“BRICS, a formal intergovernmental group[1] which consists of Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and six new member countries (Iran, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates) account for almost 50% of the world’s population and a quarter of the world’s GDP. The intergovernmental organisation formed by emerging countries in the Global South, to establish a political and diplomatic coordination forum, have undergone steep tariff rates following President Trump’s “America First” trade policy.
Under Trump’s reciprocal trade policy, the original five BRICS member countries account for the highest U.S. tariffs globally. These tariffs were initially imposed to balance U.S. trade with its partner countries, but now also used as a means of hard diplomacy. India faces 50% tariff rates following Trump’s accusations of India playing a role in fueling the Russian war in Ukraine through the purchase of Russian oil, and Brazil’s perceived mishandling of former Brazilian president Bolsonaro’s case related to the involvement of a military coup has landed it with an equally high 50% tariff. China trails behind India and Brazil at 34% after falling from 145%, and South Africa has a 30% tariff rate.
Russia and Iran do not have explicit reciprocal rates, considering both countries fall under extensive and long standing U.S. sanctions programs[2] that are enforced and implemented through a series of U.S. presidential executive orders and federal statutes. However, the U.S. trade deficit between the U.S. and Russia in 2024 which was $2.47 billion, has in 2025 reached $2.51 billion. Similarly, there are no explicit tariff rates for BRICS new member countries Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates. As outlined in the Executive Order 14752, these countries do not fall under the reciprocal tariff list[3] and are therefore subject to the 10% baseline tariff rate.
Lastly, Indonesia is the only BRICS member country that has a reciprocal trade agreement[4] with the U.S. This agreement has helped to finalise a 19% tariff rate for Jakarta, after the proposed 32% rate. Under Trump’s September 5 Executive Order, Modifying the scope of reciprocal tariffs and establishing procedures for implementing trade and security agreements, partners who finalise trade agreements would see an exemption on goods as outlined in Annex II and III.[5] Indonesia could possibly see an exemption on goods entering the U.S., following this new E.O.
BRICS partner countries, a category introduced at the 2024 BRICS summit includes Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, and Uzbekistan. More than half of the BRICS partner countries face reciprocal tariffs of up to 25 per cent.
This map details the U.S. reciprocal tariff rates for each respective BRICS member and partner countries and their impacted sectors.
Nina Robinson is a Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) International Affairs Fellow, India.
Infographic designed by Raveena Shivashankar.
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References:
[1] Ministry of External Affairs (India). BRICS 2025: India’s Vision and Strategy. New Delhi: Government of India, 2025. https://www.mea.gov.in/Portal/ForeignRelation/BRICS-2025.pdf
[2] U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). “Sanctions Programs and Country Information.” 2025. https://ofac.treasury.gov/sanctions-programs-and-country-information
[3] The White House. “Further Modifying the Reciprocal Tariff Rates.” Presidential Actions, July 2025. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/07/further-modifying-the-reciprocal-tariff-rates/
[4] The White House. “Joint Statement on Framework for United States–Indonesia Agreement on Reciprocal Trade.” Briefings & Statements, July 2025. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/2025/07/joint-statement-on-framework-for-united-states-indonesia-agreement-on-reciprocal-trade/
[5] The White House. “Modifying the Scope of Reciprocal Tariffs and Establishing Procedures for Implementing Trade and Security Agreements.” Presidential Actions, September 2025. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/09/modifying-the-scope-of-reciprocal-tariffs-and-establishing-procedures-for-implementing-trade-and-security-agreements/