Colombia Trade Deficit Narrows in May

Colombia's trade deficit narrowed to $1.59 billion in May 2026 from $1.78 billion a year earlier. Exports rose 19.2% year-on-year to $5.19 billion, driven by a 33.3% increase in fuels and extractive industry products, led by petroleum and related goods. Agricultural exports edged up 0.7%, supported by higher shipments of cut flowers and coffee extracts, while manufactured exports increased 0.2%, driven by chemicals and machinery. Exports from other sectors surged 67.0%, mainly reflecting higher non-monetary gold shipments. Meanwhile, imports rose 10.6% to $6.79 billion, led by an 8.2% increase in manufactured goods, particularly machinery and transport equipment, as well as chemicals. Imports of agricultural products rose 2.7%, while purchases of fuels and extractive industry products climbed 35.2%.

Colombia’s trade deficit widened to $2.11 billion in April 2026 from $1.67 billion a year earlier. Imports rose 15.8% year-on-year to $6.71 billion, driven by stronger demand for manufactured goods. Manufacturing imports increased 16.8%, supported by higher purchases of machinery and transport equipment (24.9%) and chemical products (9.6%). Imports of agriculture, food, and beverages rose 19.9%, led by food products and live animals, which increased 28.7%. Fuels and extractive industry imports climbed 5.2%, mainly due to a 45.0% jump in non-ferrous metals. Exports rose 11.7% to $4.6 billion, led by a 46.2% increase in fuels and extractive industry products, supported by a 72.3% surge in petroleum and related shipments. Exports in the other sectors category jumped 78.3% due to stronger sales of non-monetary gold. In contrast, manufactured exports fell 8.3%, weighed by a 24.8% drop in machinery and transport equipment shipments.

Colombia’s trade deficit narrowed to $0.84 billion in March 2026 from $1.20 billion in the same month a year earlier, as export growth outpaced imports. Exports rose 20.9% year-on-year to $5.32 billion, mainly driven by a 149.2% surge in “other sectors,” largely reflecting stronger non-monetary gold shipments. Exports of fuels and extractive industries increased 24.8%, supported by a 107.7% jump in coal, coke, and briquettes. Manufacturing exports also rose 6.9%, led by machinery, transport equipment, and chemicals. In contrast, exports of agricultural products, food, and beverages fell 6.8%, while crude oil shipments declined 17.7%. Meanwhile, imports increased 11.1% to $6.16 billion, mainly driven by a 16.7% rise in manufacturing imports. Imports of agricultural products, food, and beverages rose 4.4%, while imports of fuels and extractive industry products fell 17%.