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Exports to US rebound in May after tariff-induced turbulence

MND Staff
By MND Staff
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Cargo shipping containers
Exports to the U.S. dipped unusually low in April, but made a comeback in May. (Pat Whelen/Unsplash)

Mexican exports to the United States increased by 5.6% year-on-year in May after falling in April, the U.S. Trade Office announced on Thursday.

April’s weak exports to the U.S. followed a month of both new and threatened tariffs in March. May saw a nearly full recovery as companies adjusted to new market conditions and Mexican leaders sought to negotiate on tariffs and reassure frazzled investors.

Mexico remains the leading trade partner of the U.S., despite a wide variety of tariffs implemented by U.S. President Donald Trump this year. The trade duties and the uncertainty around their implementation has hurt many U.S. trade partners in recent months.

Trade between Mexico and the United States totaled US $74.5 billion in May, with Mexico contributing 16.2% of global trade with the U.S.

Canada was the second biggest exporter to the U.S., contributing 12.5% of the total, with China following with 5.9%. The U.S.’s other largest trade partners in May were Taiwan, Germany, Japan, Vietnam, South Korea, Ireland and India.

Exports of Mexican goods to the U.S. totaled $46.3 billion, while U.S. exports to Mexico stood at $28.2 billion. This resulted in a trade deficit of $18.2 billion in favor of Mexico, the largest of any U.S. trade partner.

Trailers full of cars wait to be loaded onto ships at a dock in Veracruz
Vehicles and auto parts represent some of the top products Mexico exports to the U.S. (Asipona Veracruz)

The increase represents a rebound from April, when Mexican exports to the U.S. declined for the first time in 13 months. Mexico exported nearly $41.7 billion in goods and services to the U.S. in April, 2.7% less than April 2024.

Exports from Mexican states

Despite the uncertainty, Mexico’s total exports rose by 3.6% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2025, totaling $133.625 billion, Mexico’s National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) announced in a press release on Monday.

The border state of Chihuahua dominated exports, contributing 16% of the national total, followed by the states of Coahuila (11.8%), Nuevo León (9.9%), Baja California (9.4%), Tamaulipas (6.4%) and Jalisco (6.3%).

Together, these six states accounted for 59.9% of the total national exports.

The five states with the most significant increase in export value were Yucatán (up 29.3% compared to the same period last year), Chihuahua (27.5%), Colima (26.9%), Zacatecas (25.8%) and Jalisco (25.0%).

With reports from El Universal

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