Saint Maarten

📊 Overview

Saint Maarten stands as the world's #216 largest exporter and #184 largest importer, demonstrating emerging market dynamics.

The trade profile reveals a deficit of 967.13 million, reflecting import dependencies for growth.

The country maintains active trading relationships with 20 major partners, creating a highly diversified trade network.

Monthly trade flows average $82.63M, generating continuous economic activity across logistics, finance, and trade services.

🚢 Export Markets

Export concentration shows USA as the dominant market at 22.4%. The top three markets control 50.0% of exports.

Regional patterns reveal European market focus. Secondary markets (Portugal, Other Asia, nes, Barbados) provide $2.66M in additional trade.

📦 Import Sources

Saint Maarten relies heavily on USA for imports (82.5%),creating supply chain concentration risk.

Manufacturing inputs come primarily from Thailand, reflecting deep integration into Asian production networks.

The USA provides 808.44 million (82.5%) in imports, concentrated in agricultural products, aircraft, pharmaceuticals, and advanced technology.The top 10 import sources account for 97.3% of total imports, with the remaining 3% distributed among 10 other suppliers.

Regional sourcing patterns reveal diversified global sourcing. European suppliers including Netherlands (66.29M), France (35.00M), Germany (4.86M) focus on luxury goods, machinery, and specialized chemicals.

Supply chain resilience strategies increasingly emphasize "China Plus One" approaches, with Thailandemerging as alternative manufacturing bases. The geographic proximity of major suppliers balances efficiency with risk diversification.

📦 Product Composition

🚀 Export Products

Saint Maarten's export economy centers on diversified industrial production, with the leading export being n.e.c. in heading no. 7204at $1.78 million, accounting for 14.5% of total exports.

Vehicle-related products including passenger cars, hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, and automotive parts total approximately 116.87 thousand or 1.0% of exports, encompassing 1 distinct product categories. Electronics, semiconductors, and machinery contribute 796.89 thousand or 6.5% of exports.

The automotive sector's dominance is evident in the export portfolio, with compression-ignition internal combustion piston en... (116,871). This automotive specialization reflects decades of manufacturing excellence, continuous innovation in fuel efficiency and hybrid technology, and established global brand recognition.

The transition to electric and hybrid vehicles is captured in export data, with 1 categories specifically related to alternative propulsion systems, totaling $214,505.

Beyond automotive, Saint Maarten maintains strong positions in industrial machinery (3 categories totaling 467,108), electronic components (329,787), and Ferrous waste and scrap, Sailboats, Jewellery.

The top 20 export products collectively account for 65.9% of total exports, revealing moderate concentration with room for further diversification.

🛒 Import Products

Energy dominates Saint Maarten's import profile, with fossil fuels accounting for 117.44 million or 12.0% of total imports. Crude oil leads at 117.44 million (12.0%), followed by natural gas and coal. This energy import dependency shapes economic policy, inflation dynamics, and strategic relationships with supplier nations.

Beyond energy, critical imports include of precious metal (excluding silver) whe... (178.94M, 18.3%), (other than outboard motorboats), for pl... (95.21M, 9.7%), precious or semi-precious stones (natura... (70.48M, 7.2%), non-industrial, (other than unworked or ... (38.80M, 4.0%), whether or not incorporating a stop-watc... (14.52M, 1.5%).Electronic components and devices total 6.34 million (0.6% of imports), supporting domestic manufacturing and assembly operations. Pharmaceutical products represent 8.66 million (0.9%), reflecting healthcare sector demands.

The import product mix reveals structural characteristics of Saint Maarten's economy: food security dependencies, and sophisticated consumption patterns.

The ratio of raw materials to finished goods in imports (9 : 11among top 20 products) indicates balanced import composition. Import substitution potential exists in technology sectors through targeted industrial policies and investment.

