Colombia Import Growth Slows in May

Colombia's imports rose 10.6% year-on-year to $6.79 billion in May 2026 after increasing 15.8% in April. The increase was mainly driven by an 8.2% rise in manufactured imports, led by higher purchases of machinery and transport equipment (15.1%) and chemicals and related products (5.4%). Imports of agricultural products, food, and beverages rose 2.7%, supported by a 3.3% increase in purchases of food products and live animals. Imports of fuels and extractive industry products climbed 35.2%, driven mainly by a 29.7% increase in purchases of petroleum, petroleum products, and related goods.

Colombia’s imports rose 7.8% year-on-year to $5.74 billion in February 2026, easing from a 9.7% increase in January. Growth was primarily driven by a 3.2% rise in manufactured goods, led by a 28.6% increase in machinery and transport equipment. In contrast, imports of fuels and extractive products declined by 10.8%, largely due to a 25.3% drop in petroleum and related products. Imports of agriculture, food, and beverages fell by 2.4%, weighed down by lower purchases of oils, fats, and waxes of animal and vegetable origin. China remained the leading source of imports, accounting for 30.5% of the total, followed by the United States (22%), Mexico, Brazil, Germany, Japan, and India also among the main suppliers. In the first two months of the year, imports increased by 8.8% compared to the same period a year earlier, reaching $11.64 billion.

Colombia’s imports rose 7.1% year-on-year to $6.05 billion in December 2025, amid an increase in manufactured goods purchases (+12.5%). Within manufacturing, imports of machinery and transport equipment climbed 17.0%, while chemicals and related products rose 0.5%. Purchases of agricultural, food and beverage products also increased 9.8%, supported by higher imports of beverages and tobacco (+81.4%) and food products and live animals (+5.4%). Over January–December 2025, total imports reached $70.50 billion, up 10.0% compared with the same period in 2024.