Canada Imports & Exports: Did You Know This About Its Wheat Exports?

Our economic overview of Canada covers the country’s GDP statistics, top commodity exports, and top commodity imports.

We also dive into the additional detail on Canada’s petroleum, gold, wheat, aluminum, and rapeseed trade.

Table of Contents show

Once you’re familiar with Canada’s trade, you can learn about different ways to trade commodities of interest.

Canada’s Economic Overview

Canada is the 12th largest product export economy in the world but it currently has a negative trade balance of $62 billion CAD (2020 figures) when you deduct its annual import total of $369 billion from its export total of $431 billion.

canada map — Image by Aquintero82, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Canada’s GDP is $1.71 trillion, which equates to a GDP per capita figure of $46,233.

From a total volume of $377 billion in product exports in 2017, Canada’s exports grew by 12.7% to $431 billion in 2018.

Canada’s Top Commodity Exports

Here are Canada’s five most exported commodities:

Commodity	Amount (Annually)
Crude Petroleum	$39.5 billion
Gold	$12.5 billion
Wheat	$4.5 billion
Aluminum	$5.04 billion
Rapeseed	$4.28 billion

Data last reviewed: 15/04/2026

Source: Compiled from public trade data — Observatory of Economic Complexity and World's Top Exports, both derived from UN Comtrade. Figures reflect data compiled in 2026 and have not been refreshed. For current figures consult the source databases directly.

Canada’s Other Notable Exports

Cars – $48.8 billion
Vehicle Parts – $10.6 billion
Sawn Wood – $7.74 billion
Gas Turbines – $5.21 billion
Iron Ore – $2.8 billion

The United States is the top export destination of Canada with $296 billion of its annual exports, followed by China at $15.8 billion and the United Kingdom at $12.9 billion.

Canada’s Top Commodity Imports

Canada’s five most imported commodities are:

Commodity	Amount (Annually)
Refined Petroleum	$11.1 billion
Gold	$5.6 billion
Coffee	$1.19 billion
Silver	$1.27 billion
Aluminium	$1.41 billion

Data last reviewed: 15/04/2026

Canada’s Other Notable Imports

Cars – $26.4 billion
Vehicle Parts – $20.4 billion
Computers – $8.76 billion
Packaged Medicaments – $7.23 billion
Seats – $3.53 billion

More Information on Canada’s Most Traded Commodities

The following commodity’s play significant roles in the Canadian economy as some of the most traded raw materials.

Crude Petroleum

In 2018, Canada was the fourth-largest crude oil exporter in the world with a 6.19% share of an annual global export market worth $1.08 trillion.

This gives Canada a total share of $66.6 billion of the oil export market. As of August 2020, Canada’s share of crude oil exports is down to $5.27 billion.

45.4% of the total annual crude petroleum imports of the United States comes from Canada.

Gold Exports From Canada

Canada ranks 7th in the global league table of gold exporting countries and controls 4.24% of the market.

32.1% of the United Kingdom‘s gold imports come from Canada. The United States also imports 17% of it’s gold from Canada.

Ontario is the largest gold-producing region in Canada with a total of 20 gold mines, out of a total of 31 metal mines.

Wheat Exports From Canada

Canada is the 2nd largest wheat exporting country in the world with a 12.8% market share and competes with the United States (12.6%) behind Russia (23.8%).

Canada’s total volume of wheat exports fell by 14.2% in the last five years, though its market share grew to get ahead of the United States.

Aluminum Exports From Canada

Canada has a 10.7% share of the annual global raw aluminum export market which is worth $61.1 billion. This makes Canada the largest raw aluminum export nation.

The total of Canada’s raw aluminum exports amounts to $6.52 billion annually, a 10.9% growth from $5.88 billion in the last five years.

The second-largest exporter of raw aluminum is the United Arab Emirates, close behind Canada with a 10.1% market share and $6.18 billion

Rapeseed Exports From Canada

Canada is the leading exporter of rapeseed with a 42.5% share of the annual market. Their closest rival is Ukraine with a 9.67% market share and Australia with a 9.04% market share of annual exports.

In the last five years, Canada’s total rapeseed exports increased by $193 million — that’s a 4.54% growth.

96.5% of China’s rapeseed imports originates from Canada.

Did you know? Canada is the third largest exporter of radioactive chemicals, just behind the market-leaders, Kazakhstan.

A Few Interesting Facts About Canada

Canada is one of the most educated countries in the world with around half of its residents having college degrees.
The country has more lakes than the rest of the world combined.
There are fewer people in the whole of Canada than in Tokyo’s metropolitan area.

All figures based on the 2018 OEC and 2016 IMF projections, unless stated otherwise.

Where Can I Trade Commodities?

If you want to explore ways to trade some of Canada’s most imported and exported commodities, see our list of regulated brokers available in .

Broker	Details	Sign up
★★★★★ www.plus500.com	User friendly platform and leading risk management tools.	Open Account Now Plus500 Review
★★★★☆ www.etoro.com	Social trading to copy leading traders.	Open Account Now eToro Review Copy Trading does not amount to investment advice. The value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk.
★★★★☆ www.robinhood.com	No minimum deposit mobile platform with stocks and options.	Open Account Now Robinhood Review
www.eoption.com	Options contracts trading fees from $2.09 on thousands of global stocks.	Open Account Now

Data last reviewed: 15/04/2026

CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Between 50.00%-86.00% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

Canada Imports & Exports: Did You Know This About Its Wheat Exports?

Canada’s Economic Overview