China vs. America: Who the World Trades With Most

By Gabriel Cohen – Visual Capitalist

Twenty-five years ago, the United States was the world’s dominant trading power. Today, China has overtaken America as the top goods trading partner for most countries globally.

This map compares whether countries traded more with the U.S. or China in 2000 and 2025, based on total bilateral imports and exports using International Monetary Fund Direction of Trade Statistics data.

China’s rise was fueled by its emergence as the world’s manufacturing hub and surging demand for commodities like oil, copper, iron ore, and soybeans.