is a trade surplus good or bad 
generally selling more than buying is considered a good thing a trade surplus means the things the country produces are in high demand which should create lots of jobs and fuel economic growth however that doesn t mean the countries with trade deficits are necessarily in a mess each economy operates differently and those that historically import more such as the u s often do so for a good reason take a look at the countries with the highest trade surpluses and deficits and you ll soon discover that the world s strongest economies appear across both lists 2