Top trading nations (2010 estimates)

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Top trading nations (2010 estimates)

Let’s learn about Top trading nations (2010 estimates). Following is the list for top trading nations

Rank Country Exports + Imports (in US dollars)
1 European Union 3.764 trillion
2 USA 3.173 trillion
3 People’s Republic of China 2.813 trillion
4 Germany 2.457 trillion
5 Japan 1.402 trillion
6 France 1.086 trillion
7 United Kingdom 952 billion
8 Italy 918 billion
9 South Korea 884 billion
10 Netherlands 860 billion
11 Canada 813 billion
12 Hong Kong 796 billion
13 Singapore 667 billion
14 Russia 614 billion
15 Mexico 609 billion
16 Spain 593 billion
17 Belgium 561 billion
18 India 528 billion
19 Taiwan 525 billion
20 Switzerland 453 billion
21 Australia 411 billion
 

A trading nation (also known as a trade-dependent economy, or an export-oriented economy) is a country where international trade makes up a large percentage of its economy.

Smaller nations (by population) tend to be more trade-dependent than larger ones. In 2008, the most trade-dependent OECD member was Luxembourg, where trade was worth 313.08% of GDP, while the least trade-dependent was the United States, where trade made up 30.41% of GDP.

There are three types of exporting economies: commodity exporters, manufacturing exporters, and services exporters. Most countries, however, do not fall purely in one category.

Commodity exporters include countries with large deposits of natural resources or large amounts of farmland, with populations too small to use all their own resources. The trade of many commodity exporters is dominated by a single commodity. Most least developed countries are reliant on agricultural exports. A 1998 statistical review by the Food and Agriculture Organization showed that 32 developing countries relied on a single commodity for more than half of their agricultural export earnings. Agricultural exporters are generally members of the Cairns Group, a coalition of 19 countries that lobby for more market access. Fossil fuel exporters, such the OPEC countries, are an important and influential subset of commodity exporters.

Manufacturing exporters include many densely populated countries where human labor is the most important resource. They include wealthy countries such as Germany and Japan, as well as developing nations like China and India.

Services-exporting countries include hubs of international finance, tourism, healthcare, and education. Many highly developed countries export services.

Some countries export all the commodities, manufactures, and services. For example, Canada is regularly described as a trading nation as its total trade is worth more than two-thirds of its GDP (the second-highest level in the G7 after Germany), which includes all sectors of the economy.

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