For the sixth consecutive month since the Trump administration’s tariff increase, Brazilian exports to the United States have fallen. Sales to China, however, continued to rise, according to data released on Thursday (Feb. 5) in Brasília by the Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services.

In January, sales to the United States totaled USD 2.4 billion, a 25.5 percent decrease compared to USD 3.22 billion in the same month of 2025. Imports of US products fell 10.9 percent to USD 3.07 billion, resulting in a USD 670 million bilateral trade deficit for Brazil.

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This was the sixth consecutive decline in Brazilian sales to the US since the imposition of the 50 percent surcharge applied by the Donald Trump administration to Brazilian products in mid-2025. Although the tariff was partially revised at the end of last year, the ministry estimates that 22 percent of Brazilian exports are still subject to the extra rates, which vary between 40 percent and 50 percent.

In contrast to the United States, Brazil recorded positive results with China. Brazilian exports to the Asian country grew 17.4 percent in January, totaling USD 6.47 billion, compared to USD 5.51 billion a year earlier. Imports fell 4.9 percent to USD 5.75 billion, ensuring a surplus of USD 720 million for Brazil in the month.

Trade flow

China and the US are Brazil’s main trading partners. The trade flow - the sum of imports and exports - reached USD 12.23 billion, a 5.7 percent increase with China. Trade with the United States totaled USD 5.47 billion, an 18 percent decrease, reflecting reductions in both exports and imports.

The Brazilian trade balance registered the second-highest surplus for the month of January since records began in 1989, benefiting from a drop in imports, the Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services (MDIC) announced on Thursday (Feb. 5). Last month, exports exceeded imports by USD 4.342 billion, an increase of 85.8 percent compared to the surplus of USD 2.337 billion in the same month of 2025.

The January trade balance result is surpassed only by 2024, when the surplus reached USD 6.196 billion.

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The value of exports and imports:
Exports: USD 25.153 billion, a 1 percent decrease compared to January last year;
Imports: USD 20.810 billion, a 9.8 percent decrease in the same period.

The value of exports is the third highest for the month of January since records began in 1989, surpassed only by January 2024 and 2025. Imports registered the second-highest January on record, surpassed only by the same month last year.

Sectors

In the distribution by economic sectors, exports in January varied as follows:

• Agriculture: 2.1 percent, with a 3.4 percent decrease in volume and a 5.3 percent increase in average price;
• Extractive industry: minus 3.4 percent, with a 6.2 percent increase in volume and a 9.1 percent decrease in average price;
• Manufacturing industry: minus 0.5 percent, with a 0.6 percent decrease in volume and a 0.1 percent decrease in average price.