The Brazilian trade balance for cultural goods is in deficit, as shown by data from 2014 to 2024. In 2024, this deficit was R$16.8 billion, due to R$4 billion in exports and R$20.8 billion in imports.
The information comes from the Survey of the System of Information and Cultural Indicators (2013-2024), carried out by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), which outlines for the first time a scenario of foreign trade in cultural goods.
The sector represents a small trade balance of goods between Brazil and abroad: imports of cultural goods represented 1.46% of the country’s total imports last year and 0.22% of exports.
Electronic devices, such as microphones and smartphones, printing machines and toys, are among the main imported products and correspond to a third of the absolute value (35.1%) in 2024. Among the exported products, art, collectibles and antiques stand out, with 37.7% of the total, followed by electronics (20.7%) and books and other graphic products (11.9%).
More than half (55.6%) of cultural goods are imported from China. Compared to 2014, in terms of imports, China is gaining importance (from 41.4% to 55.6%) and the United States is losing importance (from 11.6% to 6.3%).
In contrast, the United States (31.7%) and Argentina (9.1%) were the main destinations for exports of cultural goods last year. The other countries included in this list were mostly European or Latin American.
The research coordinator, Leonardo Athias, points out that Brazil has increased its dependence on the American market for its exports of cultural goods: it increased from 21.5% in 2014 to 31.7% last year.
Athias believes that it is necessary to analyze in the future the impact of the increase in customs duties on imports from the United States on the trade balance of cultural goods: “The question remains regarding the tariff question, how this will develop this year and in the years to come. »
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