Port efficiency in Brazil help secure strongest three-year stretch on trade balance

Handling more than 95% of its international trade, port efficiency in Brazil played a central role in helping secure a historic cycle for the country’s economy. Data released by the Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services (MDIC), combined with figures from the Ministry of Ports and Airports (MPor), show that logistics efficiency was decisive in allowing Brazil to post a trade surplus for the third consecutive year. Total trade flow — exports plus imports — reached USD 629 billion in 2025. The result generated a surplus of USD 68.2 billion, the third-largest in the historical series that began in 1989, alongside the records set in 2023 and 2024.

Despite higher tariffs imposed by the U.S. government on some Brazilian products, both exports and imports hit record levels. Overseas shipments totaled USD 348.676 billion, up 3.5% from 2024. Imports also reached an all-time high in 2025, at USD 280.4 billion, a 6.7% increase year on year and nearly USD 8 billion above the previous record, set in 2022. The figures were released on Tuesday (6) by the MDIC.

According to Ports and Airports Minister Silvio Costa Filho, the figures confirm that port efficiency has become a competitive advantage for Brazil. “The data show that Brazil has reached a new level of logistics maturity. It is no coincidence that the three largest trade surpluses in our history have occurred over the past three years. This proves that port infrastructure has become a lever of competitiveness. We are providing the conditions needed both to ship our production to international markets and to receive the inputs and goods that supply industry and domestic consumption,” he said.

“Amid geopolitical challenges, we managed to secure new markets and expand existing ones,” Vice President and Industry and Trade Minister Geraldo Alckmin said. “The result also reflects the set of government programs and policies under President Lula aimed at boosting productivity and competitiveness abroad, especially through the New Industry Brazil initiative and the Brazil Sovereign Plan.”

Port growth

While global markets fluctuated in value terms, port operations continued to grow in volume. MPor figures indicate that total cargo throughput should reach 1.34 billion tonnes in 2025, an increase of 3.25% from the previous year. One figure illustrates the scale of that expansion: the additional cargo handled between 2023 and 2025 — around 150 million tonnes — exceeds the total throughput of the Port of Santos, Brazil’s largest port, in 2025.

This capacity gain was crucial to meeting stronger commodity demand toward the end of the year. According to the MDIC, products such as crude oil (+74%), soybeans (+73.9%) and beef (+70.5%) led export growth in December. On the logistics side, this translated into record results at specialized terminals. The Port of Santos, the country’s largest port complex, posted 29% growth in throughput among public ports between January and October, reaching 119.4 million tonnes.

The Port of Paranaguá, located in Paraná state, a key gateway for agribusiness, expanded 13.5%, handling 55.2 million tonnes. In the Northern Arc, the Port of Itaqui (Maranhão) reinforced its role as a major outlet for grains and minerals, with a 7.6% increase to 31.4 million tonnes.

See below the top ten Brazilian ports in terms of container throughput (exports and imports) throughout the first eleven months of 2025. The data is from DataLiner.

Top 10 Ports | Container Throughput | Jan – Nov 2025 | TEUs

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

Among the milestones symbolizing this virtuous cycle in Brazil’s port infrastructure are the auction of the Santos–Guarujá tunnel — the largest investment under the New Growth Acceleration Program (Novo PAC), at BRL 6.8 billion — and the landmark concession of the Paranaguá access channel, which will allow larger and more efficient vessels to call at the port.

Source: Ministry of Ports and Airports

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