Brazil overtook the US as the world's top cotton exporter
Cotton exports by season, million 480-lb bales. Brazil ahead since 2023/24; USDA forecasts 16.0m vs 12.3m for 2026/27.
In 2023/24 Brazil shipped more cotton than the US for the first time, and it has stayed ahead every season since.
Brazil's cotton exports jumped from 6.7m bales in 2022/23 to an estimated 15.5m in 2025/26.
About a third of all cotton traded worldwide in 2025/26 came from Brazil (15.5m of 45.8m bales).
the numbers
| Year | Brazil (m bales) | United States (m bales) | Australia (m bales) | India (m bales) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 11.0 | 16.1 | 1.6 | 6.2 |
| 2021 | 7.7 | 14.1 | 3.6 | 3.7 |
| 2022 | 6.7 | 12.5 | 6.2 | 1.1 |
| 2023 | 12.3 | 11.8 | 5.8 | 2.3 |
| 2024 | 13.0 | 11.9 | 5.2 | 1.3 |
| 2025 | 15.5 | 12.3 | 5.6 | 1.1 |
| 2026 | 16.0 | 12.3 | 4.5 | 1.5 |
source notes & method
Table 02, cotton exports, 1,000 480-lb bales; marketing years run August-July (chart year 2023 = 2023/24 season). 2022/23-2026/27 from the October 2026 edition (dated 2 Oct 2026); 2025/26 is a USDA estimate and 2026/27 is the USDA October forecast (Brazil 16,000, up 500,000 bales from September 'on higher production'; USDA says this would be a fourth consecutive record). 2020/21 and 2021/22 from the December 2024 edition (https://esmis.nal.usda.gov/sites/default/release-files/kp78gg36g/1257cn78c/x346fz63p/cotton.pdf), which lists among earlier reports 'Brazil Passes the United States as Top Cotton Exporter in 2023/24' (Jul 2024). Later revisions to 2020/21-2021/22 may exist; the 2022/23 world total differs slightly between editions (36,647 vs 36,554), latest used. '2.3x' (15,497/6,656) and '34%' (15,497/45,838) are derived.
Published 3 Nov 2026
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