Food products — the leading export: what Ukraine sold to the world in 2025
13 January 10:12
According to the results of the 12 months of 2025, Ukraine’s total trade turnover amounted to $125.1 billion. Imports accounted for the lion’s share — $84.8 billion, while exports amounted to $40.3 billion. The data indicate that a significant trade deficit remains, while customs payments remain one of the key sources of budget revenue.
Imports: volumes, taxes, and key partners
In 2025, taxable imports reached $64.3 billion, accounting for 76% of all imported goods. The tax burden per 1 kg of taxable imports in January–December was $0.52/kg, a figure that reflects both the structure of imports and the impact of customs and tax policy.
The largest supplier countries were:
- China — $19.2 billion
- Poland — $7.9 billion
- Germany — $6.6 billion
What was imported the most
Three product groups dominated the import structure:
- Machinery, equipment, and transport — $34.1 billion; 207.8 billion hryvnia paid to the budget (29% of customs revenues).
- Chemical industry products — $12.5 billion; customs revenues — UAH 97.8 billion (14%).
- Fuel and energy products — $10.5 billion; customs revenues — UAH 214.8 billion (30%).
These three categories together accounted for more than two-thirds of customs payments, underscoring their fiscal importance.
Exports: sales markets and commodity structure
The largest destinations for Ukrainian exports in 2025 were:
- Poland — $5.0 billion
- Turkey — $2.7 billion
- Germany — $2.4 billion
Top 3 export goods
Food products — $22.5 billion
Metals and metal products — $4.7 billion
Machinery, equipment, and transport — $3.6 billion
In addition, UAH 1.53 billion was paid to the budget for customs clearance of exports subject to export duties.
What these figures mean
The 2025 figures show:
- high dependence on imports of energy and technological products;
- the leading role of food in exports;
- a significant contribution of customs payments to budget revenues.
For the economy, this means the need to diversify exports, increase processing, and gradually reduce import dependence in critical sectors.
