Trade between Egypt and BRICS countries rose to $36.7 billion in the first half of 2026, up from $29.3 billion in the same period of 2025, according to data released by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS).
The increase of $7.4 billion came as Egypt’s economic ties with the BRICS bloc continued to expand, with Cairo participating in the group’s 18th summit in New Delhi under the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.”
Egypt’s exports to BRICS countries reached $6.6 billion in H1 2026, down from $7.4 billion a year earlier. Saudi Arabia was the largest destination for Egyptian exports at $1.8 billion, followed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at $1.7 billion, India at $868 million, China at $841 million and Brazil at $633 million.
Major Egyptian export categories included pearls, precious stones and jewelry at $1.2 billion; vegetables and fruits at $1 billion; fuels, mineral oils and distillation products at $844 million; fertilizers at $552 million; electrical machinery and equipment at $400 million; and plastics and related products at $304 million.
Meanwhile, Egypt’s imports from BRICS countries climbed to $30.2 billion during the first half of 2026, compared with $21.8 billion in H1 2025.
China remained the largest BRICS supplier to Egypt, with exports worth $10.4 billion, followed by the UAE at $5.3 billion, Saudi Arabia at $5.2 billion, Russia at $3.8 billion and Brazil at $2.4 billion.
Egypt’s main imports from the bloc included fuels, mineral oils and distillation products worth $5.2 billion; electrical machinery and equipment at $4.6 billion; cereals at $2.1 billion; iron, steel and related products at $1.8 billion; cars, tractors and motorcycles at $1.3 billion; and organic chemicals at $647 million.
BRICS investments in Egypt reached $6.2 billion during fiscal year 2024/2025, while Egyptian investments in BRICS countries stood at $2.2 billion.
The UAE was the largest BRICS investor in Egypt at $4.7 billion, followed by Saudi Arabia at $1.1 billion, China at $277.6 million, Russia at $62.4 million and India at $17.8 million.
Remittances from Egyptians working in BRICS countries reached $15.7 billion in FY2024/2025, up from $9.8 billion in FY2023/2024. Meanwhile, remittances from BRICS nationals working in Egypt rose to $202.5 million from $76.2 million.
BRICS was established in 2006 to strengthen economic cooperation among its members and promote a more balanced global economic system. Egypt officially joined the grouping in January 2024, alongside Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iran and Ethiopia, while Indonesia joined in January 2025.
