Alabama had another banner year for exports in 2024 – down slightly from last year’s all-time mark but still good enough for second highest in history.

The Alabama Department of Commerce Monday announced that Alabama goods and services to other countries topped $26.8 billion, only 2% less than the $27.4 billion in 2023.

That was still nearly 30% higher than the figure for the pre-pandemic year of 2019.

Exports were up for all of the state’s three biggest trading partners – Canada, Mexico and China – at a time when the new Trump Administration is levying or talking of imposing tariffs on goods coming from those countries.

Alabama’s top goods destination was Canada, with goods up 7% to $4.3 billion. Second was Mexico, at $4.2 billion, up a whopping 32% from the previous year. China surged another 11%, to $4.1 billion.

Germany, at number four, finished with $4.1 billion, which was actually down 19%. Japan also stepped back to $880 million, down 8%.

In all, Alabama exports went to 201 countries in 2024, an increase from 190 in the previous year. That included shipments to destinations like Fiji, Christmas Island and Papua New Guinea.

According to Commerce, South Korea, India, Brazil and the United Kingdom were also strong trading partners, with growth coming in goods to Costa Rica, Thailand, Singapore and Taiwan.

Commerce Secretary Ellen McNair said Alabama-made goods are reaching markets around the world, “fueling economic growth at home.”

“By expanding our global trade footprint, we are not only increasing opportunities for our businesses but also reinforcing Alabama’s reputation as a leader in innovation and high-quality production,” she said.

As in previous years, the state’s biggest export by far was transportation equipment, which includes motor vehicles, auto parts, ships and aerospace products. Goods in this category totaled $13.7 billion in 2024, which was a drop of 8% from the previous year’s record tally.

Motor vehicles, the state’s top export product, represented $10.7 billion of that total, but the figure was nearly 8% lower than the prior year. The top destinations were Germany, China, Canada, Mexico and South Korea.

Alabama also exported $2.5 billion in minerals and ores, $2.2 billion in primary metals, and $2.1 billion in chemicals.