This statistic shows the 20 countries with the highest trade surplus worldwide in 2023. In 2023, China was the country with the highest trade surplus with approximately 823.22 billion U.S. dollars. The leading trade nations Typically a trade surplus indicates a sign of economic success and a trade deficit indicates an economic weakness. However, if that were true, then the top four, China, Germany, Russia and Ireland, would be considered the best performing countries in the world. However, this would mean that the United States, Great Britain, India and France would be among the weakest nations considering that they are four countries with the highest trade deficit. In fact, they are leading industrial nations. While China is known for producing and exporting products at a competitive price, it has undervalued its exchange rate in order to promote exports. However, China is now working to reduce its reliance on exports even though they continue to export large and increasing quantities of goods. In the case of Germany, the value of the euro may not be high enough, however growth concerning the value of exports has slowed over the past few years. In contrast, the value of the dollar in the United States may be too high, favoring imports as opposed to exports.

In 2024, China's merchandise trade surplus amounted to around 992.2 billion U.S. dollars, significantly higher than in the previous year. The merchandise trade balance is the value of exported goods minus the value of imported goods. A positive value indicates a trade surplus, while a negative value indicates a trade deficit. Trade balance and partnersIn 2024, Chinese imports of goods amounted to approximately 2.59 trillion U.S. dollars, whereas total exports added up to about 3.58 trillion U.S. dollars. In contrast, China’s invisible trade balance, an indicator measuring services and government transfers between countries, closed with a deficit and ranged at about -92 billion U.S. dollars at the end of 2022. Being an economy heavily reliant on export, China ranked first among countries with the highest trade surplus, followed by Germany and Russia. The United States, with imports exceeding exports by approximately 1.15 trillion U.S. dollars that year, ranked first among leading import countries worldwide. In 2023, the value of the U.S. imports from China exceeded the exports to China by around 279.4 billion U.S. dollars. Another important trade partner for China is the European Union. In 2023, the EU imported around 514 billion euro-worth of goods from China, leading to a trade deficit of around 291 billion euros. Product categories with the highest trade deficit were mostly finished goods such as machinery and transport equipment, clothing, and other manufactures, whereas product categories with a more balanced trade sheet consisted of raw materials and agricultural products to a large extent.

The U.S. goods trade deficit with China increased by nearly 20 billion U.S. dollars in 2024, as China still had the biggest impact on U.S. bilateral trade. This is according to seasonally adjusted trade date from within the United States. Following the results of the U.S. elections in 2024, discussions surfaced on the potential of tariffs for countries that have a large trade surplus with the United States. The president-elect stated that trade tariffs of 60 percent and 25 percent might be implemented for goods from China or Mexico, respectively. The effects of such measures on the forecast GDP growth across the world were not yet clear. In Europe, however, Germany might be the most affected economy when the U.S. does implement tariffs.

External balance on goods and services (formerly resource balance) equals exports of goods and services minus imports of goods and services (previously nonfactor services). Data are in current U.S. dollars.

In December 2024, the trade surplus in China amounted to approximately 104.84 billion U.S. dollars. A positive value implies a trade surplus, a negative trade balance implies a trade deficit. International trade in China China surpassed the United States as the worlds’ largest goods trading economy in 2013. Despite the impacts of the global coronavirus pandemic, the total value of China’s imports and exports amounted to more than 6.1 trillion U.S. dollars in 2024.China has become a vital trade partner for many economies. In 2023, over 427 billion U.S. dollars worth of the United States’ imports originated in China, making China its second-largest import partner. A trade surplus occurs when exports of a country exceed its imports. It leads to a net inflow of domestic currency from foreign countries. The trade balance is a major growth factor for an economy. Because of running a large trade surplus, China holds a vast amount of foreign exchange reserves. Foreign exchange reserves may be viewed as a sign of national strength, but also represent a form of forced savings on the people. China was the country with the highest trade surplus of approximately 823.22 billion U.S. dollars as of 2023.

China recorded a trade surplus of 104.84 USD Billion in December of 2024. This dataset provides - China Balance of Trade - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

The average for 2023 based on 38 countries was 17.57 billion U.S. dollars. The highest value was in China: 386.06 billion U.S. dollars and the lowest value was in India: -86.33 billion U.S. dollars. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Australia recorded a trade surplus of 5085 AUD Million in December of 2024. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Australia Balance of Trade - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Key information about China's Trade Balance

• China's Trade Balance recorded a surplus of 104.8 USD bn in Dec 2024, compared with a surplus of 97.3 USD bn in the previous month
• China's Trade Balance data is updated monthly, available from Jan 1992 to Dec 2024, with an averaged value of 12.8 USD bn
• The data reached an all-time high of 104.8 USD bn in Dec 2024 and a record low of -62.0 USD bn in Feb 2020

CEIC extends history for monthly Trade Balance. The General Administration of Customs provides monthly Trade Balance in USD.

