As the purchasing power of the world continues to rise, people are developing a voracious appetite for more and more goods. Some countries produce the majority of goods for their own citizenry, whereas others rely heavily on imports. We have compiled a list of the top 25 importers based on total imports. Keep in mind that some countries have artificially low import amounts because of high tariffs and other disincentives for purchasing foreign-made goods. Import amounts are listed in billions of U.S. dollars.
country | imports in billions of dollars | |
United States | $1,150 | |
Germany | $487 | |
United Kingdom | $330 | |
France | $304 | |
Japan | $292 | |
China | $269 | |
Italy | $238 | |
Canada | $229 | |
Hong Kong | $203 | |
Netherlands | $201 | |
Mexico | $168 | |
Egypt | $164 | |
Spain | $157 | |
Belgium | $152 | |
South Korea | $147 | |
Singapore | $116 | |
Taiwan | $109 | |
Switzerland | $94 | |
Malaysia | $77 | |
Austria | $74 | |
Sweden | $69 | |
Australia | $68 | |
Thailand | $62 | |
Russia | $61 | |
Brazil | $58 |