- By Aditya Jha
- Sat, 12 Sep 2026 01:47 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
- India's BRICS trade deficit surged to USD 224 billion.
- Imports from China and Russia are primary deficit drivers.
- India depends on BRICS for essential products like oil.
BRICS Summit: The 18th BRICS summit is being held in India, with prominent leaders, including China's President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, participating in the multilateral event. India is one of the founding members of the group, and its trade volume with the other members has significantly increased over time. However, New Delhi faces a significant trade deficit in these bilateral trades, leading to concerns.
Trade Deficit Surges
As per the government data, India's total trade deficit with BRICS countries has crossed USD 224 billion. The main reason behind this large-scale deficit is the massive gap between the export and import with the bigger economies Russia and China. New Delhi continues to depend on Beijing and Moscow for several essential products like oil and medicines.
Massive Increase In Four Years
While India's trade deficit with BRICS nations was USD 117 billion in the financial year 2021, it skyrocketed to USD 224 billion four years later in 2025. As per the data, China alone accounts for over USD 100 billion of this trade deficit, placing it in first place. Apart from this, India's trade deficit with Russia is USD 55 billion, placing it in second place.
What Govt Data Suggests?
As per the Commerce Ministry, India exports 39 per cent of its products to the UAE (largest export partner), followed by China (20.3 per cent), Saudi Arabia (10.7 per cent), Russia (4.7 per cent), and Indonesia (4.7 per cent). The ministry stated that the share of India's total imports varies widely. Its largest import partner is China (40.9 per cent), followed by the UAE (19.9 per cent), Russia (17.2 per cent), Saudi Arabia (9.6 per cent), and Indonesia (6.3 per cent).
The data clearly shows that while BRICS countries have established a strong share of global GDP (40 per cent) and trade (26 per cent), a trade deficit remains a significant challenge for India due to significant imports from countries like China and Russia.