In 2023, China was the country with the highest trade surplus, with approximately ****** 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 2023, the United States reported the highest trade balance deficit with approximately **** trillion U.S. dollars.

Historical chart and dataset showing U.S. trade balance by year from 1970 to 2023.

The United States recorded a trade deficit of 71.52 USD Billion in May of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - United States Balance of Trade - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

The average for 2023 based on 137 countries was -3.03 percent. The highest value was in Macao: 43.36 percent and the lowest value was in Kiribati: -85.09 percent. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

China trade balance for 2023 was 386.04 billion US dollars, a 33.19% decline from 2022.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>China trade balance for 2022 was <strong>577.85 billion US dollars</strong>, a <strong>25.39% increase</strong> from 2021.</li>
<li>China trade balance for 2021 was <strong>460.83 billion US dollars</strong>, a <strong>29.76% increase</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>China trade balance for 2020 was <strong>355.15 billion US dollars</strong>, a <strong>167.45% increase</strong> from 2019.</li>
</ul>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.

As of 2024, the United States had a trade deficit of about *** 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.

Germany trade balance for 2023 was 181.28 billion US dollars, a 74.37% increase from 2022.

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<li>Germany trade balance for 2022 was <strong>103.96 billion US dollars</strong>, a <strong>53.65% decline</strong> from 2021.</li>
<li>Germany trade balance for 2021 was <strong>224.31 billion US dollars</strong>, a <strong>6.51% increase</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>Germany trade balance for 2020 was <strong>210.60 billion US dollars</strong>, a <strong>5.62% decline</strong> from 2019.</li>
</ul>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 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 ** 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 ** percent and ** 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.

The average for 2023 based on 19 countries was -8.28 billion U.S. dollars. The highest value was in China: 386.06 billion U.S. dollars and the lowest value was in the USA: -784.89 billion U.S. dollars. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

The European Union's balance of trade in goods is driven by a few of its largest economies. Germany, the EU's pre-eminent economic power, has run a large trade surplus with countries outside the EU over the past two decades, with this surplus more than doubling after the global financial crisis and great recession. Italy also emerged as a large net exporter over the 2010s, along with Ireland, Sweden and France. On the other hand, the Netherlands has by far run the largest trade deficit with non-EU countries among the bloc. Other notable net goods importers among the EU member states include Spain and Poland.

India trade balance for 2023 was -73.51 billion US dollars, a 38.5% decline from 2022.

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<li>India trade balance for 2022 was <strong>-119.53 billion US dollars</strong>, a <strong>43.78% increase</strong> from 2021.</li>
<li>India trade balance for 2021 was <strong>-83.13 billion US dollars</strong>, a <strong>690.53% increase</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>India trade balance for 2020 was <strong>-10.52 billion US dollars</strong>, a <strong>85.61% decline</strong> from 2019.</li>
</ul>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.

Graph and download economic data for Trade Balance: Goods, Balance of Payments Basis (BOPGTB) from Jan 1992 to Apr 2025 about BOP, balance, trade, goods, and USA.

China recorded a trade surplus of 103.22 USD Billion in May of 2025. This dataset provides - China Balance of Trade - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Hong Kong recorded a trade deficit of 27325 HKD Million in May of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Hong Kong 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 Canada's Trade Balance

• Canada's Trade Balance recorded a surplus of 2.8 USD bn in Jan 2025, compared with a surplus of 1.2 USD bn in the previous month
• Canada's Trade Balance data is updated monthly, available from Jan 1988 to Jan 2025, with an averaged value of 800.0 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 51.8 USD bn in Jan 2025, an increase of 14.1% YoY (year-on-year)
• Total Imports recorded 49.0 USD bn in Jan 2025, an increase of 14.1% YoY (year-on-year)

Japan trade balance for 2023 was -64.81 billion US dollars, a 59.5% decline from 2022.

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<li>Japan trade balance for 2022 was <strong>-160.05 billion US dollars</strong>, a <strong>510.73% increase</strong> from 2021.</li>
<li>Japan trade balance for 2021 was <strong>-26.21 billion US dollars</strong>, a <strong>92.87% increase</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>Japan trade balance for 2020 was <strong>-13.59 billion US dollars</strong>, a <strong>8.25% decline</strong> from 2019.</li>
</ul>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 May 2025, the trade surplus in China amounted to approximately ***** 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 *** trillion U.S. dollars in 2024.China has become a vital trade partner for many economies. In 2024, over *** 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 ****** billion U.S. dollars as of 2023.

Canada trade balance for 2023 was -9.72 billion US dollars, a 442.91% decline from 2022.

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<li>Canada trade balance for 2022 was <strong>2.84 billion US dollars</strong>, a <strong>1553.86% increase</strong> from 2021.</li>
<li>Canada trade balance for 2021 was <strong>171.47 million US dollars</strong>, a <strong>100.47% decline</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>Canada trade balance for 2020 was <strong>-36.58 billion US dollars</strong>, a <strong>43.1% increase</strong> from 2019.</li>
</ul>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.