Report Lists World’s Largest Importers, Exporters

NEW YORK (AP) -- A list of the world's 20 largest importing and exporting nations, according to the World Trade 2008 report published Monday by the World Trade Organization.

Exporters

1. Germany, $1.47 trillion worth of merchandise.

2. China, $1.43 trillion.

3. United States, $1.30 trillion.

4. Japan, $782 billion.

5. Netherlands, $634 billion.

6. France, $609 billion.

7. Italy, $540 billion.

8. Belgium, $477 billion.

9. Russia, $472 billion.

10. Britain, $458 billion.

11. Canada, $456 billion.

12. South Korea, $422 billion.

13. Hong Kong, $370 billion.

14. Singapore, $338 billion.

15. Saudi Arabia, $329 billion.

16. Mexico, $292 billion.

17. Spain, $268 billion.

18. Taiwan, $256 billion.

19. United Arab Emirates, $232 billion.

20. Switzerland, $200 billion.

Importers

1. United States, $2.17 trillion.

2. Germany, $1.21 trillion.

3. China, $1.13 trillion.

4. Japan, $762 billion.

5. France, $708 billion.

6. Britain, $632 billion.

7. Netherlands, $574 billion.

8. Italy, $556 billion.

9. Belgium, $470 billion.

10. South Korea, $435 billion.

11. Canada, $418 billion.

12. Spain, $402 billion.

13. Hong Kong, $393 billion.

14. Mexico, $323 billion.

15. Singapore, $320 billion.

16. Russia, $292 billion.

17. India, $292 billion.

18. Taiwan, $240 billion.

19. Poland, $204 billion.

20. Turkey, $202 billion.

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Largest Importers / Exporters 3/23/2009 5:59:00 PM Good Information! I already knew the U.S. was the largest importer, but I did not know we ranked so high in exports.
United Kingdom Question 3/24/2009 7:58:00 AM Interesting lists. It appears that most countries are approx. in the same relative position as both importers and exporters, which makes sense in a $$$-balance prospective. How then, can Britain be the world's 6th largest importer and not be on the map with regard to exports? Something doesn't add up....
Re: United Kingdom Question 3/24/2009 8:54:00 AM Read the list again, Britain is #10 on Exporter list.
That's our problem 3/24/2009 11:00:00 AM Look at the numbers and you'll see our problem in black and white. The US imports 67% more than we export. How long do you think your household would last if you spent that much more than you made?
Use domestic producers 3/24/2009 12:07:00 PM I would bet that most of China's exports end up in the US. If US would cut our imports from China, use US suppliers, our deficeit would balance. We need to make mfg in the US more attractive (less tax, more incentive to use US mfg).
The real figures... 3/24/2009 2:23:00 PM The real figures would be much different if you factored in losses to the U.S. economy, from Intellectual Property rights violations. And I bet none of you can name who the biggest violator of U.S. IP rights is...
BALANCE OF TRADES 3/24/2009 3:39:00 PM YES, AS ALREADY NOTED THE U.SA. IS #3 IN EXPORTS AND #1 IN IMPORTS WITH 67% MORE BEING BROUGHT IN THAN IS SHIPPED OUT WITH 870 BILLION BEING THE DIFFERANCE. THAT SHOULD SCARE THE HELL OF MOST FOLKS TO REALIZE WE WILL BECOME AN IN- DEBT THIRD WORLD COUNTRY IF WE DON'T CHANGE THE DIRECTION THIS IS GOING. LOOK AT CANADA WITH APPROX 10% MORE EXPORTS THAN IMPORTS. VERY IMMPRESSIVE. NOW FACTOR IN THE WEAKENED VALUE OF OUR DOLLAR VERSES THE OTHER COUNTRIES EXCHANGE FACTOR AND ITS ALARMING. NOW CONSIDER ALL THE DEBT WE JUST ADDED TO THE LARGEST DEBT WE HAVE IN HISTORY THEN THE GOVERNMENT BETTER FIGURE OUT A WAY TO MAKE US SOLVENT AGAIN OR ENGLISH WILL CEASE AS THE MAJOR LANGUANGE OF AMERICANS. OUR CHILDREN WILL INHERIT THIS DEBT FOR A LONG-LONG TIME SO HIDE YOUR PIGGY BANKS BEFORE THEY GET TAXED TOO. ALL OF US WILL HAVE TO PAY FOR THESE MISTAKES. WHAT A LEARNING EXPERIENCE.
Oil accounted for $700bn in trade deficits 3/25/2009 5:54:00 PM If we take the $700 billion that oilman T.Boone Pickens estimated we'd spent last year on imported oil[12 million barrels/day] our 2008 trade deficit would have been $170 bn, which is less than Britain's $174 bn trade deficit in the same period. Even if Pickens' estimate is off by half, that would still be more than enough money to create millions of American jobs to develop alternative energy supplies such as wind, solar, nuclear, and biofuels. We've squandered trillions of dollars on imported oil since the 1979 oil crisis, when oil production in Iran nearly stopped, and made some very questionable regimes wealthy enough to fund global terrorism with their petty cash. We can easily grow enough food to feed ourselves, so if we can meet our own energy needs through smart conservation and innovative energy developments, we can stop wasting our precious time and hard-earned dollars on oil imports and Middle East 'peace,' and enjoy our own domestic tranquility and prosperity for a change.
Real rankings 3/30/2009 3:14:00 AM This list doesn't show the real picture of the largest importers/exporters. If you factor in country size, no wonder countries such as Belgium and Holland are in the top ten. They only need to ship there products 5 meter in any direction and it's already an export. Same goes for Germany, shipping to another European country is considered an export, while shipping to another state within the US is not, although the distances are equal or smaller.
Country's potential? 3/30/2009 1:59:00 PM Wow. Congratulations Germany. For a very small country -compared to China, the USA, and Russia- you beat them all out in terms of exports and did it while still keeping your imports lower than your exports. We in the USA who are so hung up on relying on our natural resources to balance the trade sheets should take note and learn something from that.

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