Summary:
India’s exports to the four original BRICS partners rose 34% to $19.9 billion during April-August 2026, led by China and South Africa. Their combined share of India’s exports increased to 9.2% as trade cooperation and market diversification gained momentum.
India’s exports to the four original BRICS partners — China, South Africa, Brazil and Russia — increased 34% year-on-year to $19.9 billion during April-August 2026, compared with $14.9 billion in the same period last year. The rise has increased the contribution of these markets to India’s overall export basket, with their combined share climbing from 8.1% to 9.2%.
China was the biggest contributor to the increase. Indian shipments to China rose 39% to $9.6 billion during the first five months of FY27. South Africa recorded the fastest growth among the four, with exports rising 58% to $4.82 billion. Exports to Brazil increased 13% to $3.46 billion, while shipments to Russia grew 11% to $2.04 billion.
The numbers indicate that trade with the core BRICS economies has expanded faster than India’s exports to the wider grouping. During April-July 2026, exports to all 11 BRICS members rose 13% to $34.5 billion, from $30.5 billion a year earlier.
China Leads, South Africa Posts Fastest Growth
The export increase comes at a time when India is looking to broaden its trade relationships and reduce dependence on a smaller group of markets. China’s 39% growth is particularly notable given the size of bilateral trade, while South Africa’s 58% increase represents the strongest expansion among the four core markets.
The wider BRICS grouping has also become more important following its expansion to 11 members. The additional members include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Indonesia, the UAE and Saudi Arabia. This broader group gives Indian businesses more opportunities across energy, agriculture, manufacturing and services.
The latest trade data also comes against the backdrop of stronger growth in India’s overall merchandise exports. Goods exports rose 26.1% year-on-year to $43.81 billion in August 2026, while exports during April-August reached $215.91 billion, up 17.85%.
BRICS Pushes Trade Facilitation and Local-Currency Payments
India hosted the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12-13. The summit resulted in the New Delhi Declaration and discussions around deeper economic cooperation among member countries. The agenda included trade facilitation, customs cooperation, digital trade, MSMEs, agriculture, cultural trade and cross-border payments.
The grouping is also working on the BRICS Economic Partnership 2030 and the BRICS Global Value Chains Action Plan for 2026-30. These initiatives aim to strengthen economic cooperation, improve participation in global value chains and create greater opportunities for higher-value production.
Customs cooperation is another focus, particularly as emerging trade barriers and digital trade issues become more important. Greater use of local currencies has also been discussed as part of efforts to make cross-border trade easier.
