Nicknamed “The Beautiful Province” (“La Belle Province” in French) and located in Eastern Canada, the province of Quebec shipped US$87.1 billion worth of products around the globe in 2022.

That dollar amount results from a 22.1% increase from $71.3 billion four years earlier in 2018.

Year over year, the overall value of Quebec’s exported goods gained 8.8% compared to $80.1 billion for 2021.

Quebec ranks as Canada’s third-best exporter by province or territory behind front-running provinces Ontario and Alberta. The value of Quebec’s exported goods equals 14.6% of Canada’s overall export sales for 2022, down from 15.9% in 2021.

Quebec’s exported products represent 28.9% of the province’s total economic output or Gross Domestic Product ($377.9 billion for 2021—the latest available data at article publication). Currency used for this calculation started from chained 2012 Canadian dollars.

Given Quebec’s population of 8.7 million people, its total $87.1 billion in 2022 exports translates to roughly $10,000 for every resident in the Eastern Canadian province. That dollar metric outpaces the average $9,300 per person one year earlier in 2021.

Quebec’s unemployment rate was 4.1% in February 2023, down from 4.4% one year earlier per YCharts.

Quebec’s Top 10 Exports

The following export products represent the highest dollar value for Quebec’s global shipments during 2022. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from Quebec.

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

1. Unalloyed unwrought aluminum: US$4.5 billion (8.6% of BC’s exports)
2. Large aircraft: $4.18 billion (8%)
3. Alloyed unwrought aluminum: $3.8 billion (7.3%)
4. Miscellaneous petroleum oils: $3.1 billion (6%)
5. Non-agglomerated iron ores, concentrates: $3 billion (5.8%)
6. Refined copper wire: $1.5 billion (2.8%)
7. Turbo-jets (high-thrust): $1.09 billion (2.1%)
8. Electrical energy: $1.07 billion (2.1%)
9. Unwrought refined copper cathodes, cathode sections: $1 billion (1.9%)
10. Ground flying trainers including flight simulators, parts: $973.4 million (1.9%)
11. Newsprint (in rolls or sheets): $940.2 million (1.8%)
12. Turbo-jet/turbo-propeller parts: $892.9 million (1.7%)
13. Medium-size aircraft: $878.3 million (1.7%)
14. Iron ores and concentrates (agglomerated): $860.8 million (1.7%)
15. Soya beans: $684.3 million (1.3%)

Quebec’s top 15 exports accounted for 54.7% of the overall value of the province’s global shipments.

Miscellaneous petroleum oils represent the fastest grower among Quebec’s top 15 export products, up by 95.8% from 2021 to 2022.

In second place for Quebec’s improving export sales were ground flying trainers including flight simulators which rose 80.7%. Quebec’s shipments of newsprint in rolls or sheets posted the third-fastest gain in value up by 40.8% just ahead exported electrical energy (up 40.6%) and significantly outpacing exports of high-thrust turbo-jets (up 20.8%).

The severest decline was for unwrought refined copper cathodes and cathode sections, dragged down by a -20.5% reduction from 2021.

More Key Facts about Quebec’s International Trade

Quebec incurred a $5.2 billion surplus exporting and importing products during 2022. That dollar amount reflects -49.2% in shrinkage from Quebec’s $10.2 billion in black 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.

Quebec’s spending on imported products totaled $81.9 billion for 2022.

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

1. Crude petroleum oils: US$5 billion (6.1% of Specific year(s): 2022’s imports)
2. Light petroleum oils: $3.3 billion (4%)
3. Turbo-jet/turbo-propeller parts: $2.2 billion (2.7%)
4. Miscellaneous petroleum oils: $2.17 billion (2.7%)
5. Aluminium oxides (excluding artificial corundum): $1.58 billion (1.9%)
6. Miscellaneous medications: $1.47 billion (1.8%)
7. Unrefined copper; copper anodes for electrolytic refining: $1.18 billion (1.4%)
8. Silver (unwrought): $953.1 million (1.2%)
9. Grape wines excluding sparkling varieties: $717.7 million (0.9%)
10. Turbo-jets (high-thrust): $696.5 million (0.9%)

Quebec has highly positive net exports in the international trade of aluminum and aircraft. In turn, these cashflows indicate Quebec’s competitive advantages under related product categories.

Quebec’s Major Trade Partners

The following list shows the top 10 customers that purchase 87.1% worth of the total value of products exported from the province of Quebec during 2022.

1. United States: US$63.4 billion (72.9% of Quebec’s exports)
2. China: $2.7 billion (3.1%)
3. Mexico: $1.7 billion (2%)
4. France: $1.5 billion (1.7%)
5. Japan: $1.3 billion (1.5%)
6. Germany: $1.27 billion (1.5%)
7. United Kingdom: $1.1 billion (1.3%)
8. South Korea: $983.6 million (1.1%)
9. Netherlands: $934.4 million (1.1%)
10. India: $891.6 million (1%)

Quebec’s top trade partners in North America (United States and Mexico) bought almost three-quarters (74.8%) of the overall value of exported goods from La Belle Province.

That percentage far exceeds the percentages for leading importers of Quebec’s products in Asia (6.7%) and Europe (5.5%).

Quebecois Export-Related 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 Quebec.

• Bank of Montreal (finance)
• Bell Canada (telecommunications)
• Bombardier Inc. (aerospace, defense)
• Canadian National Railway (transportation)
• National Bank of Canada (finance)
• Royal Bank of Canada (finance)
• Saputo Inc. (food processing)

Shown within brackets for each company is a summary of the international trade-related products or services which each business manages.
 
Quebec’s capital is Quebec City, nicknamed “la capitale nationale”. That moniker translates as “the national capital” in English.

See also Canada’s Top 10 Exports, Alberta’s Top Exports, Ontario’s Top Exportsand British Columbia’s Top Exports

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FlagPictures.org, C.A. Provinces. Accessed on March 17, 2023

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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 Quebec in Canada. 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

Wikipedia, Quebec. Accessed on March 17, 2023

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