Amid tariff and trade confusion, Georgia posted record exports in 2025

The value of Georgia products sold overseas surpassed $60 billion last year, state officials said.

Georgia was ninth in the U.S. for exports in 2025, propped up by its logistics infrastructure of the world's busiest airport, an extensive railroad network and the ports of Brunswick and Savannah (pictured). (Courtesy of Georgia Ports Authority 2024)

By Amy Wenk

6 hours ago

Despite a barrage of new tariffs imposed across the globe, Georgia saw another record year for international trade in 2025.

Total trade last year reached nearly $211 billion, up almost 6% from 2024. Imports, subject to many tariffs enacted by the Trump administration, made up most of that activity, growing about 3% to more than $150 billion, according to a state report released Thursday.

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But the value of exports, or Georgia products sold overseas, surpassed a record $60 billion, jumping almost 13% from the prior year and propelling the state to become the ninth-largest exporter in the U.S. This despite tariffs or the threat of tariffs slapped on many Georgia-made or grown products from other countries in response to President Donald Trump’s aggressive trade policies.

The last time Georgia broke the top 10 list was in 2020, state officials said. In 2024, the state ranked as the 12th-largest exporter in the country.

Georgia’s trade expansion signals the strength of its logistics network and its presence as a global gateway for the aerospace, automotive, agriculture and advanced manufacturing industries, state officials said.

“Georgia is not just keeping pace, it is outpacing the nation in year-over-year growth for trade and export values,” Pat Wilson, commissioner of the state Department of Economic Development, said in a release. “Georgia’s move into the Top 10 exporting states marks a shift in U.S. and global supply chains and highlights new opportunities in Southeast Asia.”

Georgia’s growth came during a year of disorienting global trade policies.

Trump imposed a series of new tariffs throughout 2025, including on some of Georgia’s top trading partners, such as Canada and Mexico. Trump said the tariffs, which are taxes on imported goods, would boost jobs and bring new foreign investment to the U.S. Many countries retaliated or eventually sought to ink new trade pacts with the U.S.

Tariffs can also make U.S. exports more expensive to foreign buyers, as many goods are made with imported parts, and also because of upward pressure on the U.S. dollar.

The tariffs are estimated to have cost Georgia businesses and consumers $13 billion as of December, the fourth-most of any state, according to Trade Partnership Worldwide and small business activist coalition We Pay the Tariffs.

The U.S. Supreme Court last month ruled that it was illegal for Trump to impose tariffs under an emergency powers law without congressional approval. But Trump quickly imposed new temporary tariffs under a different legal mechanism and has vowed to seek more permanent ones.

“It does not mean tariffs are going away,” Jay Cho, managing director of tariffs and customs for Atlanta-based accounting and business advisory firm Aprio, said in a statement Thursday. “It reflects a broader and evolving trade policy environment where additional tariffs under other authorities remain a real possibility.”

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Georgia’s top exports remain civilian aircraft and ancillary parts, with the value of those goods growing to $16.4 billion in 2025, up from $12.6 billion the year before. It’s a nod to the state’s robust aerospace industry, home to companies such as Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. and Lockheed Martin.

Georgia’s other top exports included computers, motor vehicles, network communications equipment and medical devices.

Georgia's top exported product in 2025 was civilian aircraft and ancillary parts, such as Gulfstream’s G500 and G600 aircraft seen on the assembly line in Savannah in December. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Canada, Mexico, Singapore, Germany and the Netherlands were the top destinations for Georgia exports.

Georgia now places seventh in the U.S. for its dollar value of total trade, one spot lower than 2024 as the state of Indiana rose in rank.

Georgia has long been a logistics hub with the world’s busiest airport, an extensive railroad network and the ports of Savannah and Brunswick.

Gov. Brian Kemp, in the release, also touted the thousands of small businesses across the state “who have shown the entire world the value of a Georgia-made product.”

“With our coastal and inland ports continuing to grow capacity while we make key investments in other logistics infrastructure, Georgia is well positioned to break even more trade records in the years to come,” he said.

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