Mapped: The World’s Biggest Trade Surpluses and DeficitsKey TakeawaysThe UAE has the largest trade surplus among major economies, equal to 27.8% of GDP, followed by Ireland at 22.9%.China runs a trade surplus equal to 5.5% of GDP, while the U.S. runs a deficit equal to 3.2%.Among major economies, Ukraine has the largest trade deficit relative to GDP at 23.0%, followed by Hong Kong at 12.8%.Trade balances can vary dramatically relative to the size of an economy.Using data from the World Trade Organization and the International Monetary Fund, this graphic maps trade surpluses and deficits around the world as a share of GDP.How Trade Balances Compare Around the WorldTrade balances range from large surpluses among export-heavy energy producers and manufacturing hubs to sizable deficits in economies that buy more from abroad than they sell.The table below compares 190 economies by their trade balance in goods and services as a share of GDP. Positive figures indicate a surplus, while negative figures indicate a deficit. RankCountryTrade Balance 2025 (% of GDP)1 Macao43.2%2 Gabon35.1%3 Bahrain33.2%4 Papua New Guinea28.9%5 UAE27.8%6 Libya24.1%7 Ireland22.9%8 Luxembourg21.7%9 Brunei Darussalam21.1%10 Qatar19.5%11 Singapore16.3%12 Aruba15.3%13 Guyana14.9%14 Taiwan14.5%15 Turkmenistan14.0%16 Guinea13.9%17 Laos13.7%18 Burkina Faso12.9%19 Netherlands12.3%20 Slovenia10.7%21 Malta10.4%22 Oman10.2%23 Norway10.0%24 Iran9.8%25 Côte d'Ivoire9.3%26 Hungary8.9%27 Kuwait8.8%28 Czech Republic8.7%29 Chad8.1%30 Ghana7.8%31 Malaysia7.5%32 Equatorial Guinea7.2%33 Costa Rica7.1%34 Mongolia7.0%35 Angola6.4%36 Djibouti6.1%37 China5.5%38 Kazakhstan4.5%39 Peru4.1%40 Lithuania3.6%41 Poland3.5%42 Cyprus3.2%43 Spain3.1%44 Switzerland3.0%45 Germany2.7%45 Russia2.7%47 Denmark2.4%48 South Korea2.3%49 Belgium2.2%50 Myanmar2.1%50 Italy2.1%52 Slovak Republic2.0%53 Ecuador1.9%54 Vietnam1.8%55 Chile1.6%56 Indonesia1.5%57 Tunisia1.1%58 Panama0.5%58 Israel0.5%58 Portugal0.5%61 Austria0.2%62 Brazil0.1%62 Australia0.1%64 Argentina-0.3%64 Sweden-0.3%66 Uruguay-0.4%67 Nigeria-0.5%67 Saudi Arabia-0.5%67 Eswatini-0.5%70 Cambodia-0.6%70 New Zealand-0.6%72 Tanzania-0.7%73 Thailand-0.8%74 Canada-0.9%74 Japan-0.9%76 France-1.2%77 Mexico-1.6%78 Türkiye-1.8%79 Democratic Republic of the Congo-2.0%79 Azerbaijan-2.0%79 Finland-2.0%82 Zambia-2.1%82 Bolivia-2.1%84 Estonia-2.2%85 Trinidad and Tobago-2.3%86 Republic of Congo-2.6%87 Albania-2.7%87 Bulgaria-2.7%89 Zimbabwe-3.0%89 Belarus-3.0%89 United Kingdom-3.0%92 U.S.