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theboardiQ Tariffs Dashboard:
Powering Mutually Beneficial Global Trade.
Understand the complexities of international tariffs and ease of doing business across nations to cultivate balanced trade relationships, streamline operations, and deliver cost savings to end consumers.
Implications
As of January 2026, trade relations between the U.S. and Moldova have entered a complex phase defined by "reciprocal" tariff measures. While Moldova represents a small fraction of total U.S. trade, it has been caught in the broader sweep of the administration's "America First" trade policies aimed at reducing trade deficits.
⚖️ Latest US Tariffs Update (2025–2026)
In 2025, the U.S. administration identified Moldova as a country with significant "trade imbalances" and alleged currency manipulation.
Current Rate: Most Moldovan exports to the U.S. are currently subject to a 25% to 31% tariff.
Trend: While an initial rate of 31% was threatened in early 2025, diplomatic efforts saw this adjusted to a 25% baseline for most goods by late 2025.
Section 232 Impact: As of January 15, 2026, new 25% tariffs on semiconductors and advanced logic circuits have been implemented globally, affecting Moldova’s burgeoning tech manufacturing sector.
Exemptions: Moldovan companies that establish local branches within the U.S. or form joint ventures with American firms are eligible for exemptions from these duties.
🏢 Major Companies Impacted
The tariffs primarily hit sectors where Moldova has spent years trying to break into the American market:
Company / Sector | Industry | Impact Level |
Purcari Wineries | Wine & Spirits | High – U.S. is a premium market; 31% tax makes bottles less competitive vs. EU/Chilean wines. |
Orhei-Vit | Food & Juice | High – Canned goods and juices face significant price hikes, leading to halted deliveries. |
Moldova IT Park | Tech/Software | Medium – Services are less affected than hardware, but new semiconductor duties impact hardware R&D. |
Steaua Reds | Textiles/Apparel | Medium – Clothing exports face higher barriers, though the EU remains their primary buyer. |
📈 Economic & GDP Impact
The impact on Moldova is localized but sharp within specific producer communities.
GDP Growth: The 2026 GDP growth forecast for Moldova is roughly 1.5%. Experts suggest the U.S. tariffs have shaved approximately 0.1% to 0.2% off potential growth by stifling export diversification.
Trade Volume: Roughly 2.5% of Moldova's total foreign trade is directly affected by the U.S. tariff hikes.
Shift in Strategy: The government has urged producers to pivot further toward the EU market, which currently accounts for over 75% of Moldovan exports.
📊 Latest Country Balance of Trade (BOT)
As of Year-to-Date (YTD) January 2026:
Export Value (to US): ~$90M (Annualized based on 2025 data).
Import Value (from US): ~$115M.
Trade Balance: -$25 Million (Deficit).
Context: While Moldova runs a deficit with the U.S., the U.S. administration’s "reciprocal" logic focuses on individual product categories where Moldova might have an advantage (like agriculture/wine) rather than the aggregate balance.
🛡️ SWOT Analysis: Moldova Trade 2026
Strengths | Weaknesses |
• Strong EU integration (DCFTA). • Highly competitive IT tax regime (7% flat rate). • Emerging agricultural tech sector. | • Landlocked geography increases logistics costs. • Dependency on energy imports through volatile routes. • High emigration (brain drain) in skilled sectors. |
Opportunities | Threats |
• Near-shoring destination for EU companies. • Potential "Greenland-style" deals to lower U.S. tariffs. • Expansion of organic food exports to the Middle East. | • Escalation of regional conflict in Ukraine. • Increased U.S. protectionism (Section 232/301). • Inflationary pressures on production costs. |
US Revised Tariffs
Country Tariffs
Balance of Trade
Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in countries, prepared by U.S. Embassies worldwide, Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
Tariff Rate for US
World Bank staff estimates using the World Integrated Trade Solution system, based on tariff data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development's Trade Analysis and Information System ( TRAINS ) database and global imports data from the United Nations Statistics Division's Comtrade database.
US Imports Guide
United States Imports from Countries during 2024, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade. United States Imports from Countries- data, historical chart and statistics - was last updated on April of 2025.
