antisera (up 67.8%), coal-related solid fuels (up 66.4%), sawn wood (up 63.5%), then crude oil (up 56.8%).
Latin America’s Major Exported Products
Latin America including the Caribbean enjoyed a majority share (58.7%) of globally exported copper in 2021. In addition, Latin American suppliers lead international sales of soya beans (57.4% of the global total) but also soya-bean oil-cake and other solid residues (62.6%).
Sugar is another export from which Latin America earned a significant portion (46.7%) of overall global sales for a specific commodity.
Note that the Latin American metrics include not only the Caribbean but Mexico. The latter is also part of the North American statistics.
| Rank | Export Product | US$ | Since 2017 | Global % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Crude oil | $78,562,281 | +51.6% | 9.3% |
| 2. | Copper ores, concentrates | $52,132,123 | +56.7% | 58.7% |
| 3. | Iron ores, concentrates | $49,265,076 | +73.2% | 22.6% |
| 4. | Soya beans | $45,261,641 | +34.4% | 57.4% |
| 5. | Cars | $44,516,394 | +2% | 6.2% |
| 6. | Trucks | $35,947,453 | +28.1% | 25.3% |
| 7. | Computers, optical readers | $33,834,530 | +3.7% | 7.7% |
| 8. | Automobile parts/accessories | $33,319,002 | +15.8% | 8.2% |
| 9. | Gold (unwrought) | $29,186,501 | +15% | 7.4% |
| 10. | Refined copper, unwrought alloys | $23,738,478 | +46.4% | 27.6% |
| 11. | Soya-bean oil-cake, other solid residues | $20,175,802 | +38.2% | 62.6% |
| 12. | Processed petroleum oils | $18,269,264 | +60.9% | 2.5% |
| 13. | Insulated wire/cable | $16,920,597 | +32% | 11.1% |
| 14. | TV receivers/monitors/projectors | $15,874,323 | +19.7% | 14.9% |
| 15. | Electro-medical equip (e.g. xrays) | $14,748,603 | +15.2% | 9.6% |
| 16. | Corn | $13,865,373 | +10.2% | 25.7% |
| 17. | Coffee | $13,449,938 | +21.7% | 37% |
| 18. | Phone devices incl. smartphones | $13,059,883 | -0.5% | 2% |
| 19. | Frozen beef | $12,789,119 | +11.3% | 40.5% |
| 20. | Sugar (cane or beet) | $11,853,716 | +1.8% | 46.7% |
| 21. | Soya-bean oil | $10,337,385 | +94.2% | 60.7% |
| 22. | Tractors | $9,716,395 | +30.8% | 15.6% |
| 23. | Chemical woodpulp (non-dissolving) | $8,761,226 | +13.4% | 27.1% |
| 24. | Crustaceans (including lobsters) | $8,714,404 | +35.8% | 24.8% |
| 25. | Poultry meat | $7,733,758 | +24.9% | 26% |
Soya-bean oil was the fastest grower among Latin America’s major export products via a 94.2% year-over-year advance. In second place were iron ores or concentrates which appreciated by 73.2% from 2020 to 2021, followed by processed petroleum oils (up 60.9%), then copper ores and concentrates (up 56.7%) and crude oil (up 51.6%).
Africa’s Major Exported Products
Africa is the preeminent supplier of exported coco beans via almost a three-quarter share (73.4%) of world total export sales for that commodity. As the table below shows, other major exports for which Africa is the dominant source are cobalt (65.8%) and aluminum ores or concentrates (62.2%).
