When a country's imports are greater than its exports, it is said to have

When a country imports more goods and services than it exports, it is said to have a trade deficit or that its balance of trade, or its net trade, is negative.

This means that the demand from the country's inhabitants (what they buy from aborad) is more important than what they produce and sell to other countries.

A one - or two-percent deficit is not usually considered alamaring; in fact, in the United Kingdom for example, there has been a continuous trade deficit since the late 1990s and the country's economy is far from collapsing. Conversely, a trade surplus (exporting more than you import) is not a guarantee for a strong economy over time.