Investing in USA
theboardiQ Economic Relevance Score, ranks States of USA based on 11 parameters
Sources : Forbes | USDA Economic Research | TCGen Total Innovation Rank Index | Best States for Manufacturing | World Population Review | Tax Foundation | US News | BEA Data | Wikipedia | International Trade Administration
theboardiQ's Economic Relevance Score provides a comprehensive, data-driven assessment of a nation's economic vitality and global significance. This score is meticulously calculated using 11 key parameters, each reflecting a critical facet of economic performance. It analyzes the representation of Fortune 500 companies within a nation, a strong indicator of its business environment and market size. The balance of trade surplus or deficit reveals the nation's international competitiveness and export strength. It incorporates Gross Domestic Product (GDP), a fundamental measure of overall economic output, and examine the health of key sectors like agriculture and manufacturing. The score also accounts for innovation, gauging a nation's ability to drive future growth through technological advancements. Crucial labor market indicators such as employment rates are considered, alongside fiscal policies reflected in tax rates. To capture the lived experience of citizens, it assesses cost of living and disposable income, providing insight into purchasing power and economic well-being. Finally, education levels are integrated, recognizing their pivotal role in fostering a skilled workforce and driving long-term economic development. By synthesizing these 11 parameters, theboardiQ's Economic Relevance Score delivers a nuanced and holistic view of a nation's economic standing, enabling informed strategic decisions. The Top 5 States in the assessment are Texas, North Carolina, Virginia, Florida and Washington. Texas does consistently well across most of the 11 variables especially in the areas of GDP, F500 representation in the State, Balance of Trade where it ranks 2nd nationally. North Carolina scores as the highest-ranking state nationally in manufacturing and performs consistently across the other variables. Virginia does well in disposable income where it ranks 3rd nationally. It also scores high in the variables of manufacturing and employment Florida holds the 4th ranking nationally for GDP and Tax Washington State scores the top spot for disposable income nationally, 2nd for education and 3rd for innovation. Colorado, with an overall rank of 7 scores the top spot for Education (schools and higher education). Nebraska, that ranked 10th overall, did well in Agriculture where it is ranked 3rd nationally as well as Trade Balance where it ranked 5th. Illinois, though ranked 20th overall did well nationally in F500 representation, GDP, Agriculture, and Disposable Income. Pennsylvania comes in at 21 overall doing well nationally in GDP (6th); Manufacturing (8th) and F500 representation (8th) New York scores 23rd overall with a 2 ranking in Disposable Income nationally, as well as 3rd in both F500 representation and GDP. California comes in at 29th overall and has the top spot ranking in a whopping 4 variables nationally – GDP, Innovation, Agriculture and F500 representation. However, performance in the areas of Trade Balance, Cost of Living, Tax, Manufacturing and Employment resulted in the overall ranking dipping. Wyoming at 30th overall scores the top spot nationally in the area of Tax Massachusetts at 31 overall does well in innovation where it is ranked 2nd nationally Arkansas at 36 and Alabama at 39, do well in overall Cost of Living where they are ranked 2nd and 3rd nationally, respectively. Louisiana ranked 44th overall is ranked 1st in Trade Balance nationally.
Economic
Relevance
Ranking
State | Info | Overall Rank | Agri | Innov | Mfg | Employ | Tax | Edu | GDP | F500 Rep | Trade Balance | Cost of Living | Disp Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Texas | 1 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 42 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 24 | 13 | |
North Carolina | 2 | 9 | 21 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 28 | 11 | 16 | 41 | 17 | 17 | |
Virginia | 3 | 32 | 24 | 6 | 2 | 28 | 7 | 13 | 6 | 34 | 35 | 3 | |
Florida | 4 | 21 | 11 | 15 | 1 | 4 | 35 | 4 | 7 | 40 | 30 | 37 | |
Washington | 5 | 16 | 3 | 36 | 28 | 45 | 9 | 9 | 15 | 9 | 43 | 1 | |
Missouri | 6 | 11 | 25 | 22 | 20 | 13 | 32 | 21 | 22 | 20 | 10 | 20 | |
Georgia | 7 | 15 | 26 | 9 | 3 | 26 | 34 | 8 | 9 | 43 | 26 | 19 | |
Minnesota | 8 | 6 | 10 | 47 | 6 | 44 | 8 | 20 | 10 | 33 | 33 | 9 | |
Ohio | 9 | 12 | 32 | 7 | 30 | 35 | 36 | 7 | 5 | 38 | 15 | 11 | |
Illinois | 10 | 5 | 23 | 31 | 23 | 37 | 16 | 5 | 4 | 47 | 32 | 7 |