| Rank | Export Product | US$ | Since 2017 | Global% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Crude oil | $127,336,298 | +69.3% | 15% |
| 2. | Petroleum gases | $32,651,680 | +95.9% | 8.7% |
| 3. | Gold (unwrought) | $28,893,669 | -39.1% | 7.3% |
| 4. | Platinum (unwrought) | $23,405,535 | +115.8% | 25.8% |
| 5. | Processed petroleum oils | $18,735,095 | +54.8% | 2.6% |
| 6. | Iron ores, concentrates | $12,771,099 | +69.1% | 5.9% |
| 7. | Refined copper, unwrought alloys | $11,113,059 | +2.9% | 12.9% |
| 8. | Cars | $9,741,005 | +26.3% | 1.4% |
| 9. | Diamonds (unmounted/unset) | $8,246,007 | +8% | 7.5% |
| 10. | Cocoa beans | $8,092,586 | +26.1% | 73.4% |
| 11. | Unrefined copper | $7,975,128 | +23.2% | 57.3% |
| 12. | Coal, solid fuels made from coal | $7,262,082 | +58.9% | 5.9% |
| 13. | Insulated wire/cable | $6,693,380 | +20.9% | 4.4% |
| 14. | Fertilizer mixes | $5,752,127 | +62.7% | 18.7% |
| 15. | Manganese ores, concentrates | $4,884,935 | +13.5% | 91% |
| 16. | Iron ferroalloys | $4,853,342 | +64% | 11.9% |
| 17. | Cobalt | $4,659,809 | +1557.8% | 65.8% |
| 18. | Trucks | $4,155,289 | +41.4% | 2.9% |
| 19. | Cashews, coconuts, Brazil nuts | $3,953,265 | +73.6% | 10.7% |
| 20. | Aluminum ores, concentrates | $3,636,034 | +1.4% | 62.2% |
| 21. | Fresh or dried citrus fruit | $3,263,804 | +6.1% | 20.2% |
| 22. | Phosphoric/polyphosphoric acids | $3,039,686 | +81.1% | 51.8% |
| 23. | Centrifuges, filters and purifiers | $2,771,647 | +44.1% | 3.2% |
| 24. | Aluminum (unwrought) | $2,495,722 | +1.6% | 3.3% |
| 25. | Coffee | $2,454,835 | +24.1% | 6.8% |
Fastest growers among Africa’s major exported products are cobalt (up 1,558% from 2020 to 2021. Other African exports posting impressive year-over-year gains was unwrought platinum (up 115.8%) then petroleum gases (up 95.9%).
Oceania’s Major Exported Products
Led by Australia and New Zealand, Oceania’s is the world leader in exported iron ores or concentrates thanks to its 53.4% global share. Oceania dominates international sales of exported wool (77.6%), and sheep or goat meat (68.8%).
| Rank | Export Product | US$ | Since 2017 | Global % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Iron ores, concentrates | $116,615,828 | +48.8% | 53.4% |
| 2. | Coal, solid fuels made from coal | $43,945,170 | +34.2% | 35.4% |
| 3. | Petroleum gases | $42,724,651 | +39.6% | 11.3% |
| 4. | Gold (unwrought) | $19,554,071 | -2.9% | 4.9% |
| 5. | Crude oil | $8,502,549 | +63.7% | 1% |
| 6. | Concentrated/sweetened milk, cream | $8,040,588 | +22.6% | 34.4% |
| 7. | Wheat | $7,247,939 | +167.2% | 12.8% |
| 8. | Copper ores, concentrates | $6,734,031 | +26.4% | 7.6% |
| 9. | Frozen beef | $6,638,796 | +6.8% | 21% |
| 10. | Sheep or goat meat | $6,295,328 | +19.7% | 68.8% |
| 11. | Aluminum oxide/hydroxide | $5,894,856 | +21.8% | 33% |
| 12. | Aluminum (unwrought) | $4,700,431 | +49.9% | 6.3% |
| 13. | Rough wood | $3,928,437 | +14.6% | 23.6% |
| 14. | Fresh or chilled beef | $3,365,401 | +10.7% | 11.7% |
| 15. | Refined copper, unwrought alloys | $3,272,548 | +36.5% | 3.8% |
| 16. | Wine | $3,066,735 | -10.5% | 7.5% |
| 17. | Processed petroleum oils | $3,032,177 | +48.4% | 0.4% |
| 18. | Wool (uncarded, uncombed) | $2,861,543 | +56.4% | 77.6% |
| 19. | Cheese, curd | $2,264,450 | +14.1% | 6.1% |
| 20. | Rape/colza seeds | $2,213,701 | +175.8% | 15.4% |
| 21. | Butter, other milk fats or oils | $2,176,788 | +10.5% | 21.8% |
| 22. | Miscellaneous fruits (fresh) | $2,066,734 | +14.1% | 8.8% |
| 23. | Barley | $2,032,384 | +122.4% | 18.6% |
| 24. | Coins | $1,953,675 | +87.2% | 21.4% |
| 25. | Flour/malt extract food preparations | $1,933,837 | -15.5% | 8.5% |
Fastest growers among major exports from Oceania were rape or colza seeds up 175.8% from 2020 to 2021. Also posting triple-digit advances were exports of wheat (up 167.2%) and barley (up 122.4%).
