U.S. ethanol exports continue to reach new highs

Fuel ethanol has grown into a major U.S. agricultural export commodity since the early 2000s. The United States exported a record 2.13 billion gallons of fuel ethanol during the 2024/25 (September–August) corn marketing year, surpassing the record set a year earlier by nearly 400 million gallons, or roughly 23 percent. In the last decade, export volumes and destinations have shifted. Brazil was once the top destination for U.S. fuel ethanol, but as Brazil’s ethanol production has increased, its imports of U.S. fuel ethanol have declined. Reduced U.S. sales to Brazil, however, have been more than offset by expanding exports elsewhere. Exports to Canada, for example, grew from 322 million gallons in 2019/20 to 758 million gallons in 2024/25. Ethanol demand has grown in Canada with the implementation of mandates on use of low carbon and renewable fuels. Netherlands also showed strong growth, importing 282 million gallons of U.S. fuel ethanol in 2024/25, up from 16 million gallons in 2015/16. At 5.44 billion bushels, use for fuel ethanol accounted for 36 percent of total U.S. corn use in 2024/25. Finally, although not shown in the chart, data from September through January of marketing year 2025/26 indicate U.S. fuel ethanol exports were 7 percent higher than the same period in 2024/25. This chart is drawn from USDA, Economic Research Service’s Bioenergy Statistics data.