Markets
Mapped: The Top Export in Every Country
Click to view a larger version of this infographic
Mapped: The Top Export in Every Country
View the high resolution of this infographic by clicking here.
Today, exports make up roughly 25% of total global production.
One of the common influences on these exports, unsurprisingly, is oil. In fact, petroleum is the top export across over 50 nations, and along with many other resource-driven materials makes up a sizable share of the global export market. Since 2000, the total value of all exported global trade of goods and services has tripled to $19.5 trillion.
This infographic from HowMuch.net shows the top export in every country by value, according to the most recent global data from 2018.
Top Exports, by Region
Let’s dive into some particular regions, to see how top exports can vary:
Editor’s note: for even larger versions of each regional infographic below, visit HowMuch.net. All export data is from 2018 and comes from CEPII, a leading French center of economic analysis.
North America
In the U.S. petroleum outpaces all other exports, with crude oil accounting for 35% of total petroleum exports. Canada too, lists petroleum at the top.
Country | Top Export |
---|---|
Canada | Petroleum |
Greenland | Fish |
Mexico | Cars |
Saint Pierre and Quelon | Crustaceans |
U.S. | Petroleum |
With a market valued at $50.7 billion, Mexico’s top export is cars—making it the fourth largest exporter worldwide.
Africa
From Egypt to Senegal, Africa has a diverse spectrum of exports. Primarily, these are resource-driven, with the top five exports being petroleum, gold, diamonds, natural gas, and coal.
Country | Top Export |
---|---|
Algeria | Petroleum |
Angola | Petroleum |
Benin | Cotton |
Burkina Faso | Gold |
Burundi | Gold |
Cabo Verde | Fish |
Cameroon | Petroleum |
Central African Republic | Wood |
Chad | Petroleum |
Comoros | Cloves |
Congo | Petroleum |
Cote D'Ivoire | Cocoa Beans |
Dijibouti | Sheep and goats |
DR Congo | Copper |
Egypt | Petroleum |
Eritrea | Zinc |
Ethiopia | Coffee |
Gambia | Nuts |
Ghana | Gold |
Guinea | Gold |
Guinea-Bissau | Nuts |
Kenya | Tea |
Liberia | Gold |
Libya | Petroleum |
Madagascar | Vanilla |
Malawi | Tobacco |
Mali | Gold |
Mauritania | Iron |
Mauritus | Fish |
Morocco | Cars |
Mozambique | Cloves |
Niger | Gold |
Nigeria | Petroleum |
Rwanda | Gold |
Senegal | Gold |
Seychelles | Fish |
Sierra Leone | Titanium |
Somalia | Sheep and goats |
South African Customs Union | Gold |
South Sudan | Petroleum |
St. Helena | Blood |
Sudan | Petroleum |
Tanzana | Gold |
Togo | Petroleum |
Tunisia | Wires |
Uganda | Gold |
Zambia | Copper |
Zimbabwe | Gold |
Meanwhile, Ethiopia’s top export is coffee, shipping nearly $1 billion alone in 2018. Similarly, off the east coast, Madagascar is the world’s largest producer of vanilla.
Asia
While petroleum is also a dominant export across many countries in Asia, the region’s export landscape is a lot more tech-focused.
In South Korea, electronic circuits are the largest export. Samsung, headquartered in Seoul, is a major supplier to Apple for multiple electronic components. With one of the highest export ratios in Asia, 40% of South Korea’s economic output is derived from its export market.
Here are the top exports across other Asian countries.
Country | Top Export |
---|---|
Afghanistan | Grapes |
Armenia | Copper |
Azerbaijan | Petroleum |
Bahrain | Petroleum |
Bangladesh | Suits |
Bhutan | Ferro-alloys |
Br. Indian Ocean Terr. | Fish |
Brunei Darussalam | Petroleum |
Cambodia | Jerseys |
China | Transmission apparatus |
DPR Korea | Watches |
Georgia | Copper |
Hong Kong SAR | Gold |
Indonesia | Coals |
Iran | Petroleum |
Iraq | Petroleum |
Israel | Diamonds |
Japan | Cars |
Jordan | Fertilizers |
Kazakhstan | Petroleum |
Kuwait | Petroleum |
Kyrgyzstan | Gold |
Laos | Electrical energy |
Lebanon | Gold |
Macao SAR | Watches |
Malaysia | Electronic circuits |
Maldives | Fish |
Mongolia | Coals |
Myanmar | Petroleum |
Nepal | Yarn |
Oman | Petroleum |
Pakistan | Bed linen |
Philippines | Electronic circuits |
Qatar | Petroleum |
Saudi Arabia | Petroleum |
Singapore | Electronic circuits |
South Korea | Electronic circuits |
Sri Lanka | Tea |
State of Palestine | Stones |
Syria | Olive oil |
Tajikistan | Gold |
Thailand | Machinery |
Turkmenistan | Petroleum |
Turkey | Cars |
UAE | Petroleum |
Uzbekistan | Gold |
Vietnam | Transmission apparatus |
Yemen | Petroleum |
In Afghanistan, grapes are the top export, valued at $237 million. Almost one-fifth of Afghanistan’s exports come from the grape industry.
