Ukraine’s iron ore exports fell 33.9% year on year in the first quarter, primarily to China, Slovakia, and Poland.

Time:2026-04-09

According to data from the State Customs Service of Ukraine, Ukraine’s iron ore exports totaled 5.61 million tonnes in January–March 2026, down 33.9% year on year and 18.1% from the previous quarter. The majority of these shipments were destined for China, Slovakia, and Poland. China remains Ukraine’s largest importer of iron ore, with shipments totaling 2.56 million tonnes in the first quarter—down 43.9% year on year. Slovakia received 966,800 tonnes, a year-on-year decrease of 16.8%, while Poland took 751,600 tonnes, down 35% from the same period last year.

  According to data from the State Customs Service of Ukraine, Ukraine’s iron ore exports totaled 5.61 million tonnes in January–March 2026, down 33.9% year on year and 18.1% quarter on quarter. The majority of these shipments were destined for China, Slovakia, and Poland.

  China remains the largest consumer of Ukrainian iron ore, with shipments totaling 2.56 million tonnes in the first quarter, a year-on-year decrease of 43.9%. Slovakia received 966,800 tonnes, down 16.8% from the same period last year, while Poland received 751,600 tonnes, a year-on-year decline of 35%.

  In March alone, Ukraine exported 2.3 million tonnes of iron ore, up 83.4% from February but down 20.6% from March 2025. That month, shipments to China totaled 1.23 million tonnes (up 162.5% month-on-month and down 20.1% year-on-year), to Slovakia 323,300 tonnes (down 5.1% month-on-month and 34.3% year-on-year), and to Poland 302,200 tonnes (up 80.9% month-on-month and down 11.2% year-on-year).

  In March, iron ore export revenue totaled US$177 million, up 77.5% month-on-month but down 25.6% year-on-year. For the January–March period, cumulative export revenue reached US$437 million, down 36.4% year-on-year and 16.7% month-on-month.

  Looking back at the full year of 2025, Ukraine’s iron ore exports declined by 8% from 2024 to 30.99 million tonnes. Of this total, shipments to China amounted to 16.41 million tonnes, up 8.7% year on year; shipments to Slovakia totaled 4.40 million tonnes, down 11.4% year on year; and shipments to Poland reached 4.17 million tonnes, a decrease of 18.1% compared with the previous year.

  Ukraine’s major iron ore producers include the Ingulets Mining and Processing Plant, the Krivoy Rog Mining and Processing Plant, the Poltava Mining and Processing Plant, the Yeristovo Mining and Processing Plant, the Northern Mining and Processing Plant, the Central Mining and Processing Plant, the Southern Mining and Processing Plant, ArcelorMittal Krivoy Rog, Sukhobalka Company, and Rudoman Company.

Keywords: Ukraine’s iron ore exports fell 33.9% year on year in the first quarter, primarily to China, Slovakia, and Poland.

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