The High-Tech Edge
High-technology exports as a share of manufactured exports, six major economies, 2000 to today
- Unit
- % of manufactured exports
- Frequency
- Annual
- Coverage
- 2007–2024
- Evidence Quality
- Medium
High-tech share of manufactured exports — China and the US in front, India climbing fast, Germany and Japan skewing mid-tech.
World Bank WDI · High-technology exports (% of manufactured exports) · TX.VAL.TECH.MF.ZS
Line chart, 2007 to 2024. High-tech exports (% of manufactured exports). 6 series: United States, China, India, Germany, Japan and Brazil. China is highlighted; its latest reading is 26.3% in 2024.
Question
How sophisticated is what each economy sells — and who leads in high technology?
Evidence
High-tech exports — electronics, aerospace, pharmaceuticals, instruments — as a share of manufactured exports gauge how advanced a country's export basket is, not its volume. China and the United States lead the six, each around a quarter, though both drift down as their overall manufactured exports broaden. The sharpest climber is India, which nearly doubled its share. Germany and Japan sit lower than their engineering reputations suggest, and Brazil trails.
Observation
Read level, slope and timing together.
This is a share of manufactured exports, not a dollar figure or a quality score: it says how tech-heavy the export mix is, not who ships the most advanced goods.
Assessment
- China leads narrowly and the US is just behind — the two high-tech export heavyweights of the group.
- India is the climber, nearly doubling its high-tech share as its electronics and pharma exports grew.
- Germany and Japan read lower than expected — their strength is mid-tech machinery and vehicles, not high-tech categories.
Advantage
- How much does it export overall?The Exporters
- How big is the manufacturing base?The World's Factory
- How much does it spend on research?The Innovation Race