Datastream
The Top Import for Each Country: The Americas
The Briefing
- Petroleum is the top import across the Americas (Northern America, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America)
- The U.S. is the #1 importer worldwide. In 2018, its total product import value reached $2.4T
The Top Import in Each Country: The Americas
Almost all nations across the globe import goods from other countries. But what types of products are in high demand, and to what degree are these hot commodities exchanged worldwide?
Today’s graphic provides an overview of the top imports across the Americas. For brevity, we’ve excluded regions with an import value below $1 billion.
The Top Imports, by Country
Petroleum is the most popular import across the Americas region. In fact, it’s the top import in 15 of the 22 countries included on this list:
Country / Region | Continent | Top Import | Import Value (2018, $B USD) |
---|---|---|---|
🇨🇦 Canada | Northern America | Vehicles | 29.4 |
🇺🇸 United States of America | Northern America | Vehicles | 176.8 |
🇰🇾 Cayman Islands | The Caribbean | Ships | 3.2 |
🇧🇸 Bahamas | The Caribbean | Ships | 2.1 |
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic | The Caribbean | Petroleum | 1.6 |
🇱🇨 Saint Lucia | The Caribbean | Petroleum | 1.2 |
🇲🇽 Mexico | Central America | Petroleum | 31.3 |
🇵🇦 Panama | Central America | Petroleum | 5.6 |
🇬🇹 Guatemala | Central America | Petroleum | 2.0 |
🇨🇷 Costa Rica | Central America | Petroleum | 1.6 |
🇸🇻 El Salvador | Central America | Petroleum | 1.1 |
🇭🇳 Honduras | Central America | Petroleum | 1.2 |
🇧🇷 Brazil | South America | Petroleum | 11.7 |
🇦🇷 Argentina | South America | Vehicles | 5.0 |
🇨🇱 Chile | South America | Vehicles | 4.8 |
🇻🇪 Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) | South America | Petroleum | 4.5 |
🇵🇪 Peru | South America | Petroleum | 3.5 |
🇪🇨 Ecuador | South America | Petroleum | 2.9 |
🇨🇴 Colombia | South America | Petroleum | 2.9 |
🇺🇾 Uruguay | South America | Petroleum | 2.3 |
🇬🇾 Guyana | South America | Ships | 1.5 |
🇵🇾 Paraguay | South America | Petroleum | 1.3 |
Vehicles are the second most popular, ranking as the number one import in four of the 22 countries. Cars are particularly popular in Northern America— they’re the top import in both the U.S. and Canada.
Lastly, ships place third, snagging the top spot in three of the 22 countries. Interestingly, two of these nations are in the Caribbean.
The Top 10 Regions, by Import Value
When looking at which nations import the most of their top product, the U.S. leads the pack.
In 2018, the U.S. imported $176.8 billion worth of foreign vehicles—around $147 billion more than its northern neighbor, Canada:
Region | Top Import | Import Value (2018, $B USD) |
---|---|---|
🇺🇸 United States of America | Vehicles | 176.8 |
🇨🇦 Canada | Vehicles | 29.4 |
🇲🇽 Mexico | Petroleum | 31.3 |
🇧🇷 Brazil | Petroleum | 11.7 |
🇵🇦 Panama | Petroleum | 5.6 |
🇦🇷 Argentina | Vehicles | 5.0 |
🇨🇱 Chile | Vehicles | 4.8 |
🇻🇪 Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) | Petroleum | 4.5 |
🇵🇪 Peru | Petroleum | 3.5 |
🇰🇾 Cayman Islands | Ships | 3.2 |
The U.S. relies heavily on Mexico for its foreign vehicles—it imported over 2 million light vehicles from south of the border in 2018. Manufacturing of vehicles and associated parts makes up nearly 18% of Mexico’s total exports.
Yet, while the U.S. imports a lot of foreign cars, the country exports its fair share of vehicles as well, especially to Canada. In fact, the U.S. is Canada’s top source for imported vehicles.
The high volume of trade between Mexico, the U.S. and Canada is fairly unsurprising, given the trade agreement between the three countries. Since the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) came into effect in 1994, Mexico in particular has seen a significant boost in trade activity. In 2018, imports accounted for 39% of Mexico’s GDP—a 21 percentage point rise from 1994.
»To learn more about the top imports worldwide, read our full article Mapped: The World’s Biggest Importers in 2018
Where does this data come from?
Source: BACI, UN Comtrade
Details: BACI is an international trade database, providing information on bilateral trade flows for more than 5000 products and 200 countries. It pulls data directly from the United Nations Statistical Division (UN Comtrade)
Notes: For more information on methodology, visit the CEPII website
Central Banks
Charted: Public Trust in the Federal Reserve
Public trust in the Federal Reserve chair has hit its lowest point in 20 years. Get the details in this infographic.

The Briefing
- Gallup conducts an annual poll to gauge the U.S. public’s trust in the Federal Reserve
- After rising during the COVID-19 pandemic, public trust has fallen to a 20-year low
Charted: Public Trust in the Federal Reserve
Each year, Gallup conducts a survey of American adults on various economic topics, including the country’s central bank, the Federal Reserve.
More specifically, respondents are asked how much confidence they have in the current Fed chairman to do or recommend the right thing for the U.S. economy. We’ve visualized these results from 2001 to 2023 to see how confidence levels have changed over time.
Methodology and Results
The data used in this infographic is also listed in the table below. Percentages reflect the share of respondents that have either a “great deal” or “fair amount” of confidence.
Year | Fed chair | % Great deal or Fair amount |
---|---|---|
2023 | Jerome Powell | 36% |
2022 | Jerome Powell | 43% |
2021 | Jerome Powell | 55% |
2020 | Jerome Powell | 58% |
2019 | Jerome Powell | 50% |
2018 | Jerome Powell | 45% |
2017 | Janet Yellen | 45% |
2016 | Janet Yellen | 38% |
2015 | Janet Yellen | 42% |
2014 | Janet Yellen | 37% |
2013 | Ben Bernanke | 42% |
2012 | Ben Bernanke | 39% |
2011 | Ben Bernanke | 41% |
2010 | Ben Bernanke | 44% |
2009 | Ben Bernanke | 49% |
2008 | Ben Bernanke | 47% |
2007 | Ben Bernanke | 50% |
2006 | Ben Bernanke | 41% |
2005 | Alan Greenspan | 56% |
2004 | Alan Greenspan | 61% |
2003 | Alan Greenspan | 65% |
2002 | Alan Greenspan | 69% |
2001 | Alan Greenspan | 74% |
Data for 2023 collected April 3-25, with this statement put to respondents: “Please tell me how much confidence you have [in the Fed chair] to recommend the right thing for the economy.”
We can see that trust in the Federal Reserve has fluctuated significantly in recent years.
For example, under Alan Greenspan, trust was initially high due to the relative stability of the economy. The burst of the dotcom bubble—which some attribute to Greenspan’s easy credit policies—resulted in a sharp decline.
On the flip side, public confidence spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was likely due to Jerome Powell’s decisive actions to provide support to the U.S. economy throughout the crisis.
Measures implemented by the Fed include bringing interest rates to near zero, quantitative easing (buying government bonds with newly-printed money), and emergency lending programs to businesses.
Confidence Now on the Decline
After peaking at 58%, those with a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in the Fed chair have tumbled to 36%, the lowest number in 20 years.
This is likely due to Powell’s hard stance on fighting post-pandemic inflation, which has involved raising interest rates at an incredible speed. While these rate hikes may be necessary, they also have many adverse effects:
- Negative impact on the stock market
- Increases the burden for those with variable-rate debts
- Makes mortgages and home buying less affordable
Higher rates have also prompted many U.S. tech companies to shrink their workforces, and have been a factor in the regional banking crisis, including the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank.
Where does this data come from?
Source: Gallup (2023)
Data Notes: Results are based on telephone interviews conducted April 3-25, 2023, with a random sample of –1,013—adults, ages 18+, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. For results based on this sample of national adults, the margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. See source for details.
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