From semiconductors and computers to pharmaceuticals and scientific instruments, high-technology products have become an important part of international trade. But which countries export the most?
According to the latest available World Bank data, China leads with $856.76 billion in high-tech exports in 2024. Germany follows at $246.64 billion, ahead of the United States at $232.91 billion.
Singapore and South Korea complete the top five, both exporting more than $200 billion worth of high-technology goods.
The figures reveal how strongly advanced manufacturing and technology-related trade are concentrated in certain economies. This analysis compares 176 countries, using their latest available observations.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators; UN Comtrade and WITS. Latest available data, primarily 2024.
High-Tech Exports by Country: Global Rankings
China's position is particularly striking. Its reported high-tech exports are approximately 3.5 times Germany's, the second-largest figure in the dataset.
Beyond the leading countries, Malaysia ranks sixth at $134.79 billion, followed by Vietnam at $132.78 billion. Ireland, France and the Netherlands complete the top ten.
Vietnam's latest available observation is from 2023, while most other leading countries have 2024 data. That difference matters when interpreting the rankings.
Across the full dataset, 11 countries report high-tech exports exceeding $100 billion, highlighting the substantial scale of technology-related goods trade among the largest exporters.
Key Takeaways
- China leads by a wide margin: Its $856.76 billion in high-tech exports is more than three times Germany's reported value.
- Asian economies feature prominently: China, Singapore, South Korea, Malaysia and Vietnam all appear among the ten largest exporters.
- India ranks 17th: Its high-tech exports reached $54.14 billion in 2024, behind Japan and Mexico but ahead of several other major economies.
The searchable table below provides the complete ranking of 176 countries, including export values in US dollars and each country's latest available reporting year.
Note: Rankings use each country's latest available observation. Reporting years vary, so the figures do not represent exports measured in a single year.
What the Global High-Tech Export Data Reveals
China's Lead Extends Far Beyond Its Closest Competitors
China's $856.76 billion in high-tech exports places it well ahead of every other country in the compiled ranking.
Germany and the United States occupy the next two positions, but each reports less than one-third of China's export value.
The numbers underline China's enormous presence in global high-technology goods trade. However, export value alone doesn't reveal how much of a product's technology was developed domestically or how much value was added within the exporting country.
Asia's Technology Manufacturing Hubs Stand Out
Several Asian economies have built substantial export industries around electronics, computing equipment and other advanced products.
The rankings show a strong presence beyond China:
- 🇸🇬 Singapore: $223.59B
- 🇰🇷 South Korea: $216.20B
- 🇲🇾 Malaysia: $134.79B
- 🇻🇳 Vietnam: $132.78B (2023)
Singapore and South Korea are separated by just $7.39 billion in their reported export values.
Malaysia and Vietnam also feature among the leaders, illustrating the importance of Southeast Asia in global high-tech manufacturing and trade.
Where Does India Stand?
India ranks 17th among the 176 countries, with high-technology exports valued at $54.14 billion in 2024.
Japan ranks 11th at $102.45 billion, followed by Mexico in 12th place at $94.52 billion. Both record higher export values than India.
India's figure is also considerably above Indonesia's $10.41 billion and Brazil's $8.69 billion in the same year.
These comparisons reveal differences in the scale of high-technology goods exports, but they should not be mistaken for a comprehensive ranking of technological capabilities or innovation.
What Counts as a High-Tech Export?
The World Bank classifies high-technology exports as products associated with substantial research and development intensity. These include goods in sectors such as aerospace, computers, pharmaceuticals, scientific instruments and electrical machinery.
The indicator measures the value of exported goods in current US dollars, rather than export profits, technological sophistication or the number of products shipped.
Worth noting: A country can export large quantities of high-tech products without designing every component or developing the underlying technology domestically. High-tech export value measures trade in selected products, not innovation performance.
Methodology & Data Source
This analysis uses the World Bank's High-technology exports (current US$) indicator (TX.VAL.TECH.CD), based on United Nations Comtrade data accessed through the World Integrated Trade Solution (WITS) system.
- Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators; UN Comtrade and WITS.
- Coverage: 176 countries with available observations in the compiled dataset.
- Reporting years: 121 countries use 2024 data, 34 use 2023 data, and 21 have observations from earlier years.
- Ranking method: Countries ordered from highest to lowest by their latest available high-tech export values.
- Units: Current US dollars, displayed in billions (B), millions (M) or smaller units where appropriate.
The year 2026 refers to the article's publication edition, not the year in which exports were recorded. Values are rounded to two decimal places for presentation, while rankings follow the original source data.
Official Source: World Bank — High-Technology Exports (Current US$)
Data License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0)
Data compiled, ranked and visualized by The Data Visual.
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