Bahamas: Trade Partnerships

The Bahamas maintains an internationally oriented economy built primarily on tourism and offshore financial services, and its trade in physical goods is comparatively modest relative to the size of its overall economy. As of 2026, the United States remains by far the Bahamas' most important trading partner, receiving the large majority of the country's exports, including refined petroleum products, chemicals, and crawfish, while also supplying the overwhelming share of the goods the Bahamas imports, such as fuel, machinery, and food products. This concentration reflects the country's geographic proximity to Florida, longstanding shipping and transportation links, and the Bahamian dollar's fixed peg to the U.S. dollar.

Trade relationships beyond the United States are considerably smaller in scale and more diffuse, extending to other Caribbean states, the United Kingdom, and East Asian economies such as China and Japan, which mainly serve as secondary sources of imported manufactured goods. The Bahamas has belonged to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) since 1983, but unlike most other members it chose not to join the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), opting instead to retain independent control over its trade and immigration policy while still taking part in the organization's broader political and functional cooperation.

Because so much of national income is generated through tourism and financial services rather than merchandise trade, the Bahamas' formal trade statistics capture only part of its economic relationship with the United States and other partners. The Bahamian government has at times explored the possibility of eventual World Trade Organization membership, though trade policy has generally prioritized protecting the competitiveness of the country's dominant service industries over pursuing new goods-focused trade agreements.