After compiling and analyzing semiconductor trade data from Comtrade and the Taiwan Ministry of Finance, I was able to identify the top exporters and importers in 2024 and uncover the flow patterns that define the global semiconductor supply chain. I focused on the top 25 reporting countries to gain a clearer picture of which nations play the largest roles in chip manufacturing, trade, and processing.
In 2024, Malaysia was the top semiconductor exporter with over $8.16 billion in reported exports. Germany and Japan followed closely with $8.10 billion and $7.47 billion, respectively. The United States also ranked high, exporting just under $6.91 billion in semiconductors. Other notable exporters included Thailand, the Netherlands, and Italy, along with a wide range of smaller contributors from Europe and Asia.
On the import side, the United States was the dominant player, importing over $23.32 billion worth of chips in 2024—nearly 40% more than China, the second-largest importer, which brought in $16.63 billion. Germany, South Korea, Malaysia, and Mexico also posted strong import numbers. Many of these countries appear on both lists, highlighting how countries often import, modify, and then re-export chips at various stages of processing.
This dual role—as both exporters and importers—is a defining trait of countries like Malaysia, Germany, Japan, South Korea, and the Netherlands. The data shows that semiconductors do not follow a linear path from factory to consumer. Instead, they often pass through multiple countries for tasks like design, fabrication, testing, and packaging before reaching their final destinations.
This structure makes the system highly efficient—but also vulnerable. The fact that multiple nations rely on each other for intermediate steps means that a single disruption, whether caused by policy, geopolitics, or a natural disaster, could send shockwaves across the entire semiconductor landscape. The data clearly illustrates that the supply chain is not just globally distributed—it’s globally entangled.
Taiwan, in particular, stands out. Although it does not report to Comtrade, I used official data from the Taiwan Ministry of Finance to fill the gap. In 2024 alone, Taiwan exported around $177.2 billion worth of electronics under Category 16.1: “Parts of Electronic Products (Semiconductors),” and imported approximately $104.3 billion under the same category. While this category includes more than just semiconductors, it serves as the best available proxy and underscores Taiwan’s role as a central manufacturing hub in the industry.
Monthly trade data from Taiwan further illustrates this trend. Export values steadily increased across 2024, peaking in December and continuing to rise into early 2025. In the first two months of 2025 alone, Taiwan exported over $28.4 billion in electronics from this category, which indicates continued expansion of its chip production footprint. Import values also rose over the course of the year, likely reflecting the growing need for specialized tools, wafers, and components to meet production demand.
To help make this data more accessible, I created a Tableau dashboard comparing semiconductor trade volumes between countries, along with a detailed time-series chart showing Taiwan’s monthly import and export data. The dashboard shows just how much of global chip trade is concentrated in a relatively small number of countries. Taiwan, the U.S., China, and a few others dominate both inbound and outbound flows, reinforcing the idea that the supply chain—while international—is highly dependent on key nodes.
Overall, the data confirms that the global semiconductor supply chain is deeply interconnected, heavily concentrated, and critically dependent on a handful of players. The combination of high trade volume and inter-country overlap means that resilience in this sector requires not just more investment, but more strategic coordination. Governments and industries alike will need to anticipate disruptions and plan for flexibility in both supply and demand if they want to ensure continued access to this foundational technology.