The Peach State is basking in some sterling trade and export figures, as announced by Governor Brian P. Kemp alongside the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD). Georgia's exports climbed to a record-high of $53.1 billion in 2024, representing a 6.4% year-over-year increase and handily outpacing the national average growth of 2.3%. The state also pulled ahead in the ranks to number six across the U.S. for total trade volume, hammering out a hefty $198.7 billion across 222 unique countries and territories, as the Governor's Office reports.
The swell in trade has been a boon particularly for small businesses, which make up more than 87% of Georgia’s exporters, according to Governor Kemp. While he touted the state's strategic investment and alliance with job creators, GDEcD Commissioner Pat Wilson highlighted Georgia's diverse industry base and robust connectivity to international markets as key drivers of the resilient state economy, and in 2024, Georgia maintained its No. 12 ranking in the U.S. for export dollars and the majority of Georgia's exports were destinations where Georgia has full-time representatives, which have been critical in connecting local exporters with global markets.
Leading the export pack for Georgia was civilian aircraft along with related parts, followed closely by motor vehicles, computers, electrical apparatus for line telephony, and medical devices. Georgia's act of exporting to 219 unique destinations kept it steady at the No. 12 position in the country for the dollar value of exports, and remarkably, markets where Georgia operates full-time trade representatives accounted for the lion's share — 66% of exports and 83% of bilateral trade last year.
Georgia's success didn't happen in a vacuum; it's undergirded by an infrastructure that's both extensive and efficient, featuring the world-renowned Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, noted for being the busiest globally, and the Port of Savannah, dubbed the fastest-growing and third busiest container gateway in the nation, alongside the bustling Roll-on/Roll-off cargo gateway at the Port of Brunswick and the state leads the Southeast in rail miles offering a robust rail and highway system that further elevates its trading capabilities, the Georgia Ports Authority has even cited twelve consecutive months of year-over-year container volume growth, bolstering the state's status as a trade juggernaut.
For those keen on the nitty-gritty, GDEcD's annual International Trade Report offers a comprehensive overview detailing Georgia's trading activity, with the data sourced from Trade Data Monitor, which charts the value of tangible product trades based on four-digit Harmonized System (HS) codes and origin of movement.