Europe
Across the European continent, the automotive industry stands out as a primary driver of exports, with 14 countries having cars or vehicles as their most exported good.
In fact, in 2019, the European Union exported a total of 5.6 million motor vehicles. Of these, 28% were shipped to the U.S. and 16.5% to China.
Country | Top Export |
---|---|
Albania | Footwear |
Andorra | Electronic circults |
Austria | Cars |
Belarus | Petroleum |
Belgium | Cars |
Bosnia Herzegovina | Electrical energy |
Bulgaria | Petroleum |
Croatia | Petroleum |
Cyprus | Petroleum |
Czech Republic | Cars |
Denmark | Drugs |
Estonia | Transmission apparatus |
Finland | Petroleum |
France | Airplanes |
Germany | Cars |
Gibraltar | Petroleum |
Greece | Petroleum |
Hungary | Cars |
Iceland | Aluminium |
Ireland | Blood |
Italy | Drugs |
Latvia | Wood |
Lithuania | Petroleum |
Luxembourg | Cars |
Malta | Petroleum |
Moldova | Wires |
Montenegro | Aluminium |
Netherlands | Petroleum |
Norway | Petroleum |
Poland | Vehicles |
Portugal | Cars |
Romania | Vehicles |
Russia | Petroleum |
San Marino | Machines |
Serbia | Wires |
Slovakia | Cars |
Slovenia | Cars |
Spain | Cars |
Sweden | Cars |
Switzerland | Gold |
TFYR of Macedonia | Reaction initiators |
U.K. | Cars |
Ukraine | Sun-Flower Seed |
The Balkan nation of Albania has footwear as its top export. Overall, nearly 80% of the nation’s GDP relies on goods and services exports.
France, on the other hand, has airplanes as its highest export while Italy and Denmark’s highest are drugs. Italy is the top producer of pharmaceuticals in Europe, an industry which employs 66,500 across the country. Globally, it makes up 2.8% of pharmaceutical sales.
Due to its cheap electricity prices, companies have flocked to Iceland to produce aluminum. Iceland’s dams, which generate power from glacial water, produce electricity as much as 30% cheaper than in America.
Latin America & the Caribbean Islands
Like other regions, petroleum stands out as a key export in countries across Latin America.
Take Venezuela. With the largest oil reserves in the world, its oil exports were valued at $90 billion annually ten years ago. Since the pandemic, however, earnings are projected to reach just a fraction of this total—only $2.3 billion this year.
Along with this, the U.S. has imposed sanctions on president Nicolás Maduro and Venezuela’s state oil company, PDVSA, causing oil exports to slump to their lowest point in nearly 80 years.
Country | Top Export |
---|---|
Anguilla | Ethyl alcohol |
Antigua and Barbuda | Cruise ships |
Argentina | Oil |
Aruba | Airplanes |
Bahamas | Cruise ships |
Barbados | Ethyl alcohol |
Belize | Cane sugar |
Bolivia | Petroleum |
Bonaire | Petroleum |
Brazil | Soya beans |
British Virgin Islands | Yachts |
Cayman Islands | Yachts |
Chile | Copper |
Colombia | Petroleum |
Costa Rica | Medical instruments |
Cuba | Cigars |
Curacao | Petroleum |
Dominica | Medical instruments |
Dominican Republic | Gold |
Ecuador | Petroleum |
El Salvador | T-shirts |
Falkland Is. (Malvinas) | Molluscs |
Grenada | Nutmeg |
Guatemala | Bananas |
Guyana | Gold |
Haiti | T-shirts |
Honduras | T-shirts |
Jamaica | Aluminium |
Montserrat | Sand |
Neth. Antilles | Cars |
Nicaragua | T-shirts |
Panama | Petroleum |
Paraguay | Soya beans |
Peru | Copper |
Saint Barthelemy | Cosmetics |
Saint Kitts and Nevis | Transmission apparatus |
Saint Lucia | Petroleum |
Saint Maarten | Jewellery |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Petroleum |
Suriname | Gold |
Trinidad and Tobago | Petroleum |
Turks and Caicos Is. | Petroleum |
Uruguay | Wood pulp |
Venezuela | Petroleum |
For Caribbean nations, unsurprisingly, many top exports in this region are linked to tourism.
Cruise ships stood out as a primary export in the Bahamas, while yachts were most significant in the Cayman Islands. However, due to the pandemic, many of these national economies are at heightened risk, with some economies across the region projected to contract 10% in 2020.
Oceania
Finally, in Oceania, Australia had coal as it’s top export in 2018 (though it has since switched to iron ore in 2019), while New Zealand sends milk abroad.
For many of the smaller islands throughout the Pacific, it can be seen that fish, cruise ships, water, and yachts are key exports.
