The U.S. monthly international trade deficit increased in September 2021 according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and the U.S. Census Bureau. The deficit increased from $72.8 billion in August (revised) to $80.9 billion in September, as imports increased and exports decreased. The previously published August deficit was $73.3 billion. The goods deficit increased $8.9 billion in September to $98.2 billion. The services surplus increased $0.8 billion in September to $17.2 billion.
Exports
Exports of goods and services decreased $6.4 billion, or 3.0 percent, in September to $207.6 billion. Exports of goods decreased $7.1 billion and exports of services increased $0.6 billion.
- The decrease in exports of goods reflected decreases in industrial supplies and materials ($5.7 billion) and in capital goods ($1.6 billion). An increase in consumer goods ($0.7 billion) partly offset the decreases.
- The increase in exports of services reflected increases in travel ($0.2 billion), in financial services ($0.1 billion), in transport ($0.1 billion), and in other business services ($0.1 billion).
Imports
Imports of goods and services increased $1.7 billion, or 0.6 percent, in September to $288.5 billion. Imports of goods increased $1.9 billion and imports of services decreased $0.2 billion.
- The increase in imports of goods reflected increases in capital goods ($2.5 billion) and in industrial supplies and materials ($1.0 billion). A decrease in automotive vehicles, parts, and engines ($2.2 billion) partly offset the increases.
- The decrease in imports of services reflected a decrease in charges for the use of intellectual property ($0.6 billion). August imports included rights to broadcast the 2020 Summer Olympic Games. Increases in travel ($0.2 billion) and in transport ($0.2 billion) partly offset the decrease.
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, September 2021.