Further information about China's Trade Balance

• In the latest reports, China's Total Exports reached 335.6 USD bn in Dec 2024, an increase of 20.8% YoY (year-on-year)
• Total Imports recorded 230.8 USD bn in Dec 2024, an increase of 20.8% YoY (year-on-year)

Japan recorded a trade surplus of 584.50 JPY Billion in February of 2025. This dataset provides - Japan Balance of Trade - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Germany recorded a trade surplus of 16 EUR Billion in January of 2025. This dataset provides - Germany Balance of Trade - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Germany, the Netherlands, and Ireland are the three countries with the greatest goods trade surplus with the rest of the world in 2023. At the other end of the scale, France, Spain, and Greece run large trade deficits vis-a-vis the rest of world.

Key information about Canada's Trade Balance

• Canada's Trade Balance recorded a surplus of 497.1 USD mn in Dec 2024, compared with a deficit of 705.9 USD mn in the previous month
• Canada's Trade Balance data is updated monthly, available from Jan 1988 to Dec 2024, with an averaged value of 797.4 USD mn
• The data reached an all-time high of 6.4 USD bn in Oct 2005 and a record low of -4.3 USD bn in Dec 2018

CEIC calculates monthly Trade Balance from monthly Total Exports and monthly Total Imports. Statistics Canada provides Total Exports and Total Imports in local currency. Federal Reserve Board average market exchange rate is used for currency conversions.

Further information about Canada's Trade Balance

• In the latest reports, Canada's Total Exports reached 48.8 USD bn in Dec 2024, an increase of 6.4% YoY (year-on-year)
• Total Imports recorded 48.3 USD bn in Dec 2024, an increase of 6.4% YoY (year-on-year)

Switzerland recorded a trade surplus of 4277 CHF Million in February of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Switzerland Balance of Trade - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

This dataset includes top 20 partner countries that ranked by the Volume (Export + Import) of the Reference Year, Coverage = 100% x Export / Import ; Balance = Export - Import; Volume = Export + Import,These values are not included the value of non-monetary gold (please find it in another table).

As of 2024, the United States had a trade deficit of about 918 billion U.S. dollars. The U.S. trade deficit has increased since 2009, peaking in 2022. Most recently, 2023 marked the year when the U.S. trade deficit decreased from the previous year. What is trade deficit? A trade deficit is, quite simply, the total value of a country’s imports of goods and services minus the total value of its exports of goods and services. When a country exports more than it imports, it has a trade surplus, and when it imports more than it exports, it has a trade deficit. A trade deficit can mean one of two things: Either the country is failing to produce enough goods for its citizens, or its citizens are wealthy enough to purchase more goods than the country produces (as is the case with the United States). Trading partners The United States’ top export partners are its closest neighbors, Canada and Mexico, due in part to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which, pending ratification, will be replaced by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Regarding imports to the U.S., China takes the top spot, followed by Mexico and Canada.

International merchandise trade data grouped by Principal Trading Partners (PTP). Users have the option of selecting Imports, Exports, or Trade Balance. Data are unadjusted and seasonally adjusted, and are on a Customs and Balance of Payments basis.

India recorded a trade deficit of 14.05 USD Billion in February of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - India Balance of Trade - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Colombia Trade Balance: Country: Brazil data was reported at -1.240 USD bn in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of -1.882 USD bn for 2023. Colombia Trade Balance: Country: Brazil data is updated yearly, averaging -976.838 USD mn from Dec 1995 (Median) to 2024, with 30 observations. The data reached an all-time high of -190.366 USD mn in 2000 and a record low of -2.447 USD bn in 2022. Colombia Trade Balance: Country: Brazil data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Administrative Department of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Colombia – Table CO.JA002: Trade Balance: Annual.

Thailand TH: Trade Balance: Other Countries Not Elsewhere Classified: North Korea data was reported at 0.483 USD mn in Mar 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 0.563 USD mn for Dec 2017. Thailand TH: Trade Balance: Other Countries Not Elsewhere Classified: North Korea data is updated quarterly, averaging 1.710 USD mn from Dec 1968 (Median) to Mar 2018, with 175 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 88.426 USD mn in Dec 2000 and a record low of -11.950 USD mn in Jun 1988. Thailand TH: Trade Balance: Other Countries Not Elsewhere Classified: North Korea data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by International Monetary Fund. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Thailand – Table TH.IMF.DOT: Trade Balance: by Country: Quarterly.