Learn more about Niagara’s trade & investment activity
As one of North America’s most important economic trade corridors and a designated Foreign Trade Zone, there’s no shortage of information when it comes to Niagara’s trade activity. In this section you’ll find helpful data that captures recent investment activity within Niagara. View a map of Foreign Direct Investment in Niagara.
Export Destinations
$4.5 billion in exports to North America in 2020
$1.1 billion in exports to Europe in 2020
$426 million in exports to Asia in 2020
$34.1 million in exports to Central and South America in 2020
Total Export Companies
599 exporters to the following destinations in 2020:| North America | 521 |
| Europe | 108 |
| Asia | 98 |
| Central/South America | 53 |
| Oceania/Antarctica | 42 |
| Africa | 23 |
Exports by Value
$6.1 billion total exports
$1.8 billion increase in exports between 2017 and 2020
$5.4 billion manufacturing exports
$216million wholesale trade exports
$139 million agricultural exports
$12 million transportation/warehousing exports
$47 million construction exports
$4 million admin support/waste management exports
$7 million retail trade exports
$65 million real estate exports
$4 million arts / entertainment / recreation exports
$5 million other services exports
$143 million professional / scientific / technical services exports
Border crossing by mode and volume, 2021
| Mode | Niagara | Canada | Niagara % of Total |
| Trucks | 898,320 | 5,569,786 | 16% |
| Truck Containers Loaded | 705,776 | 4,330,275 | 16% |
| Truck Containers Empty | 204,449 | 1,324,850 | 15% |
| Trains | 1,728 | 20,172 | 9% |
| Rail Containers Loaded | 84,234 | 1,665,002 | 5% |
| Rail Containers Empty | 36,072 | 762,119 | 5% |
| Train Passengers | 4,494 | 47,348 | 9% |
| Buses | 325 | 4,042 | 8% |
| Bus Passengers | 5,273 | 35,469 | 15% |
| Personal Vehicles | 692,129 | 4,431,088 | 16% |
| Personal Vehicle Passengers | 1,093,365 | 6,389,423 | 17% |
| Pedestrians | 22,511 | 37,459 | 60% |
Value of Total US/Canada Trade Passing through Niagara, 2021
| Niagara | Canada/US | % of Total | |
| Import | $47.6 billion | $389.6 billion | 12% |
| Export | $45.1 billion | $453.3 billion | 10% |
| Total | $92.8 billion | $842.9 billion | 11% |
Export Companies by Sector
Export Companies by Sector
| Manufacturing | 237 |
| Wholesale trade | 118 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting | 77 |
| Retail trade | 37 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 16 |
| Construction | 24 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 13 |
| Other services | 17 |
| Real estate, rental and leasing | 18 |
| Admin support, waste management, remediation | 9 |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 10 |
| Total | 599 |
Exports by Commodity
Top 20 export commodity type by number of export companies, 2020
| Machinery, boilers, mechanical appliances, engines, and parts | 178 |
| Plastics and articles thereof | 93 |
| Articles of iron and steel | 84 |
| Electrical machinery, equipment and parts thereof | 83 |
| Live trees, plants, bulbs, roots, cut flowers and ornamental foliage | 64 |
| Vehicles, parts and accessories thereof | 61 |
| Furniture, bedding, mattresses, cushions, lamps, lighting, prefabricated building | 56 |
| Optical, photographic, cinematographic, measuring, precision and medical instruments | 44 |
| Beverages, spirits, vinegar | 37 |
| Rubber and articles thereof | 33 |
| Aluminum and articles thereof | 32 |
| Printed books, newspapers, magazines, pictures | 25 |
| Special classification provisions | 24 |
| Iron and steel | 23 |
| Miscellaneous articles of base metal | 22 |
| Miscellaneous chemical products | 20 |
| Tools, implements, cutlery, spoons, forks, parts | 20 |
| Wood products | 19 |
| Paper and paperboard and articles thereof | 19 |
| Glass and glassware | 15 |
Top 20 export commodity type by export value, 2020
| Machinery, boilers, mechanical appliances, engines, and parts | $1.7 billion |
| Nickel and articles thereof | $1.5 billion |
| Pearls, precious stones, precious metals, and articles thereof | $614.8 million |
| Plastics and articles thereof | $287.5 million |
| Organic chemicals | $246.5million |
| Miscellaneous chemical products | $240.9 million |
| Vehicles, parts and accessories thereof | $195.1 million |
| Live trees, plants, bulbs, roots, cut flowers and ornamental foliage | $188.8 million |
| Copper and articles thereof | $145.8 million |
| Inorganic chemicals | $135.2 million |
| Preparations of cereal, flour, starch or milk pastry cooks’ products | $120.8 million |
| Iron and steel | $111.6 million |
| Paper and paperboard | $57.6 million |
| Electrical machinery, equipment and parts thereof | $55.2 million |
| Articles of iron and steel | $54.2 million |
| Tanning or dyeing extracts, tannins, dyes, pigments, other colouring matter, paints, varnishes | $53.1 million |
| Furniture, lamps and prefabricated buildings | $49.5 million |
| Aluminum and articles thereof | $37.4 million |
| Edible vegetables and certain roots and tubers | $30.8 million |
| Aircraft, spacecraft, and parts thereof | $30.3 million |
Top 10 Commodities Traded through Niagara Borders to USA
| Value | |
| Vehicles, parts and accessories | $15.5 billion |
| Computer machinery, parts | $9.8 billion |
| Mineral fuels, oils and waxes | $6.4 billion |
| Plastics | $6.0 billion |
| Electrical machinery, equipment and parts | $4.0 billion |
| Pharmaceutical products | $3.0 billion |
| Iron and steel | $3.0 billion |
| Paper and paperboard | $2.5 billion |
| Essential oils and resinoids | $2.3 billion |
| Preparations of cereals and flour | $2.2 billion |