Alabama's international engagement fuels job growth and increases exports. Alabama companies exported $27.4 billion in goods last year, which helped support more than 530,000 jobs in the state. The majority of companies that export from Alabama are small and medium sized businesses.

• In Alabama, 530,100 jobs were supported by trade, representing 19.4% of all jobs in the state.^1,2
• In 2022, 4,247 companies exported goods from Alabama of which 80% were small- and medium-sized enterprises. In 2021, 120,000 people were employed by affiliates of companies at least 50% foreign-owned.^3,4

• Alabama exported $27.4 billion in goods to foreign markets in 2023.⁵
  • Germany ($5.1 billion)
  • Canada ($3.9 billion)
  • China ($3.8 billion)
  • Mexico ($3.2 billion)
  • South Kora (1.2 billion)
• Agricultural exports are important to Alabama's economy, totaling $1.7 billion in 2022, according to the USDA.⁶
• Since 2014, the U.S. Export-Import Bank has financed $447 million in exports from 54 companies in Alabama.⁷
• The Millennium Challenge Corporation has provided $9.3 million in funding to Alabama organizations since the agency's inception in 2004.⁸
• Since 1992, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency has helped facilitate $237 million in exports from Alabama companies.⁹

• From 2022-2023, 9,022 international students were enrolled in Alabama colleges and universities and contributed $305 million to the Alabama economy.¹⁰

• Since 1961, 1,253 Peace Corps volunteers from Alabama have served in dozens of countries overseas.¹¹

1. https://s3.amazonaws.com/brt.org/Business-Roundtable_TradeandAmericanJobs2022.pdf
2. https://www.businessroundtable.org/policy-perspectives/trade-international/benefits-of-trade-data
3. https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/Press-Release/edb/edbrel2021.pdf
4. https://www.bea.gov/sites/default/files/2023-08/imne0823_0.pdf
5. https://www.trade.gov/data-visualization/state-economy-and-trade-factsheets
6. https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/state-fact-sheets.aspx#.U2ERwbQzqX8
7. https://www.exim.gov/customer-map/
8. https://www.mcc.gov/work-with-us/mcc-business/vehicles/
9. https://ustda.gov/ustda-success-by-state/
10. https://www.nafsa.org/policy-and-advocacy/policy-resources/nafsa-international-student-economic-value-tool-v2
11. https://www.peacecorps.gov/stories/peace-corps-announces-top-2023-volunteer-producing-states/