Yesterday’s Twenty-Four looked at the 89% of Alberta’s international merchandise exports that go to the U.S. Today, we zero-in on the other 11%.

As with its exports to its southern neighbour, Alberta’s sales of goods to countries other than the U.S. increased last year, rising by 9.7% to $20.6 billion—the second highest annual tally on record.

The annual increase was driven by an 83% spike in energy product sales (mostly to Asian countries). In 2022, it was a dramatic increase in liquified propane sales that drove up energy product exports to Asia. Propane sales have since moderated with sales of crude oil picking up the slack last year.

The rise in crude oil exports to Asia last year was made possible by the completion of the Trans Mountain Expansion (TMX) Project. (TMX began operations on May 1, 2024, adding up to 590,000 barrels per day of pipeline capacity from Alberta to the B.C. coast.)

While the rise in energy sales to Asia is a welcome development in itself, and as a hedge against potential U.S. tariffs, it is important to note that Alberta’s energy product sales to countries other than the U.S. accounted for just 4.5% of its total energy exports last year.

Farm and intermediate food products (e.g., wheat, canola, cooking oil, eggs, flour, malt, fresh fruit and vegetables, sugar, and live animals—but not meat, frozen food, canned food, cheese, beverages, and processed foods like pasta which are included in the consumer goods category) was Alberta’s largest category of exports to countries other than the U.S. last year at 31% of sales (energy was second at 30%.)

Although still high compared to their five-year averages, lower crop prices last year helped push down the value of Alberta’s international exports of farm and intermediate food products to non-U.S. destinations by 14.0%.

The third (consumer goods) and fourth (chemicals and plastic) largest non-U.S. export categories, however, both posted gains last year, rising by 19.3% and 16.6%, respectively.

China is Alberta’s largest non-U.S. customer, accounting for 32.4% of sales to countries other than the U.S. last year. Driven by a 376% spike in energy (mostly crude oil) exports, Alberta’s total sales to China increased by 21.9% last year. When energy is excluded, exports to China fell by 11.3% last year.

Although dwarfed by its sales to the U.S. and not without its own challenges, Alberta’s exports to the over 7.5 billion people living in countries other than the U.S. has significant room to grow.

Answer to the previous trivia question: The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) was signed by 23 countries (including Canada and the U.S.) in 1947.

Today’s trivia question: Which country was Alberta’s smallest customer last year, importing less than $2,000 worth of goods from the province last year?