What Types of Products Does the United States Purchase or Import From Other Countries?

The United States imports thousands of different products from other countries, but leading the list are:

  1. oil and gas
  2. cars, trucks, and other motor vehicles
  3. electrical machinery and appliances
  4. telecommunications equipment
  5. computers and office machines
  6. toys and sporting goods
  7. clothing and clothing accessories

The United States is the world’s largest trading nation, and there are many U.S. dollars in circulation worldwide because it is the largest importer in the world.

The U.S. dollar is also used as the standard unit of currency in international markets for commodities such as gold and petroleum, and many countries such as China, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, and the EU own huge U.S. dollar reserves.

The United States relies on selling U.S. treasury bonds in order to fund the national debt, which was $13.2 trillion in 2010.