The overall value of computer device exports rose by an average 31.8% for all exporting countries compared to $335.4 billion during 2017.
Year over year, worldwide exports of computer devices increased by 15.6% from $382.3 billion in 2020.
The 5 biggest exporters of computer devices in 2021 were mainland China, Mexico, Hong Kong, United States of America, and Germany. Collectively, that handful of major computer device suppliers generated 71.2% of global sales. That percentage indicates that computer devices are controlled by an intensely concentrated cohort of international suppliers.
Among continents, international suppliers located in Asian countries sold the highest dollar worth of exported computer devices during 2021 worth overall $294.6 billion or about two-thirds (66.7%) of the global total. In second place were European exporters at 19% while another 14% of international computer device sales originated from North America.
Tinier percentages came from Oceania (0.18%) led by Australia, Latin America (0.12%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, and Africa (0.07%).
For research purposes, the 4-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix for computer devices is 8471. The technical label for that product category is automatic data-processing machines including magnetic or optical readers.
Computer Device Exports by Country
Below are the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of computer devices during 2021.
- China: US$204.5 billion (46.3% of exported computer devices)
- Mexico: $33.3 billion (7.5%)
- Hong Kong: $31.8 billion (7.2%)
- United States: $26.8 billion (6.1%)
- Germany: $18.4 billion (4.2%)
- Czech Republic: $15 billion (3.4%)
- Netherlands: $14.5 billion (3.3%)
- Thailand: $14.2 billion (3.2%)
- Taiwan: $12 billion (2.7%)
- Singapore: $9.5 billion (2.1%)
- Vietnam: $8 billion (1.8%)
- Poland: $6.8 billion (1.5%)
- Malaysia: $6.3 billion (1.4%)
- United Kingdom: $4.6 billion (1%)
- Philippines: $3.7 billion (0.8%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 92.7% of global computer devices exported in 2021.
Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing exporters of computer devices since 2020 were: Vietnam (up 45%), Hong Kong (up 31.4%), Singapore (up 29.7%) and Malaysia (up 26.5%).
The top suppliers posting the most modest increases were the Czech Republic (up 4%) and Mexico (up 4.1%).
Countries Generating Largest Trade Surpluses from Computer Devices
The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for computer devices during 2021. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the surplus between the value of each country’s exported computer device and its import purchases for that same commodity.
- China: US$163.1 billion (net export surplus up 19.7% since 2020)
- Mexico: $22.4 billion (up 0.6%)
- Thailand: $10.1 billion (up 19%)
- Taiwan: $6.7 billion (up 2.2%)
- Vietnam: $5.8 billion (up 68.1%)
- Hong Kong: $4.7 billion (up 37.6%)
- Czech Republic: $3.7 billion (down -22.8%)
- Malaysia: $2.6 billion (up 6.9%)
- Philippines: $2.6 billion (up 3.9%)
- Poland: $1.8 billion (down -2.5%)
- Hungary: $1 billion (down -11.7%)
- Singapore: $805.7 million (reversing a -$737.7 million deficit)
- Palau: $1 million (down -66.5%)
- North Korea: $441,000 (up 50.5%)
- British Indian Ocean Territory: $252,000 (reversing a -$43,000 deficit)
Mainland China generated the highest surplus in the international trade of computer device. In turn, this positive cashflow confirms China’s strong competitive advantage for this specific product category.
Countries Facing Worst Trade Deficits from Computer Devices
The following countries posted the highest negative net exports for computer devices during 2021. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the deficit between the value of each country’s imported computer device purchases and its exports for that same commodity.
- United States: -US$91.4 billion (net export deficit up 14.2% since 2020)
- Japan: -$17.2 billion (down -4.6%)
- Germany: -$14.7 billion (up 22.4%)
- United Kingdom: -$11.6 billion (down -1.2%)
- India: -$10.7 billion (up 49.6%)
- Canada: -$9.8 billion (up 17.2%)
- France: -$9.3 billion (up 17.7%)
- South Korea: -$9 billion (up 30.3%)
- Australia: -$7.5 billion (up 14.7%)
- Russia: -$7.4 billion (up 22%)
- United Arab Emirates: -$5.4 billion (up 289.4%)
- Italy: -$4.9 billion (up 7.6%)
- Netherlands: -$3.8 billion (down -2.3%)
- Spain: -$3.7 billion (up 1.7%)
- Switzerland: -$3.1 billion (up 9.2%)
The United States of America accumulated the highest deficit in the international trade of computer devices. In turn, this negative cashflow confirms America’s competitive disadvantage for this specific product category but also signals opportunities for computer device-supplying countries that help satisfy the powerful demand.
