Economy

US foreign trade deficit climbs to $70.3B in December

Exports down 1.7%; imports up 3.6%; deficit surges 32.6% month-on-month

Mucahithan Avcioglu  | 19.02.2026 - Update : 19.02.2026
US foreign trade deficit climbs to $70.3B in December

- Goods trade deficit totals $1.19T in 2025, up 5.7% from previous year

ISTANBUL

The US trade deficit rose to $70.3 billion in December, climbing above expectations, the US Commerce Department announced Thursday.

The trade deficit soared 32.6% compared to the previous month; according to the data; the expectation for the deficit was $55.5 billion.

The US foreign trade deficit in November was upwardly revised to $53 billion.

Exports fell 1.7% in December to $287.3 billion, while imports climbed 3.6% to $357.6 billion.

Trade partners with which the US had the largest goods trade deficits were Taiwan with $19.8 billion, Vietnam with $17.6 billion, Mexico with $14.5 billion, China with $12.4 billion and the EU with $11.1 billion.

The trade partners with the biggest surpluses were the Netherlands with $5.6 billion, South and Central America with $4.3 billion, the UK with $3.7 billion, Hong Kong with $2.5 billion and Brazil with $2.1 billion.

The goods trade deficit was $1.19 trillion in 2025, up 5.7% from the previous year

Exports were $2.19 trillion, up $117.7 billion from 2024, and imports were $3.43 trillion, up $143.2 billion from 2024.



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