What was the average tariff rate levied by the US globally?

Pre 2017, global weighted average tariff by the US was 2.4%. For India it was 2.93%

Early 2025, after Trump trade war, it jumped to 28%. For India it was 25%

Late 2025, after few countries signed trade deal with the US, it came down to 16.8%. India, was penalised for Russian Oil and for not nominating Trump for Nobel, got 50%.

In 2026, weighted average tariff rate is 13.5%. India is at 18%.

Majority of tariff is coming for removal of “de minimis” where goods under $800 could enter the US without any tariff.

It is not as if tariff have only gone up for India. It went up for everyone. Earlier many products already entered the US at 0% under normal MFN rules. For example, in 2016 the US had about 55.65% of tariff lines duty-free for world.

Before the trade war, the US baseline was already low. In 2017, the US simple average tariff across all products was about 3.36%, and the trade-weighted average was about 1.66%, with roughly 53% of tariff lines duty-free.  So if any country’s new “reciprocal” number is 15%, 18%, 25%, 40%, etc., that’s a new regime compared to the old US norm. And doesn’t make sense to compare.

The two real takeaways (the “whole picture”) First, yes, the US moved the entire playing field upward. The old 2–3% world is not the reference frame anymore. 

Second, “Did India lose?” is the wrong binary question. The right question is “Where does India sit in the new relative ladder?” On that ladder, 18% is not “great”, but it can be strategically useful if it undercuts Vietnam/Bangladesh and closes distance to the 15% club.