EDC survey: two-thirds of exporters plan new markets — where do Africa and the Caribbean rank?

Export Development Canada’s (EDC) biannual Trade Confidence Index, released March 5, 2026, rose four points to 69.7 after a record low — still below its historical average of 72.4. The survey ran from December 4, 2025 to January 15, 2026 and drew 1,326 respondents.

The diversification signal

• 65% of exporters plan to enter new markets in the next two years.
• Companies starting to export in multiple markets at once more than tripled in a decade, from 13% (2015) to 43% (2025).
• The share starting with the U.S. only fell from 62% to 34% over the same period.
• Exporters selling to multiple markets report confidence 3.3 points above average; U.S.-only exporters, 3.9 points below.
• 32% say they will need financing for their diversification plans, while most expect financing conditions to stay tight or worsen.

Where Africa and the Caribbean sit

Among current export destinations beyond the U.S., EDC reports Europe (45%) and the Indo-Pacific (30%) in the lead, followed by Latin America and the Caribbean (20%), Mexico (18%), and the Middle East and Africa (17%). For near-term expansion, exporters most often target Europe (28%) and Asia-Pacific (19%).

The survey also found that 29% of eligible exporters do not use Canada’s free trade agreements, even though 69% say those agreements influence where they do business.

Why it matters for the CACT community

One in five exporters already sells into Latin America and the Caribbean and about one in six into the Middle East and Africa — real but secondary positions next to Europe and Asia. That is the gap diaspora businesses can help close: they bring buyers, language and local knowledge to markets most exporters are not yet targeting. The financing finding matters too; firms planning a first Caribbean or African shipment should line up EDC and bank conversations early rather than after the order arrives.