Computer Device Exporting Companies
Below are global computer device-making businesses that represent established players engaged in the international computer device trade. The home country for each company is shown within parenthesis.
- AMAX Information Technologies (United States)
- Antec (United States)
- Aopen (Taiwan)
- ASRock (Taiwan)
- Chassis Plans (United States)
- Cooler Master (Taiwan)
- Corsair Components (United States)
- Deepcool (China)
- Dell (United States)
- Elitegroup Computer Systems (Taiwan)
- Foxconn Technology Group (Taiwan)
- Fractal Design (Sweden)
- Lenovo Group Ltd (China)
- Micro-Star International (Taiwan)
- Shuttle Inc (Taiwan)
- SilverStone Technology (Taiwan)
- Zalman (South Korea)
Searchable List of Computer Device Exporting Countries in 2021
The 100 key suppliers showcased in the following automated database generated 99.97% of all exports of computer devices during 2021.
| Rank | Exporter | Computer Device Exports | 2020-1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | China | $204,529,093,000 | +20.2% |
| 2. | Mexico | $33,319,432,000 | +4.1% |
| 3. | Hong Kong | $31,838,584,000 | +31.4% |
| 4. | United States | $26,820,793,000 | +8.2% |
| 5. | Germany | $18,371,979,000 | +16.7% |
| 6. | Czech Republic | $14,957,468,000 | +4% |
| 7. | Netherlands | $14,474,367,000 | +15.6% |
| 8. | Thailand | $14,219,774,000 | +21.6% |
| 9. | Taiwan | $12,013,884,000 | +13.3% |
| 10. | Singapore | $9,497,336,000 | +29.7% |
| 11. | Vietnam | $8,022,533,000 | +45% |
| 12. | Poland | $6,843,965,000 | +9.8% |
| 13. | Malaysia | $6,296,676,000 | +26.5% |
| 14. | United Kingdom | $4,639,849,000 | +5.5% |
| 15. | Philippines | $3,740,066,000 | +12% |
| 16. | Hungary | $3,627,528,000 | +2.9% |
| 17. | Ireland | $3,152,573,000 | -24.4% |
| 18. | France | $2,614,900,000 | +5.7% |
| 19. | Sweden | $2,157,834,000 | +18.6% |
| 20. | Italy | $2,024,116,000 | +12.9% |
| 21. | Belgium | $1,682,638,000 | +13.3% |
| 22. | Canada | $1,639,592,000 | +11.6% |
| 23. | Japan | $1,625,405,000 | +2.6% |
| 24. | Austria | $1,579,655,000 | +115.9% |
| 25. | Denmark | $1,496,326,000 | +27.2% |
| 26. | Slovakia | $1,372,199,000 | +16.8% |
| 27. | Spain | $964,296,000 | +24.5% |
| 28. | United Arab Emirates | $801,735,000 | -85.2% |
| 29. | Australia | $739,968,000 | +14% |
| 30. | South Korea | $739,925,000 | +12.9% |
| 31. | Switzerland | $639,099,000 | +9.4% |
| 32. | Greece | $588,871,000 | -14.6% |
| 33. | Israel | $562,570,000 | -4% |
| 34. | Russia | $403,567,000 | +106.6% |
| 35. | Finland | $348,672,000 | +37% |
| 36. | Lithuania | $340,861,000 | +8.8% |
| 37. | Indonesia | $321,721,000 | +32.8% |
| 38. | Panama | $312,264,000 | -24.4% |
| 39. | Norway | $286,948,000 | +7.4% |
| 40. | Romania | $268,417,000 | +33.5% |
| 41. | Latvia | $231,552,000 | +31.1% |
| 42. | Bulgaria | $228,058,000 | +10% |
| 43. | India | $222,986,000 | +50.7% |
| 44. | South Africa | $200,678,000 | +22.7% |
| 45. | Portugal | $114,260,000 | -1.9% |
| 46. | Turkey | $94,031,000 | +29.8% |
| 47. | Slovenia | $88,932,000 | +38.9% |
| 48. | Chile | $79,444,000 | -38.5% |
| 49. | Serbia | $76,276,000 | +82.7% |
