Exports to the USA drop 14% in May; balance has a positive balance of US$ 7.8 billion

Brazil recorded a deficit in its trade transactions with the United States in May, the Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services (MDIC) reported this Wednesday (3).
The trade deficit means that Brazil imported more American products than it exported to the United States. For the Brazilian economy, this fact represents an unfavorable scenario.
According to the government, exports to the US totaled US$3.09 billion in May, a drop of 14% compared to the same period last year.
At the same time, imports totaled US$3.21 billion from the North American economy, a decline of 11% compared to October 2024.
As a result, the balance was in deficit for Brazil in US$ 121 million last month.
In the first five months of this year, government data show a drop in foreign sales to the United States of 16%, equivalent to US$ 2.7 billion less. During the period, Brazilian exports there totaled US$ 14 billion.
This decline still does not take into account the effects of the 25% tariff on Brazilian goods announced this Monday (1), under the allegation that the government adopts practices that "encumber or restrict" trade with North Americans.
And not even an additional tariff on 60 countries - including Brazil - which would have failed to prohibit and monitor the import of goods produced with forced labor. The two surcharges, together, can reach 37.5%.
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Trade balance as a whole
▶ Despite the drop in sales to the USA, the trade balance as a whole registered a positive balance of US$ 7.82 billion in May this year, according to official data from the Brazilian government.
The result is a surplus when exports exceed imports. When the opposite happens, the result is a deficit.
The positive balance registered an increase of 10.8% compared to the same period last year, when it totaled US$ 7.06 billion.
This was also the best result for the months of May since 2024, when a surplus of US$ 8.3 billion was recorded.
According to the government, in May:
Exports totaled US$ 31.9 billion, an increase of 12% on average daily;
Imports totaled US$ 24.1 billion, with an increase of 10.6% in the daily average.
US$ 15 billion is the volume of exports that could be affected if a 25% tariff is applied, according to the American Chamber of Commerce for Brazil
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Accumulated for the year
In the first five months of this year, the trade balance recorded a positive balance of US$ 32.66 billion, reported the government.
As a result, there was an increase of 34.2% compared to the same period in 2025, when the positive balance totaled US$ 24.33 billion.
In the accumulated result for this year, exports totaled US$ 148.57 billion - an increase of 9.8% compared to the same period last year, according to the daily average.
Imports totaled US$ 115.9 billion in the first five months of 2026, with an increase of 4.2% compared to the same period in 2025, also based on the daily average.
Exports in May
The highlights of foreign sales in May continue to be basic products, such as soybeans, oil and ores:
Soy: US$ 6.3 billion, with an increase of 14.6%;
Crude petroleum oils: US$ 3.81 billion, with a drop of 9.3%;
Iron ore: US$ 1.97 billion, with a decrease of 15.2%;
Beef: US$ 1.7 billion, with an increase of 50%;
Fuel oils: US$ 1.19 billion, with an increase of 75%;
Soybean meal: US$ 1.03 billion, with an increase of 21.1%.
The main consumers of Products sold by Brazil abroad continue to be China and the European Union, with the United States in third place:
China: increase of 9.5%, to US$ 10.47 billion;
European Union: increase of 8.8%, to US$ 4.9 billion;
United States: drop of 14%, to US$ 3.09 billion
Mercosur: drop of 15.6%, to US$ 1.89 billion;
Asean: up 7.2%, to US$1.75 billion;
Africa: up 10.2%, to US$1.17 billion;
Middle East: down 21.5%, to US$987 million;
Mexico: up 11.2%, to US$752 million.

Source: G1