From semiconductors and circuit boards, to software and smartphones, the world relies on technology production more than ever before.
When tech exports ground to a halt during the COVID-19 pandemic, this had a huge impact on global supply chains. End products such as computers and cars could no longer be manufactured due to the chip shortage.
In this study, we’ve taken a closer look at which countries the world relies on for different tech products and components, by finding the biggest tech export of the top 50 countries by GDP, excluding automobiles.
Biggest tech exports by country
| Country | GDP ($USD) | Total annual exports ($USD) | Biggest tech export | Value ($USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 23,000,000,000,000 | 2,400,000,000,000 | Semiconductors | 33,000,000,000 |
| China | 17,700,000,000,000 | 3,500,000,000,000 | Phones | 111,700,000,000 |
| Japan | 4,900,000,000,000 | 923,200,000,000 | Semiconductors | 31,300,000,000 |
| Germany | 4,200,000,000,000 | 1,900,000,000,000 | Aircraft/spacecraft | 20,900,000,000 |
| United Kingdom | 3,200,000,000,000 | 860,100,000,000 | Turbojet engines | 23,100,000,000 |
| India | 3,200,000,000,000 | 660,500,000,000 | Software | 171,900,000,000 |
| France | 2,900,000,000,000 | 879,700,000,000 | Aircraft/spacecraft | 25,200,000,000 |
| Italy | 2,100,000,000,000 | 635,600,000,000 | Washing machines | 6,300,000,000 |
| Canada | 2,000,000,000,000 | 611,000,000,000 | Software | 23,500,000,000 |
| South Korea | 1,800,000,000,000 | 750,400,000,000 | Semiconductors | 89,100,000,000 |
| Russia | 1,800,000,000,000 | 481,400,000,000 | Turbojet engines | 2,900,000,000 |
| Brazil | 1,600,000,000,000 | 323,400,000,000 | Aircraft/spacecraft | 2,300,000,000 |
| Australia | 1,500,000,000,000 | 342,200,000,000 | Software | 4,000,000,000 |
| Spain | 1,400,000,000,000 | 486,900,000,000 | Electronic machinery | 1,400,000,000 |
| Mexico | 1,300,000,000,000 | 522,800,000,000 | Computers | 33,300,000,000 |
| Indonesia | 1,200,000,000,000 | 178,000,000,000 | Batteries | 520,000,000 |
| Netherlands | 1,000,000,000,000 | 751,300,000,000 | Semiconductor manufacturing equipment | 19,900,000,000 |
| Saudi Arabia | 833,500,000,000 | 314,900,000,000 | Turbojet engines | 300,000,000 |
| Turkey | 815,300,000,000 | 288,600,000,000 | Refridgerators | 2,000,000,000 |
| Switzerland | 812,900,000,000 | 486,600,000,000 | Clocks/watches | 24,400,000,000 |
| Taiwan | 773,700,000,000 | 374,000,000,000 | Semiconductors | 155,900,000,000 |
| Poland | 674,000,000,000 | 330,900,000,000 | Batteries | 7,000,000,000 |
| Sweden | 627,400,000,000 | 290,200,000,000 | Broadcasting equipment (such as cameras) | 3,800,000,000 |
| Belgium | 599,900,000,000 | 512,000,000,000 | Semiconductors | 1,600,000,000 |
| Thailand | 506,000,000,000 | 294,600,000,000 | Semiconductors | 8,300,000,000 |
| Ireland | 498,600,000,000 | 672,300,000,000 | Semiconductors | 11,100,000,000 |
| Argentina | 491,500,000,000 | 90,000,000,000 | Software | 1,700,000,000 |
| Norway | 482,400,000,000 | 146,800,000,000 | Turbojet engines | 500,000,000 |
| Israel | 481,600,000,000 | 143,000,000,000 | Semiconductors | 3,800,000,000 |
| Austria | 477,100,000,000 | 266,900,000,000 | Electrical transformers | 1,800,000,000 |
| Nigeria | 440,800,000,000 | 63,700,000,000 | Aircraft/spacecraft | 140,000,000 |
| Egypt | 404,100,000,000 | 33,600,000,000 | Video displays | 600,000,000 |
| Singapore | 397,000,000,000 | 281,000,000,000 | Semiconductors | 112,600,000,000 |
| Philippines | 394,100,000,000 | 79,500,000,000 | Semiconductors | 22,600,000,000 |
| Hong Kong | 368,100,000,000 | 126,000,000,000 | Broadcasting equipment (such as cameras) | 7,300,000,000 |
| Vietnam | 362,600,000,000 | 300,000,000,000 | Phones | 82,600,000,000 |
| Malaysia | 372,700,000,000 | 256,800,000,000 | Semiconductors | 59,600,000,000 |
| South Africa | 419,900,000,000 | 130,600,000,000 | Stone processing machines | 340,000,000 |
| Bangladesh | 416,300,000,000 | 44,400,000,000 | Software | 590,000,000 |
| United Arab Emirates | 358,900,000,000 | 216,000,000,000 | Broadcasting equipment (such as cameras) | 14,000,000,000 |
| Denmark | 356,100,000,000 | 236,500,000,000 | Office machine parts | 820,000,000 |
| Pakistan | 346,300,000,000 | 34,600,000,000 | Software | 1,000,000,000 |
| Chile | 317,100,000,000 | 101,100,000,000 | Aircraft/spacecraft | 850,000,000 |
| Colombia | 314,300,000,000 | 51,300,000,000 | Batteries | 110,000,000 |
| Finland | 299,200,000,000 | 107,100,000,000 | Electro-medical equipment (such as xray machines) | 1,400,000,000 |
| Romania | 284,100,000,000 | 116,100,000,000 | Circuit boards | 3,000,000,000 |
| Czech Republic | 282,300,000,000 | 204,900,000,000 | Computers | 14,900,000,000 |
| New Zealand | 250,000,000,000 | 46,400,000,000 | Software | 1,300,000,000 |
| Portugal | 249,900,000,000 | 104,400,000,000 | Radio receivers | 640,000,000 |
| Iran | 231,500,000,000 | 48,100,000,000 | Stone processing machines | 34,000,000 |
Methodology
To find the biggest technology exports of the world’s 50 biggest countries by GDP, we used sources such as the Observatory of Economic Complexity, worldstopexports.com, and various national government websites. We found each country’s export data in the greatest detail possible, and then found the top category that contained technology products, by dollar value of goods or services exported.
We excluded cars as many countries are big exporters of automobiles, and we wanted to look at other products, especially components, that are more closely related to technology specifically.
Data pertaining to total exports by country was obtained from macrotrends.net.