diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 330e197e129..898f1c4a2f3 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 
 - Add `linux-ppc64le` architecture to cross build tests in CI
 - `client`: perform case insensitive lookups in case the requested metadata value isn't found (#5646)
+- `loggingexporter`: Decouple `loglevel` field from level of logged messages (#5678)
 
 ### 🧰 Bug fixes 🧰
 
diff --git a/exporter/loggingexporter/factory.go b/exporter/loggingexporter/factory.go
index 87404fd9ce1..4dc64da9d68 100644
--- a/exporter/loggingexporter/factory.go
+++ b/exporter/loggingexporter/factory.go
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ func createTracesExporter(_ context.Context, set component.ExporterCreateSetting
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	return newTracesExporter(config, exporterLogger, set)
+	return newTracesExporter(cfg, exporterLogger, set)
 }
 
 func createMetricsExporter(_ context.Context, set component.ExporterCreateSettings, config config.Exporter) (component.MetricsExporter, error) {
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ func createMetricsExporter(_ context.Context, set component.ExporterCreateSettin
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	return newMetricsExporter(config, exporterLogger, set)
+	return newMetricsExporter(cfg, exporterLogger, set)
 }
 
 func createLogsExporter(_ context.Context, set component.ExporterCreateSettings, config config.Exporter) (component.LogsExporter, error) {
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ func createLogsExporter(_ context.Context, set component.ExporterCreateSettings,
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	return newLogsExporter(config, exporterLogger, set)
+	return newLogsExporter(cfg, exporterLogger, set)
 }
 
 func createLogger(cfg *Config) (*zap.Logger, error) {
diff --git a/exporter/loggingexporter/logging_exporter.go b/exporter/loggingexporter/logging_exporter.go
index 0b066fd19ff..dc57319429a 100644
--- a/exporter/loggingexporter/logging_exporter.go
+++ b/exporter/loggingexporter/logging_exporter.go
@@ -23,7 +23,6 @@ import (
 	"go.uber.org/zap/zapcore"
 
 	"go.opentelemetry.io/collector/component"
-	"go.opentelemetry.io/collector/config"
 	"go.opentelemetry.io/collector/consumer"
 	"go.opentelemetry.io/collector/exporter/exporterhelper"
 	"go.opentelemetry.io/collector/exporter/loggingexporter/internal/otlptext"
@@ -33,6 +32,7 @@ import (
 )
 
 type loggingExporter struct {
+	logLevel         zapcore.Level
 	logger           *zap.Logger
 	logsMarshaler    plog.Marshaler
 	metricsMarshaler pmetric.Marshaler
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ type loggingExporter struct {
 
 func (s *loggingExporter) pushTraces(_ context.Context, td ptrace.Traces) error {
 	s.logger.Info("TracesExporter", zap.Int("#spans", td.SpanCount()))
-	if !s.logger.Core().Enabled(zapcore.DebugLevel) {
+	if s.logLevel != zapcore.DebugLevel {
 		return nil
 	}
 
@@ -49,14 +49,14 @@ func (s *loggingExporter) pushTraces(_ context.Context, td ptrace.Traces) error
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	s.logger.Debug(string(buf))
+	s.logger.Info(string(buf))
 	return nil
 }
 
 func (s *loggingExporter) pushMetrics(_ context.Context, md pmetric.Metrics) error {
 	s.logger.Info("MetricsExporter", zap.Int("#metrics", md.MetricCount()))
 
-	if !s.logger.Core().Enabled(zapcore.DebugLevel) {
+	if s.logLevel != zapcore.DebugLevel {
 		return nil
 	}
 
@@ -64,14 +64,14 @@ func (s *loggingExporter) pushMetrics(_ context.Context, md pmetric.Metrics) err
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	s.logger.Debug(string(buf))
+	s.logger.Info(string(buf))
 	return nil
 }
 
 func (s *loggingExporter) pushLogs(_ context.Context, ld plog.Logs) error {
 	s.logger.Info("LogsExporter", zap.Int("#logs", ld.LogRecordCount()))
 
-	if !s.logger.Core().Enabled(zapcore.DebugLevel) {
+	if s.logLevel != zapcore.DebugLevel {
 		return nil
 	}
 
@@ -79,12 +79,13 @@ func (s *loggingExporter) pushLogs(_ context.Context, ld plog.Logs) error {
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	s.logger.Debug(string(buf))
+	s.logger.Info(string(buf))
 	return nil
 }
 
-func newLoggingExporter(logger *zap.Logger) *loggingExporter {
+func newLoggingExporter(logger *zap.Logger, logLevel zapcore.Level) *loggingExporter {
 	return &loggingExporter{
+		logLevel:         logLevel,
 		logger:           logger,
 		logsMarshaler:    otlptext.NewTextLogsMarshaler(),
 		metricsMarshaler: otlptext.NewTextMetricsMarshaler(),
@@ -94,10 +95,10 @@ func newLoggingExporter(logger *zap.Logger) *loggingExporter {
 