| 50. | Estonia | $70,206,000 | +47.3% |
| 51. | Belarus | $64,004,000 | +108.4% |
| 52. | Luxembourg | $61,153,000 | +19.9% |
| 53. | Brazil | $58,322,000 | +22.9% |
| 54. | Croatia | $57,680,000 | +2% |
| 55. | New Zealand | $40,806,000 | +19.8% |
| 56. | Nigeria | $39,411,000 | 0% |
| 57. | Georgia | $18,163,000 | +783.8% |
| 58. | Cyprus | $17,785,000 | +42.5% |
| 59. | Ukraine | $16,346,000 | -17.8% |
| 60. | Dominican Republic | $15,755,000 | +6.4% |
| 61. | Iceland | $13,320,000 | +217.1% |
| 62. | Egypt | $11,831,000 | +58.3% |
| 63. | Colombia | $8,412,000 | +32.6% |
| 64. | Kazakhstan | $8,033,000 | -14.6% |
| 65. | Costa Rica | $7,682,000 | +33.6% |
| 66. | Peru | $7,376,000 | +8.5% |
| 67. | Macao | $7,204,000 | +43.9% |
| 68. | Guatemala | $6,831,000 | +223.1% |
| 69. | Tunisia | $6,593,000 | +54.1% |
| 70. | Morocco | $5,823,000 | -19.5% |
| 71. | Bahrain | $4,751,000 | -91.6% |
| 72. | Kenya | $4,502,000 | -26.5% |
| 73. | Argentina | $4,242,000 | +39.5% |
| 74. | Malta | $4,095,000 | +71.8% |
| 75. | Lebanon | $3,879,000 | -56.2% |
| 76. | Pakistan | $3,451,000 | +106.3% |
| 77. | Kyrgyzstan | $3,037,000 | +22.1% |
| 78. | El Salvador | $2,869,000 | +148% |
| 79. | Mauritius | $2,864,000 | -10.7% |
| 80. | Cameroon | $2,856,000 | -44.8% |
| 81. | Armenia | $2,373,000 | -26.3% |
| 82. | Ecuador | $2,191,000 | -8.8% |
| 83. | Palau | $1,909,000 | -49.7% |
| 84. | British Virgin Is | $1,859,000 | +442% |
| 85. | Kuwait | $1,817,000 | -42.8% |
| 86. | Oman | $1,757,000 | -34.8% |
| 87. | Qatar | $1,602,000 | -84.4% |
| 88. | Bosnia/Herzegovina | $1,589,000 | -10.1% |
| 89. | Brunei Darussalam | $1,533,000 | +30.8% |
| 90. | Azerbaijan | $1,530,000 | -66.4% |
| 91. | Honduras | $1,527,000 | +15.7% |
| 92. | Moldova | $1,304,000 | -14.3% |
| 93. | Namibia | $1,252,000 | -49.5% |
| 94. | Bolivia | $1,102,000 | -58.6% |
| 95. | US Minor Outlying Is | $1,088,000 | +438.6% |
| 96. | Uruguay | $1,032,000 | +39.8% |
| 97. | Ethiopia | $1,006,000 | +198.5% |
| 98. | Fiji | $994,000 | +35.2% |
| 99. | North Macedonia | $946,000 | -75.8% |
| 100. | Myanmar | $920,000 | -31.6% |
Focusing on the 100 major exporters, the fastest growers are the countries Georgia (up 783.8% from 2020), British Virgin Islands (up 442%), United States Minor Outlying Islands (up 438.6%), Guatemala (up 223.1%), Iceland (up 217.1%) and Ethiopia (up 198.5%).
You can change the presentation order by clicking the triangle icon at the top of the above table’s columns. An entry of 0% in the right-most column means that 2020 data is unavailable.
See also Electronic Circuit Component Exports by Country, Computer Accessories Exports by Country, Top Importers of Laptop Computers Ranked by Dollar Value and Top Video Games Exports by Country
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on July 19, 2022
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on July 19, 2022
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on July 19, 2022
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on July 19, 2022
Wikipedia, List of computer hardware manufacturers. Accessed on July 19, 2022
