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Fact check: How much of Amazon's revenue comes from US operations versus international markets?
1. Summary of the results
Based on the analyses provided, Amazon's revenue is heavily concentrated in North America, with international markets representing a significantly smaller portion. The data consistently shows that:
- North America dominates Amazon's revenue stream, accounting for approximately 68-70% of total revenue according to fiscal year 2024 data [1]
- International operations contribute roughly 14-21% of total revenue, depending on the reporting period analyzed [1] [2]
- Recent quarterly data supports this distribution pattern:
- Q1 2025: North America generated $92.9 billion vs. International's $33.5 billion [3] [2]
- Q4 2024: North America achieved $115.6 billion vs. International's $43.4 billion [4] [5]
The growth rates also favor North America, with consistent year-over-year increases of 8-10% compared to international growth of 5-9% [2] [4] [3].
2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints
The original question lacks several important contextual elements that would provide a more complete picture:
- Amazon Web Services (AWS) revenue breakdown - The analyses don't clearly separate cloud services revenue by geographic region, which represents a significant and growing portion of Amazon's business
- Temporal trends and strategic shifts - While current data shows North America's dominance, there's no discussion of whether Amazon is actively investing more heavily in international expansion or if this ratio is changing over time
- Definition of "US operations" vs "North America" - The data primarily references "North America" which includes Canada and Mexico, not just US-specific operations
- Profitability differences - Revenue distribution doesn't necessarily reflect profit margins, which could vary significantly between regions due to different operational costs and market maturity
Investment analysts and Amazon stakeholders would benefit from understanding that international markets, while smaller in absolute terms, may represent higher growth potential and strategic value for long-term expansion.
3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement
The original question itself doesn't contain misinformation, but it could lead to incomplete understanding if answered without proper context:
- Oversimplification risk - Focusing solely on revenue percentages without considering growth trajectories, market penetration opportunities, or strategic investments could misrepresent Amazon's international business importance
- Geographic precision - The question asks about "US operations" but available data primarily covers "North America," which could lead to slightly inflated figures for what users might consider purely US-based revenue
- Segment complexity - Amazon's business includes retail, AWS, advertising, and other services that may have different geographic distributions, but the question treats revenue as a monolithic figure
The analyses provided are based on official Amazon earnings reports [4] [2], which ensures data reliability, though the lack of publication dates makes it difficult to assess the currency of some information.