The United States international trade deficit widened by 13.7 percent in August 2026 to $105.6 billion, according to Commerce Department data released Tuesday.
The gap expanded by $12.7 billion from July's revised figures, surpassing the median estimate of $102.1 billion projected by economists in a Bloomberg survey.
Total imports rose 4.3 percent to $420.8 billion, while total exports grew 1.4 percent to $315.2 billion.
The monthly expansion reflected a $12.8 billion increase in the goods deficit to $136.6 billion.
The services surplus saw a marginal gain of less than $0.1 billion to reach $31.0 billion.
Despite the monthly increase, the year-to-date trade deficit remained 19.9 percent lower compared to the same period in 2025.
Import and Export Breakdown
Inbound shipments of goods increased by $17.2 billion to $342.2 billion during the month.
Growth in imports was led by industrial supplies and materials, which increased $9.1 billion, including a $3.3 billion gain in crude oil and a $3.1 billion rise in nonmonetary gold.
Capital goods imports rose by $6.2 billion, supported by a $2.4 billion increase in semiconductors, while computer accessories dropped $1.6 billion.
US exports of goods rose $4.4 billion to $205.7 billion in August.
The advance was driven by industrial supplies and materials, up $6.3 billion, backed by increases in nonmonetary gold of $2.3 billion and crude oil of $2.0 billion.
Capital goods exports rose $1.3 billion, boosted by a $1.0 billion gain in semiconductors, offsetting declines in consumer goods down $2.2 billion and pharmaceutical preparations down $2.4 billion.
In regional trade, the deficit with Mexico reached $27.7 billion, followed by deficits with Vietnam at $24.0 billion, Taiwan at $18.3 billion, and China at $16.4 billion.
The trade gap with Canada expanded by $4.1 billion to $7.1 billion, while the balance with Singapore shifted from a $1.9 billion surplus in July to a $0.3 billion deficit in August.
The next monthly trade release from the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the US Census Bureau is scheduled for Wednesday, November 4, 2026.
