April 2021 Trade Gap is $68.9 Billion

June 8, 2021

The U.S. monthly international trade deficit decreased in April 2021 according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and the U.S. Census Bureau. The deficit decreased from $75.0 billion in March (revised) to $68.9 billion in April, as exports increased and imports decreased. The previously published March deficit was $74.4 billion. The goods deficit decreased $6.2 billion in April to $86.7 billion. The services surplus decreased $0.1 billion in April to $17.8 billion.

Exports
Exports of goods and services increased $2.3 billion, or 1.1 percent, in April to $205.0 billion. Exports of goods increased $1.6 billion and exports of services increased $0.7 billion.

• The increase in exports of goods reflected increases in capital goods ($2.1 billion) and in industrial supplies and materials ($0.8 billion). A decrease in automotive vehicles, parts, and engines ($1.0 billion) partly offset the increases.
• The increase in exports of services reflected increases in travel ($0.2 billion), in transport ($0.2 billion), and in charges for the use of intellectual property ($0.2 billion).

Imports
Imports of goods and services decreased $3.8 billion, or 1.4 percent, in April to $273.9 billion. Imports of goods decreased $4.5 billion and imports of services increased $0.7 billion.

• The decrease in imports of goods reflected decreases in consumer goods ($2.6 billion) and in automotive vehicles, parts, and engines ($1.1 billion).
• The increase in imports of services reflected increases in travel ($0.3 billion) and in transport ($0.2 billion)

The global COVID-19 pandemic and the economic recovery continued to impact international trade. The full economic effects of the pandemic cannot be quantified in the statistics because the impacts are generally embedded in source data and cannot be separately identified. For more detailed information on trade by type of good or service and with major trading partners, see U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services, April 2021.