From oranges grown in Brazil to the recent explosion in popularity of Korean skincare and beauty products, countries' importing and exporting patterns can influence things like national inflation levels and consumer purchasing power. The trickle-down effects are immense — everyone from major corporation CEOs to local small business owners can see the impact of imports and exports on their spending habits and even their entire livelihoods.
Other economic decisions also play an important role. Sometimes, a country chooses to impose taxes on goods imported from another specific country, which the importer must then pay. Conversely, countries that make free trade agreements agree to reduce or eliminate barriers to trade, allowing goods to flow freely between them.
Although all U.S. states are affected by national trade decisions, it's worth noting that not every state is impacted equally. Due to factors like physical location and local dominant industries, some states need more of certain kinds of goods — from cars to furniture parts — in order to function. However, you might be wondering: Which countries does my state import the most goods from?
To answer that question, Stacker compiled a list of the countries from which Kentucky imports the most goods, using data from the Census Bureau. Countries are ranked by the highest value of imports in 2024 with Kentucky.
Read on to find out which countries you can expect to find the most imported goods from at your local store.
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1 / 30#30. Denmark
- Imports: $180.1 million
- Largest imports:
--- Electrical machinery and equipment and parts; sound and TV recorders and reproducers, parts and accessories ($47.9 million)
--- Pharmaceutical products ($32.3 million)
--- Optical, photographic, cinematographic, measuring, checking, precision, medical or surgical instruments and apparatus; parts and accessories thereof ($31.4 million)
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2 / 30#29. Dominican Republic
- Imports: $190.8 million
- Largest imports:
--- Optical, photographic, cinematographic, measuring, checking, precision, medical or surgical instruments and apparatus; parts and accessories thereof ($115.0 million)
--- Pharmaceutical products ($41.9 million)
--- Footwear, gaiters etc. and parts ($14.1 million)
Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock
3 / 30#28. Spain
- Imports: $220.8 million
- Largest imports:
--- Organic chemicals ($39.7 million)
--- Pharmaceutical products ($35.4 million)
--- Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery etc.; parts ($33.4 million)
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4 / 30#27. Indonesia
- Imports: $225.5 million
- Largest imports:
--- Electrical machinery and equipment and parts; sound and TV recorders and reproducers, parts and accessories ($136.1 million)
--- Footwear, gaiters etc. and parts ($17.3 million)
--- Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery etc.; parts ($10.3 million)
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5 / 30#26. Honduras
- Imports: $363.4 million
- Largest imports:
--- Electrical machinery and equipment and parts; sound and TV recorders and reproducers, parts and accessories ($290.1 million)
--- Apparel articles and accessories, knit or crochet ($71.5 million)
--- Aluminum and articles thereof ($1.4 million)
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6 / 30#25. Brazil
- Imports: $365.6 million
- Largest imports:
--- Inorganic chemicals; precious and rare earth metals and radioactive compounds ($100.1 million)
--- Miscellaneous edible preparations ($44.0 million)
--- Vehicles other than railway or tramway rolling stock, and parts and accessories ($43.7 million)
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7 / 30#24. Turkey
- Imports: $440.7 million
- Largest imports:
--- Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery etc.; parts ($338.0 million)
--- Other base metals; cermets; articles thereof ($30.1 million)
--- Miscellaneous edible preparations ($19.8 million)
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8 / 30#23. Poland
- Imports: $473.2 million
- Largest imports:
--- Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery etc.; parts ($259.4 million)
--- Optical, photographic, cinematographic, measuring, checking, precision, medical or surgical instruments and apparatus; parts and accessories thereof ($70.2 million)
--- Vehicles other than railway or tramway rolling stock, and parts and accessories ($45.4 million)
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9 / 30#22. Philippines
- Imports: $611.0 million
- Largest imports:
--- Electrical machinery and equipment and parts; sound and TV recorders and reproducers, parts and accessories ($289.6 million)
--- Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery etc.; parts ($282.1 million)
--- Special classification provisions not elsewhere specified or included ($15.1 million)
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10 / 30#21. Austria
- Imports: $781.3 million
- Largest imports:
--- Pharmaceutical products ($588.9 million)
--- Optical, photographic, cinematographic, measuring, checking, precision, medical or surgical instruments and apparatus; parts and accessories thereof ($87.1 million)
--- Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery etc.; parts ($33.1 million)
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11 / 30#20. Sweden
- Imports: $1.2 billion
- Largest imports:
--- Pharmaceutical products ($720.5 million)
--- Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery etc.; parts ($210.7 million)
--- Tools, cutlery etc. of base metal and parts thereof ($156.2 million)
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12 / 30#19. United Kingdom
- Imports: $1.4 billion
- Largest imports:
--- Pharmaceutical products ($643.6 million)
--- Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery etc.; parts ($255.0 million)
--- Beverages, spirits and vinegar ($78.1 million)
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13 / 30#18. Malaysia
- Imports: $1.4 billion
- Largest imports:
--- Electrical machinery and equipment and parts; sound and TV recorders and reproducers, parts and accessories ($710.2 million)
--- Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery etc.; parts ($504.3 million)
--- Optical, photographic, cinematographic, measuring, checking, precision, medical or surgical instruments and apparatus; parts and accessories thereof ($144.4 million)
