01Key Takeaways
- Aruba's imports totaled $1.54 billion in 2023, up 4.3% from $1.47 billion in 2022, a third consecutive year of growth.
- The USA was overwhelmingly the top source, supplying 50.4% of imports worth $774.70 million, more than double what the second-ranked source shipped in.
- An unspecified Areas, nes grouping ranked second at 22.0% ($338.63 million), followed by the Netherlands at 12.7% ($194.70 million).
- Machinery and mechanical appliances led all import categories at 7.4% of total value ($113.33 million), with vehicles second at 7.0% ($108.13 million).
025-Year Trend
| Year | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $1.3B | $939.4M | $1.2B | $1.5B | $1.5B |
03Top Import Markets (2023)
| Rank | Partner | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | $774.7M | 50.4% |
| 2 | Areas, nes | $338.6M | 22.0% |
| 3 | Netherlands | $194.7M | 12.7% |
| 4 | China | $66.8M | 4.3% |
| 5 | Colombia | $35.6M | 2.3% |
| 6 | Panama | $33.0M | 2.1% |
| 7 | South Korea | $30.1M | 2.0% |
| 8 | Brazil | $28.4M | 1.8% |
| 9 | Spain | $15.8M | 1.0% |
| 10 | United Kingdom | $13.0M | 0.8% |
04Top Import Categories (2023)
| Rank | Category | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nuclear Reactors, Boilers, Machinery and Mechanical Appliances; Parts thereof | $113.3M | 7.4% |
| 2 | Vehicles other than Railway or Tramway Rolling-Stock, and parts and accessories thereof | $108.1M | 7.0% |
| 3 | Mineral Fuels, Mineral Oils and Products of their Distillation; Bituminous Substances; Mineral Waxes | $91.1M | 5.9% |
| 4 | Electrical Machinery and Equipment and parts thereof; Sound Recorders and Reproducers, Television Image and Sound Recorders and Reproducers, and Parts and Accessories of such Articles | $89.5M | 5.8% |
| 5 | Beverages, Spirits and Vinegar | $69.7M | 4.5% |
| 6 | Tobacco and Manufactured Tobacco Substitutes | $64.3M | 4.2% |
| 7 | Meat and Edible Meat Offal | $59.5M | 3.9% |
| 8 | Natural or Cultured Pearls, Precious or Semi-Precious Stones, Precious Metals, Metals Clad with Precious Metal, and Articles thereof; Imitation Jewellery; Coin | $56.7M | 3.7% |
| 9 | Furniture; Bedding, Mattresses, Mattress Supports, Cushions and similar Stuffed Furnishings; Lamps and Lighting Fittings, not elsewhere specified or included; Illuminated Signs, Illuminated Name-plates and the like; Prefabricated Buildings | $49.0M | 3.2% |
| 10 | Dairy Produce; Birds' Eggs; Natural Honey; Edible Products of Animal Origin, not elsewhere specified or included | $41.4M | 2.7% |
05Trade Partner Map
06Analysis
Aruba's Top Import Sources in 2023
Aruba imported $1.54 billion worth of goods in 2023, the latest year with verified trade data in this dataset. That total marks an increase of 4.3% over the $1.47 billion recorded in 2022, a third straight year of growth. The United States supplied an overwhelming 50.4% of the country's imports, worth $774.70 million, more than double what the second-ranked source shipped in.
A grouping the dataset records as Areas, nes, covering sources that are not broken out individually, ranked second at 22.0% ($338.63 million). The Netherlands followed at 12.7% ($194.70 million), and China added 4.3% ($66.76 million). Colombia supplied 2.3% ($35.55 million), Panama added 2.1% ($33.03 million), and South Korea contributed 2.0% ($30.07 million). Brazil supplied 1.8% ($28.42 million), Spain added 1.0% ($15.79 million), and the United Kingdom rounded out the top ten at 0.8% ($13.01 million). Together, the top three sources made up 85.1% of total import value.
The USA's share alone exceeds every other partner in the top ten combined, a pattern consistent with Aruba's close economic ties to the United States, including its dependence on American goods to support a tourism-driven economy. Together with the Areas, nes grouping and the Netherlands, the top three sources account for 85.1% of the total, leaving only about 15% spread across the remaining seven named partners in the top ten, each holding under 5% of total import value. That level of concentration is close to what shows up on Aruba's export side as well, reflecting the narrow set of trading relationships typical of a small island economy. The gap between the USA and every other partner is especially wide: even the Areas, nes grouping and the Netherlands combined, the second and third largest sources, still fall short of the USA's share on their own, underscoring just how central the American market is to Aruba's overall import bill.
Leading Import Categories
Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery, and mechanical appliances led all import categories in 2023, worth $113.33 million and accounting for 7.4% of total import value. Vehicles and related parts and accessories followed at 7.0%, worth $108.13 million, and mineral fuels ranked third at 5.9% ($91.14 million).
Electrical machinery and equipment added 5.8% ($89.54 million), while beverages, spirits, and vinegar contributed 4.5% ($69.74 million). Tobacco and manufactured tobacco substitutes brought in 4.2% ($64.26 million), and meat and edible meat offal added 3.9% ($59.47 million). Precious stones and metals contributed 3.7% ($56.65 million), furniture and lighting fittings added 3.2% ($49.02 million), and dairy produce, eggs, and honey closed out the top ten at 2.7% ($41.42 million).
Unlike the partner rankings, where three sources dominate the total, Aruba's import categories are spread far more evenly, with the leading category holding just 7.4% of the total and the tenth-ranked category still at 2.7%. The presence of tobacco among the top import categories, alongside beverages and precious stones, points to imported inputs feeding Aruba's re-export and retail trade, a pattern that lines up with tobacco products also ranking as the country's dominant export category. Machinery, vehicles, fuel, and electrical equipment together lead the list, reflecting steady demand tied to construction, transportation, and infrastructure supporting the island's tourism industry. The top four categories are closely bunched within about a percentage point and a half of each other, a notably tight grouping given the wide gap seen at the top of the partner rankings above, suggesting Aruba's import demand is distributed across several similarly sized sectors rather than anchored by one clearly dominant category.
A Third Consecutive Year of Import Growth
The five-year trend shows imports dropping sharply in 2020 before recovering and climbing steadily. Imports moved from $1.31 billion in 2019 to $939.37 million in 2020, then recovered to $1.17 billion in 2021, climbed further to $1.47 billion in 2022, and reached $1.54 billion in 2023. That pattern points to three consecutive years of growth since the 2020 low, with the 2023 total now running above the 2019 starting point.
This pattern is consistent with the World Bank's WITS trade summary for Aruba, which confirms the USA's dominant role as the country's leading import source alongside the broader import totals recorded for 2023. For a closer look at how individual partner countries or product categories break down year over year, the data panels above provide the full detail behind these figures.