Mexico is now the top buyer of U.S. goods, beating out Canada

In 2023, Mexico became the world’s apical exporter of goods to the United States, surpassing China.

Now it besides the apical purchaser of U.S. goods, outpacing Canada, according to U.S. authorities information published connected Wednesday.

In the archetypal 8 months of 2025, Mexico imported goods from the U.S. worthy US $226.4 billion, according to information published by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Mexico’s outlay connected U.S. goods successful the play was 0.3% higher than Canada’s expenditure connected imports from its confederate neighbor. China ranked arsenic the 3rd largest importer of U.S. goods, with an outlay of $73.6 cardinal betwixt January and August.

The El Economista paper reported that Mexico has antecedently ranked arsenic the apical purchaser of U.S. goods successful “isolated months,” but not implicit an extended period, arsenic has been the lawsuit this year.

“This is the archetypal clip successful past that Mexico is the largest export marketplace for the United States,” the Business Coordinating Council (CCE), an umbrella enactment of Mexican concern groups, said successful a statement.

A palmy “Buy Canadian” run has reduced U.S. exports to Canada, clearing the mode for Mexico to go the apical purchaser of U.S. goods. (Shutterstock)

Mexico’s outlay connected U.S. goods accrued 0.6% annually successful the archetypal 8 months of the year, portion Canada’s expenditure connected specified products declined 3.9%. A “Buy Canadian” question emerged successful effect to tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump connected a scope of Canadian goods.

The full worth of U.S. exports successful the archetypal 8 months of the twelvemonth was $1.43 trillion pesos, meaning that 15.8% of the United States’ export gross came from goods shipped to Mexico.

According to an infographic based connected Census Bureau information that was shared to societal media by Mexican Ambassador to the U.S. Esteban Moctezuma, Mexico is the apical export marketplace for galore U.S. industries, including nutrient and livestock processing; oil, state and vigor extraction; robust and alloy manufacturing; and electrical and physics equipment.

The CCE noted that Mexico is simply a ample importer of U.S. cereals, electronics, alloy and robust products, vehicles, machinery and substance (including gasoline and earthy gas).

México se acaba de convertir en el destino NÚMERO UNO de exportación de 🇺🇸#EUA.

De acuerdo con @uscensusbureau, por primera vez, somos su main mercado de exportación.

Tan solo en agosto, 🇺🇸#EUA exportó 29 mil millones de dólares en bienes a 🇲🇽#México.

Este gran logro… pic.twitter.com/97ZBUVJJ2D

— Esteban Moctezuma Barragán (@emoctezumab) November 20, 2025

According to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), the United States’ starring exports to Mexico are “electrical machinery, machinery, vigor products, vehicles, and plastics, unneurotic with implicit $30 cardinal [annually] successful cultivation products, including corn, pork and pork products, dairy products, and soybeans.”

The CCE said that Mexico is the “main export destination” for 24 U.S. sectors and the “second astir important market” for 50 further ones.

“In total, Mexico occupies the archetypal oregon 2nd presumption arsenic a purchaser successful 75% of U.S. export industries,” the enactment said.

The CCE besides noted that Mexico was the archetypal oregon 2nd largest export marketplace for 26 U.S. states successful 2024. For Arkansas, Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, California and Oregon, it ranked No. 1.

Alfonso Muñoz, an economist astatine the Mexico City consulting steadfast CMM, told The New York Times that the work of the information showing that Mexico is present a larger purchaser of U.S. goods than Canada marks an “inflection point.”

“There is simply a precise precocious complementarity betwixt the economies of Mexico and the United States,” helium said.

According to the Times, Muñoz besides said that “the inclination was expected to clasp arsenic agelong arsenic determination were nary large economical crises oregon interruptions to the existent commercialized statement among the United States, Mexico and Canada.”

The USMCA escaped commercialized pact, which replaced NAFTA successful 2020, is scheduled for reappraisal successful 2026.

Mexico’s exports to US summation 6%

The latest U.S. Census Bureau information besides showed that the United States imported goods from Mexico worthy $354.89 cardinal betwixt January and August, a 6.1% summation compared to the aforesaid play of 2024.

Mexico captured 24% of US import marketplace that China mislaid betwixt 2018-2024

Mexico — which sends astir 80% of its exports to its bluish neighbour — frankincense retained its presumption arsenic the the world’s apical exporter to the United States, up of Canada and China.

According to the USTR, Mexico’s starring exports to the United States are “vehicles, machinery, electrical machinery, and aesculapian devices, unneurotic with implicit $48 cardinal [annually] successful cultivation products, including caller vegetables, beer, distilled spirits, and caller fruit.”

Most Mexican goods tin participate the U.S. tariff free, contempt Trump imposing duties connected definite Mexican products this year, including steel, aluminum and vehicles.

In contrast, galore Chinese goods are taxable to precise precocious tariffs erstwhile entering the U.S.  Canadian products that don’t comply with the USMCA look a 35% work erstwhile entering the U.S., 10 points higher than that imposed connected Mexican goods not covered by the escaped commercialized pact.

The worth of some Canadian and Chinese exports to the U.S. declined successful yearly presumption successful the archetypal 8 months of the year.

Mexico and the US are each other’s largest commercialized partner 

Two-way commercialized betwixt Mexico and the United States was worthy $581.3 cardinal betwixt January and August, a 3.9% summation compared to the aforesaid play of 2024.

Mexico had a commercialized surplus with the U.S. of $128.4 cardinal successful the period.

Two-way commercialized betwixt the United States and Canada fell 4.5% betwixt January and August to $485.4 billion.

Trade betwixt the U.S. and China besides declined, plummeting 21.5% to $292.6 billion. Canada is the United States’ 2nd largest commercialized partner, portion China ranks third.

U.S. Census Bureau information besides shows that the United States’ commercialized with Mexico accounts for astir 15.5% of the world’s largest economy’s full commercialized with each nations globally. That fig underscores the immense value the North American neighbors are of to each other.

The economies of the 2 countries person go highly integrated successful the 3 decades since NAFTA took effect. The integration is present truthful large that Mexico and the United States are said to beryllium portion of a “co-production system,” successful which they supply indispensable inputs to each different that let last goods to beryllium produced successful assorted industries, including the automotive, electronics and aerospace sectors.

With reports from El Economista, El Universal and The New York Times 

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