Central America’s Major Exported Products
Central America is a significant exporter of nutmeg-related spices with a 40.3% share of international sales in 2021. Bananas and plantains represent another agricultural product where Central American suppliers earn a respectable portion at 15.9% of global exports.
| Rank | Export Product | US$ | Since 2017 | Global % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Electro-medical equip (e.g. xrays) | $4,114,835 | +32.3% | 2.7% |
| 2. | Coffee | $3,184,902 | +32.7% | 8.8% |
| 3. | Bananas, plantains | $2,211,188 | -3.4% | 15.9% |
| 4. | Insulated wire/cable | $1,683,722 | +55.9% | 1.1% |
| 5. | Palm oil | $1,259,516 | +24% | 2.6% |
| 6. | T-shirts, vests (knit or crochet) | $1,251,325 | +44.3% | 2.5% |
| 7. | Dates/fig/pineapple/mango/avocado/guavas | $1,129,097 | +13.6% | 6.9% |
| 8. | Sugar (cane or beet) | $1,034,924 | -5.1% | 4.1% |
| 9. | Gold (unwrought) | $1,033,551 | +29.1% | 0.3% |
| 10. | Jerseys, pullovers (knit or crochet) | $874,534 | +55.3% | 1.3% |
| 11. | Orthopedic appliances | $869,087 | +40% | 1.3% |
| 12. | Crustaceans (including lobsters) | $831,693 | +35.5% | 2.4% |
| 13. | Other food preparations | $792,721 | +26.4% | 1.4% |
| 14. | Medication mixes in dosage | $622,806 | +2.4% | 0.1% |
| 15. | Plastic packing goods, lids, caps | $561,641 | +9.9% | 0.8% |
| 16. | Nutmeg, mace and cardamoms | $525,546 | -48.9% | 40.3% |
| 17. | Frozen beef | $512,668 | +26.5% | 1.6% |
| 18. | Men's shirts (knit or crochet) | $443,343 | +38.6% | 5.5% |
| 19. | Blouses, women's shirts (knit or crochet) | $440,235 | +9% | 10.4% |
| 20. | Bread, biscuits, cakes, pastries | $438,971 | +15.8% | 1% |
| 21. | Paper containers, cellulose wadding | $411,155 | +22% | 1.3% |
| 22. | Iron ferroalloys | $408,937 | +27.5% | 1% |
| 23. | Cigars/cigarellos, cigarettes | $407,484 | +2.1% | 2.1% |
| 24. | Non-alcoholic drinks (not water/juice/milk) | $385,086 | +31.8% | 1.5% |
| 25. | Fresh or chilled beef | $378,076 | +38.8% | 1.3% |
Insulated wire or cable represents Central America’s fastest-growing category up by 55.9% in value from 2020 to 2021. Central American exports of knitted or crocheted jerseys and pullovers appreciated 55.3% year over year, ahead of knitted or crocheted t-shirts and vests (up 44.3%), then orthopedic appliances (up 40%).
See alsod Top African Export Countries, Top Central American Export Countries, Top Oceanian Export Countries and Top South American Export Countries
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports and World Population. Accessed on September 17, 2022
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on September 17, 2022
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on September 17, 2022
Wikipedia, List of countries and dependencies by population. Accessed on September 17, 2022