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14 / 30#17. South Korea
- Imports: $1.9 billion
- Largest imports:
--- Pharmaceutical products ($1.2 billion)
--- Electrical machinery and equipment and parts; sound and TV recorders and reproducers, parts and accessories ($290.5 million)
--- Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery etc.; parts ($219.1 million)
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15 / 30#16. Vietnam
- Imports: $1.9 billion
- Largest imports:
--- Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery etc.; parts ($728.3 million)
--- Electrical machinery and equipment and parts; sound and TV recorders and reproducers, parts and accessories ($669.9 million)
--- Footwear, gaiters etc. and parts ($106.4 million)
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16 / 30#15. Thailand
- Imports: $2.2 billion
- Largest imports:
--- Electrical machinery and equipment and parts; sound and TV recorders and reproducers, parts and accessories ($1.2 billion)
--- Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery etc.; parts ($666.1 million)
--- Aluminum and articles thereof ($94.6 million)
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17 / 30#14. India
- Imports: $2.7 billion
- Largest imports:
--- Pharmaceutical products ($1.7 billion)
--- Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery etc.; parts ($266.2 million)
--- Electrical machinery and equipment and parts; sound and TV recorders and reproducers, parts and accessories ($120.8 million)
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18 / 30#13. Switzerland
- Imports: $2.7 billion
- Largest imports:
--- Pharmaceutical products ($1.6 billion)
--- Special classification provisions not elsewhere specified or included ($855.0 million)
--- Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery etc.; parts ($79.9 million)
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19 / 30#12. Netherlands
- Imports: $2.8 billion
- Largest imports:
--- Pharmaceutical products ($2.3 billion)
--- Special classification provisions not elsewhere specified or included ($289.4 million)
--- Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery etc.; parts ($92.3 million)
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20 / 30#11. Italy
- Imports: $3.0 billion
- Largest imports:
--- Pharmaceutical products ($2.1 billion)
--- Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery etc.; parts ($582.5 million)
--- Miscellaneous edible preparations ($54.7 million)
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21 / 30#10. France
- Imports: $3.2 billion
- Largest imports:
--- Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery etc.; parts ($1.8 billion)
--- Special classification provisions not elsewhere specified or included ($358.0 million)
--- Pharmaceutical products ($297.5 million)
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22 / 30#9. Germany
- Imports: $4.4 billion
- Largest imports:
--- Pharmaceutical products ($1.4 billion)
--- Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery etc.; parts ($1.2 billion)
--- Footwear, gaiters etc. and parts ($340.8 million)
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23 / 30#8. Belgium
- Imports: $5.2 billion
- Largest imports:
--- Pharmaceutical products ($3.7 billion)
--- Special classification provisions not elsewhere specified or included ($1.2 billion)
--- Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery etc.; parts ($195.0 million)
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24 / 30#7. Canada
- Imports: $5.8 billion
- Largest imports:
--- Aluminum and articles thereof ($1.5 billion)
--- Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery etc.; parts ($1.0 billion)
--- Vehicles other than railway or tramway rolling stock, and parts and accessories ($751.9 million)
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25 / 30#6. China
- Imports: $6.7 billion
- Largest imports:
--- Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery etc.; parts ($2.0 billion)
--- Electrical machinery and equipment and parts; sound and TV recorders and reproducers, parts and accessories ($1.5 billion)
--- Toys, games and sport equipment; parts and accessories ($1.4 billion)
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26 / 30#5. Ireland
- Imports: $7.5 billion
- Largest imports:
--- Pharmaceutical products ($6.2 billion)
--- Special classification provisions not elsewhere specified or included ($668.1 million)
--- Optical, photographic, cinematographic, measuring, checking, precision, medical or surgical instruments and apparatus; parts and accessories thereof ($423.9 million)
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27 / 30#4. Singapore
- Imports: $7.5 billion
- Largest imports:
--- Pharmaceutical products ($7.0 billion)
--- Optical, photographic, cinematographic, measuring, checking, precision, medical or surgical instruments and apparatus; parts and accessories thereof ($229.6 million)
--- Special classification provisions not elsewhere specified or included ($169.9 million)
Sean Hsu // Shutterstock
28 / 30#3. Taiwan
- Imports: $8.0 billion
- Largest imports:
--- Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery etc.; parts ($6.3 billion)
--- Electrical machinery and equipment and parts; sound and TV recorders and reproducers, parts and accessories ($1.2 billion)
--- Special classification provisions not elsewhere specified or included ($117.9 million)
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29 / 30#2. Japan
- Imports: $8.4 billion
- Largest imports:
--- Pharmaceutical products ($3.6 billion)
--- Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery etc.; parts ($2.0 billion)
--- Electrical machinery and equipment and parts; sound and TV recorders and reproducers, parts and accessories ($1.3 billion)
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30 / 30#1. Mexico
- Imports: $9.9 billion
- Largest imports:
--- Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery etc.; parts ($3.6 billion)
--- Vehicles other than railway or tramway rolling stock, and parts and accessories ($1.7 billion)
--- Electrical machinery and equipment and parts; sound and TV recorders and reproducers, parts and accessories ($1.6 billion)
This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Abby Monteil, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 51 states.
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