America is undeniably one of the world's biggest superpowers. Want proof? The nation boasted the world's second largest export economy in 2020, sending goods worth more than $1.34 trillion all around the world.

But some of the industries that contribute to the US economy may come as a surprise to the typical citizen. Did you know, for example, that America is the world's biggest exporter of needles? Or that it's leading the way with its exports of brewery dregs? Didn't think so...

Click or scroll through our gallery to discover the unlikely industries that America rules over, according to recent data from the Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC).