Most of the trading partners that the United States has deficits with fall into the first two categories. The two largest are China and Japan. Some of the largest deficits are with countries in the last category. They include Canada, Mexico, and Germany.
That's why the countries with which the United States has the
largest trade deficits in goods are not always its most important trading partners. Some nations export a lot without importing much. But the
top five trading partners also have the largest deficits. Please note that the Census provides trade data by country for goods only, not services.
- China - $636 billion traded with a $375 billion deficit.
- Canada - $582 billion traded with an $18 billion deficit.
- Mexico - $557 billion traded with a $71 billion deficit.
- Japan - $204 billion traded with a $69 billion deficit.
- Germany - $171 billion traded with a $65 billion deficit.