-3.2%93 Gambia-3.3%94 Algeria-3.4%94 Iraq-3.4%96 South Africa-3.5%97 Niger-3.7%98 Benin-3.9%98 Belize-3.9%98 Latvia-3.9%101 Greece-4.2%101 Iceland-4.2%103 India-4.3%104 Colombia-4.5%105 Senegal-4.6%106 Sierra Leone-4.7%106 Dominican Republic-4.7%108 Venezuela-5.2%108 Croatia-5.2%110 South Sudan-5.5%110 Romania-5.5%112 Bangladesh-6.1%113 Sri Lanka-6.6%113 Guinea-Bissau-6.6%115 Mali-7.1%116 Serbia-7.2%117 Botswana-7.4%118 Seychelles-7.7%119 Kenya-8.1%120 Cameroon-8.3%120 Bahamas-8.3%122 Sudan-8.6%123 Suriname-8.7%124 Philippines-9.0%125 Pakistan-9.4%126 Central African Republic-10.0%127 Mozambique-11.0%128 Egypt-11.3%128 Armenia-11.3%130 Morocco-11.4%131 Madagascar-11.7%132 Liberia-12.2%132 Ethiopia-12.2%134 Uganda-12.6%135 Marshall Islands-12.7%136 Hong Kong-12.8%137 Togo-13.4%138 Afghanistan-13.6%139 Mauritius-13.9%140 Solomon Islands-14.0%140 Haiti-14.0%142 Paraguay-14.5%143 Sao Tomé and Principe-14.8%143 Fiji-14.8%145 Uzbekistan-15.3%146 Bosnia and Herzegovina-15.7%147 Rwanda-15.8%147 Burundi-15.8%149 Mauritania-16.2%150 North Macedonia-16.4%151 Nicaragua-16.7%152 Samoa-16.8%153 Jordan-17.0%154 Honduras-17.2%155 Georgia-17.5%156 Guatemala-17.6%157 Malawi-18.0%158 Namibia-18.3%159 Jamaica-18.9%160 Comoros-20.1%161 Somalia-20.3%162 Nauru-20.5%163 Barbados-22.5%164 Ukraine-23.0%165 El Salvador-24.8%166 Montenegro-27.7%167 Nepal-28.9%168 Moldova-30.5%169 Dominica-31.6%170 Vanuatu-33.2%171 Saint Kitts and Nevis-34.8%172 Saint Lucia-34.9%173 Tonga-35.6%174 Bhutan-38.0%175 Tajikistan-38.7%176 Antigua and Barbuda-39.9%177 Micronesia-40.0%178 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines-40.1%179 Maldives-41.4%180 Andorra-42.4%181 Grenada-43.5%182 Cabo Verde-44.0%183 Palau-46.1%184 Tuvalu-46.6%185 Kyrgyz Republic-46.9%186 Lebanese Republic-48.2%187 Lesotho-54.4%188 Yemen-56.4%189 Timor-Leste-61.4%190 Kiribati-165.3%Two of the world’s largest economies sit on opposite sides of the trade balance.China ran a trade surplus equal to 5.5% of GDP in 2025, compared with a 3.2% deficit in the United States. In goods alone, China’s trade surplus reached a record $1.2 trillion in 2025.Germany and South Korea also recorded surpluses of 2.7% and 2.3% of GDP, respectively. Germany’s export base is anchored by cars and machinery, while South Korea is a global powerhouse in semiconductors.Several other major economies ran deficits, including India (-4.3%), the UK (-3.0%), France (-1.2%), Canada (-0.9%), and Japan (-0.9%).Why Some Countries Run Much Larger Trade SurplusesEnergy exports help explain some of the largest surpluses. The UAE, Qatar, Oman, Norway, and Kuwait all benefit from sizable oil and gas exports, while economies such as Ireland, Singapore, and Taiwan play major roles in pharmaceuticals, technology, and semiconductors.Trade deficits, meanwhile, do not necessarily signal economic weakness. A deficit simply means a country imports more goods and services than it exports. The U.S., for example, was the world’s largest goods importer in 2025 at roughly $3.5 trillion, even as it ranked second globally in exports.Learn More on the Voronoi AppTo learn more about this topic, check out this graphic on the biggest shifts in U.S. trade in 2026.