 // newTracesExporter creates an exporter.TracesExporter that just drops the
 // received data and logs debugging messages.
-func newTracesExporter(config config.Exporter, logger *zap.Logger, set component.ExporterCreateSettings) (component.TracesExporter, error) {
-	s := newLoggingExporter(logger)
+func newTracesExporter(cfg *Config, logger *zap.Logger, set component.ExporterCreateSettings) (component.TracesExporter, error) {
+	s := newLoggingExporter(logger, cfg.LogLevel)
 	return exporterhelper.NewTracesExporter(
-		config,
+		cfg,
 		set,
 		s.pushTraces,
 		exporterhelper.WithCapabilities(consumer.Capabilities{MutatesData: false}),
@@ -111,10 +112,10 @@ func newTracesExporter(config config.Exporter, logger *zap.Logger, set component
 
 // newMetricsExporter creates an exporter.MetricsExporter that just drops the
 // received data and logs debugging messages.
-func newMetricsExporter(config config.Exporter, logger *zap.Logger, set component.ExporterCreateSettings) (component.MetricsExporter, error) {
-	s := newLoggingExporter(logger)
+func newMetricsExporter(cfg *Config, logger *zap.Logger, set component.ExporterCreateSettings) (component.MetricsExporter, error) {
+	s := newLoggingExporter(logger, cfg.LogLevel)
 	return exporterhelper.NewMetricsExporter(
-		config,
+		cfg,
 		set,
 		s.pushMetrics,
 		exporterhelper.WithCapabilities(consumer.Capabilities{MutatesData: false}),
@@ -128,10 +129,10 @@ func newMetricsExporter(config config.Exporter, logger *zap.Logger, set componen
 
 // newLogsExporter creates an exporter.LogsExporter that just drops the
 // received data and logs debugging messages.
-func newLogsExporter(config config.Exporter, logger *zap.Logger, set component.ExporterCreateSettings) (component.LogsExporter, error) {
-	s := newLoggingExporter(logger)
+func newLogsExporter(cfg *Config, logger *zap.Logger, set component.ExporterCreateSettings) (component.LogsExporter, error) {
+	s := newLoggingExporter(logger, cfg.LogLevel)
 	return exporterhelper.NewLogsExporter(
-		config,
+		cfg,
 		set,
 		s.pushLogs,
 		exporterhelper.WithCapabilities(consumer.Capabilities{MutatesData: false}),
diff --git a/exporter/loggingexporter/logging_exporter_test.go b/exporter/loggingexporter/logging_exporter_test.go
index 17122ed6877..bac0fdc7ed7 100644
--- a/exporter/loggingexporter/logging_exporter_test.go
+++ b/exporter/loggingexporter/logging_exporter_test.go
@@ -21,10 +21,10 @@ import (
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 	"go.uber.org/zap"
+	"go.uber.org/zap/zapcore"
 	"go.uber.org/zap/zaptest"
 
 	"go.opentelemetry.io/collector/component/componenttest"
-	"go.opentelemetry.io/collector/config"
 	"go.opentelemetry.io/collector/internal/testdata"
 	"go.opentelemetry.io/collector/pdata/plog"
 	"go.opentelemetry.io/collector/pdata/pmetric"
@@ -32,7 +32,8 @@ import (
 )
 
 func TestLoggingTracesExporterNoErrors(t *testing.T) {
-	lte, err := newTracesExporter(&config.ExporterSettings{}, zap.NewNop(), componenttest.NewNopExporterCreateSettings())
+	f := NewFactory()
+	lte, err := newTracesExporter(f.CreateDefaultConfig().(*Config), zap.NewNop(), componenttest.NewNopExporterCreateSettings())
 	require.NotNil(t, lte)
 	assert.NoError(t, err)
 
@@ -43,7 +44,8 @@ func TestLoggingTracesExporterNoErrors(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestLoggingMetricsExporterNoErrors(t *testing.T) {
-	lme, err := newMetricsExporter(&config.ExporterSettings{}, zap.NewNop(), componenttest.NewNopExporterCreateSettings())
+	f := NewFactory()
+	lme, err := newMetricsExporter(f.CreateDefaultConfig().(*Config), zap.NewNop(), componenttest.NewNopExporterCreateSettings())
 	require.NotNil(t, lme)
 	assert.NoError(t, err)
 
@@ -57,7 +59,8 @@ func TestLoggingMetricsExporterNoErrors(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestLoggingLogsExporterNoErrors(t *testing.T) {
-	lle, err := newLogsExporter(&config.ExporterSettings{}, zap.NewNop(), componenttest.NewNopExporterCreateSettings())
+	f := NewFactory()
+	lle, err := newLogsExporter(f.CreateDefaultConfig().(*Config), zap.NewNop(), componenttest.NewNopExporterCreateSettings())
 	require.NotNil(t, lle)
 	assert.NoError(t, err)
 
@@ -68,7 +71,7 @@ func TestLoggingLogsExporterNoErrors(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestLoggingExporterErrors(t *testing.T) {
-	le := newLoggingExporter(zaptest.NewLogger(t))
+	le := newLoggingExporter(zaptest.NewLogger(t), zapcore.DebugLevel)
 	require.NotNil(t, le)
 
 	errWant := errors.New("my error")