Which Countries Are Net Exporters and Importers?

China, Russia and Norway are the countries in the world which export much more than they import (in monetary terms) as the list was reshuffled following the Ukraine war energy crisis.

Exporters of now very expensive fossil fuels saw shifts in their trade balances towards more profitable exports. China, which ships abroad electronics and metals but also consumer goods, has seen a more sustainable rise towards the country with the world's largest trade surplus as its economy that is heavily geared towards exports has successfully pivoted to more expensive products.

China's involvement in the natural gas trade, however, has also been pointed out as a factor that boosted the value of its exports in 2022. Finally, its record-keeping has been questioned overall. Traditional export nations like China, Germany and Japan have in the past been heavily criticized for their trade surpluses and were accused of hogging money instead of investing it to aid markets in the long run. In the case of China, its surplus is especially pronounced with the United States, the biggest net importer in the world by a large margin. This was a major factor in Donald Trump's trade war with the country that started in early 2018.