Product diversification metrics reveal focused product specializationwith implications for economic resilience and growth potential. The technology ladder progression from 6 primary products to 10 high-tech goods indicates the economy's structural transformation and industrial upgrading trajectory.

Value addition opportunities exist in transitioning from raw material exports to processed goods, from components to finished products, and from standard to customized offerings. The product space connectivity, measuring relatedness between current exports and potential new products, suggests strong potential for diversification into adjacent sophisticated products.

⚖️ Trade Balance Dynamics

Export-to-import ratio of 0.013 means exports cover 1.3% of import costs.

🔗 Key Relationships

The Saint Maarten-USA relationship leads at 811.18 million in bilateral trade.View detailed analysis →

Additional major partnerships include France (37.07M total trade), Brazil (13.70M total trade), Switzerland (9.89M total trade). Regional integration through transatlantic partnerships facilitates technology transfer, market access, and production efficiency. The diversity of trading relationships—960.71M across top 10 partners—provides resilience against bilateral tensions and regional disruptions.

🏆 Competitive Position

Global rankings position Saint Maarten as the #216 exporter worldwide,in the developing trader category. The country's share of global exports at approximately 0.000%offers opportunities for market share expansion.

Export sophistication, measured by the dominance of technology-intensive products, indicates advanced industrial capabilities. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) index shows strongest competitiveness in sectors where Saint Maarten's global market share exceeds its overall trade share by factors of 2 or more.

Competitive advantages emerge in sectors where export concentration exceeds import share, particularly inn.e.c. in heading no. 720, with or without auxiliary, of precious metal (exclud. The revealed comparative advantage is strongest in product categories representing29.1% of exports. Market positioning against regional competitors shows niche specialization opportunities.

Trade complementarity with major partners suggests deep integration into global supply chains. The export quality ladder, comparing unit values to world averages, indicates competitive pricing strategies.

Competitive dynamics are shaped by factor endowments including cost advantages and resource availability, infrastructure quality, and business environment. The export survival rate, measuring the persistence of export relationships over time, suggests need for relationship strengthening.

Innovation capacity, reflected in the technology content of exports and R&D intensity, determines long-term competitiveness trajectories. The competitive threat from emerging exporters in similar product categories requires continuous upgrading and differentiation strategies to maintain market position. Regional integration through trade agreements provides preferential access to0 markets, creating competitive advantages over non-member competitors.

🎯 Strategic Outlook

The trade profile presents both opportunities and challenges for economic development strategy. Key strengths include strong import capacity enabling technology transfer and consumption growth,diversified market access reducing concentration risk, and competitive positions in high-value manufacturing.

Vulnerabilities include concentrated import dependencies. The intersection of these factors creates a complex strategic landscape requiring careful navigation to maximize opportunities while mitigating risks.

Strategic priorities should focus on export promotion and import substitution to enhance trade competitiveness. Opportunities exist in expanding trade with Honduras, Poland, Germany, developing new product capabilities in adjacent product categories, and strengthening regional integration through new partnership frameworks.

The digital transformation of trade, including e-commerce, digital services, and blockchain-based trade finance, offers new avenues for market access and efficiency gains. Green trade opportunities in renewable energy, sustainable products, and carbon markets represent growing segments aligned with global sustainability goals.

The evolving global trade environment, characterized by technological disruption, geopolitical realignment, and sustainability imperatives, will fundamentally reshape Saint Maarten's trade prospects. Success requires balanced policies addressing both improving export capacity while ensuring sustainable import financing.

Investment in infrastructure, education, and innovation ecosystems will determine the ability to climb value chains and capture larger shares of global value addition. The resilience agenda, emphasizing supply chain robustness, strategic autonomy in critical sectors, and economic security considerations, must be balanced with efficiency and openness principles.

As global trade patterns continue evolving, Saint Maarten's position as the world's #216 exporter provides a platform for continued growth, requiring adaptive strategies, institutional strengthening, and sustained commitment to competitiveness enhancement in an increasingly complex and interconnected global economy.