WASHINGTON, March 17 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. trade deficit narrowed sharply in 2007 due to the strong growth in exports, the Commerce Department reported Monday.

    The report showed that U.S. exports of goods and services declined by 9 percent last year from an all-time high of 811.5 billion dollars to 738.6 billion dollars.

    The decline came after U.S. trade imbalance had set new records for five consecutive years.

    Fueled by strong demand from overseas and a weaker dollar, which makes U.S.-made goods cheaper and thus more attractive to foreign buyers, U.S. exports have been growing significantly over the past two years.

    The deficit for 2007 represented 5.3 percent of the total economy, down from a record 6.2 percent of the economy in 2006.