US Trade Reality

This is an important chart to keep in mind when thinking about possible contagion effects from abroad (e.g., fallout from an economic collapse of the Eurozone and China). Total U.S. exports account for about 13.4% of GDP, while total imports account for 16.4%. U.S. foreign trade—both imports and exports—has been expanding more or less steadily and impressively for many decades, but it is still relatively small compared to the size of our economy.