Who Are the Biggest Importers and Exporters in 2018?

Imports and exports are the terms used to describe products, goods, commodities, and services traded between countries. VisualCapitalist created a cartogram, showing the leading importers and exporters worldwide, using data from World Trade Organization.

The biggest importers

Around the world, import a total of $19.87 trillion in goods and services every year. The U.S. is the world’s biggest import nation in the world (13.4% share of global imports), with China (13.8% share of global imports) and Germany (6.5% share of global imports) close behind.

The World’s Top 20 Largest Importers ($millions)

1. U.S – $2,612,379
2. China – $2,135,748
3. Germany – $1,285,722
4. Japan – $748,488
5. United Kingdom – $673,965
6. France – $672,549
7. Netherlands – $644,673
8. Hong Kong – $626,616
9. South Korea – $535,202
10. India – $514,464
11. Italy – $500,795
12. Mexico – $476,546
13. Canada – $470,558
14. Belgium – $450,075
15. Spain – $388,044
16. Singapore – $370,881
17. Chinese Taipei – $386,333
18. Switzerland – $279,528
19. Poland – $266,504
20. Unit3d Arab Emiratis – $261,539

The biggest exporters

China is the biggest exporter in the world. The country exported a total of $2.5 trillion worth of goods and services in 2018 (12.8% share of global exports). The United States comes in second place (8.6% share of global exports).

The World’s Top 20 Largest Exporters ($millions)

1. China – $2,486,695
2. United States – $1,665,992
3. Germany – $1,560,648
4. Japan – $738,143
5. Netherlands – $723,752
6. South Korea -$604,860
7. France – $581,872
8. Hong Kong – $568,454
9. Italy – $546,643
10. United Kingdom – $486,850
11. Belgium – 466,724
12. Mexico – 450,685
13. Canada – 450,585
14. Russian Federation – 443,129
15. Singapore – 412,953
16. Spain – 345,166
17. Chinese Taipei – 335,909
18. India – 324,778%
19. United Arab Emirates – 316,896
20. Switzerland – 310,749