As President Donald Trump kicked off his trade war this year, some economists predicted a steep drop in US goods imports. The US indeed imported less from some countries, notably China, but imported more from other trade partners, such as the EU and Mexico, in January-July 2025, compared with the same period last year.
Total real US goods imports from the world sharply increased in early 2025, likely due in large part to importers stockpiling goods, or frontloading, before the tariffs took effect. By July 2025, as tariffs were enforced, cumulative US real goods imports to date were about 10 percent above their January-July 2024 level.
US goods imports from the EU in January-July 2025 rose 14.3 percent above the January-July 2024 level. This increase possibly reflected some frontloading but also that the tariffs imposed on EU goods turned out to be milder than the US government’s hostile rhetoric. Meanwhile, US goods imports from China through July fell 16.9 percent from their 2024 level.
This PIIE Chart is adapted from Gary Clyde Hufbauer and Ye Zhang’s blog post, “Despite tariffs, US merchandise imports increased and exports held steady in the first half of 2025”.
Data Disclosure
This publication does not include a replication package.