The Future of Trade
Now, COVID-19 and a host of other factors are changing the way the world trades. Unexpected shocks, trade wars, the carbon footprint, and labor standards are influencing firms to build more resilient supply chains.
According to The Economist, it’s estimated that over the next five years that 16-26% of exported goods production could shift locations.
Markets
U.S. Debt Interest Payments Reach $1 Trillion
U.S. debt interest payments have surged past the $1 trillion dollar mark, amid high interest rates and an ever-expanding debt burden.
U.S. Debt Interest Payments Reach $1 Trillion
This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.
The cost of paying for America’s national debt crossed the $1 trillion dollar mark in 2023, driven by high interest rates and a record $34 trillion mountain of debt.
Over the last decade, U.S. debt interest payments have more than doubled amid vast government spending during the pandemic crisis. As debt payments continue to soar, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reported that debt servicing costs surpassed defense spending for the first time ever this year.
This graphic shows the sharp rise in U.S. debt payments, based on data from the Federal Reserve.
A $1 Trillion Interest Bill, and Growing
Below, we show how U.S. debt interest payments have risen at a faster pace than at another time in modern history:
Date | Interest Payments | U.S. National Debt |
---|---|---|
2023 | $1.0T | $34.0T |
2022 | $830B | $31.4T |
2021 | $612B | $29.6T |
2020 | $518B | $27.7T |
2019 | $564B | $23.2T |
2018 | $571B | $22.0T |
2017 | $493B | $20.5T |
2016 | $460B | $20.0T |
2015 | $435B | $18.9T |
2014 | $442B | $18.1T |
2013 | $425B | $17.2T |
2012 | $417B | $16.4T |
2011 | $433B | $15.2T |
2010 | $400B | $14.0T |
2009 | $354B | $12.3T |
2008 | $380B | $10.7T |
2007 | $414B | $9.2T |
2006 | $387B | $8.7T |
2005 | $355B | $8.2T |
2004 | $318B | $7.6T |
2003 | $294B | $7.0T |
2002 | $298B | $6.4T |
2001 | $318B | $5.9T |
2000 | $353B | $5.7T |
1999 | $353B | $5.8T |
1998 | $360B | $5.6T |
1997 | $368B | $5.5T |
1996 | $362B | $5.3T |
1995 | $357B | $5.0T |
1994 | $334B | $4.8T |
1993 | $311B | $4.5T |
1992 | $306B | $4.2T |
1991 | $308B | $3.8T |
1990 | $298B | $3.4T |
1989 | $275B | $3.0T |
1988 | $254B | $2.7T |
1987 | $240B | $2.4T |
1986 | $225B | $2.2T |
1985 | $219B | $1.9T |
1984 | $205B | $1.7T |
1983 | $176B | $1.4T |
1982 | $157B | $1.2T |
1981 | $142B | $1.0T |
1980 | $113B | $930.2B |
1979 | $96B | $845.1B |
1978 | $84B | $789.2B |
1977 | $69B | $718.9B |
1976 | $61B | $653.5B |
1975 | $55B | $576.6B |
1974 | $50B | $492.7B |
1973 | $45B | $469.1B |
1972 | $39B | $448.5B |
1971 | $36B | $424.1B |
1970 | $35B | $389.2B |
1969 | $30B | $368.2B |
1968 | $25B | $358.0B |
1967 | $23B | $344.7B |
1966 | $21B | $329.3B |
Interest payments represent seasonally adjusted annual rate at the end of Q4.
At current rates, the U.S. national debt is growing by a remarkable $1 trillion about every 100 days, equal to roughly $3.6 trillion per year.
As the national debt has ballooned, debt payments even exceeded Medicaid outlays in 2023—one of the government’s largest expenditures. On average, the U.S. spent more than $2 billion per day on interest costs last year. Going further, the U.S. government is projected to spend a historic $12.4 trillion on interest payments over the next decade, averaging about $37,100 per American.
Exacerbating matters is that the U.S. is running a steep deficit, which stood at $1.1 trillion for the first six months of fiscal 2024. This has accelerated due to the 43% increase in debt servicing costs along with a $31 billion dollar increase in defense spending from a year earlier. Additionally, a $30 billion increase in funding for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in light of the regional banking crisis last year was a major contributor to the deficit increase.
Overall, the CBO forecasts that roughly 75% of the federal deficit’s increase will be due to interest costs by 2034.
-
Green1 week ago
Ranking the Top 15 Countries by Carbon Tax Revenue
-
AI2 weeks ago
The Stock Performance of U.S. Chipmakers So Far in 2024
-
Business2 weeks ago
Charted: Big Four Market Share by S&P 500 Audits
-
Real Estate2 weeks ago
Ranked: The Most Valuable Housing Markets in America
-
Money2 weeks ago
Which States Have the Highest Minimum Wage in America?
-
AI2 weeks ago
Ranked: Semiconductor Companies by Industry Revenue Share
-
Travel2 weeks ago
Ranked: The World’s Top Flight Routes, by Revenue
-
Countries2 weeks ago
Population Projections: The World’s 6 Largest Countries in 2075