Uruguay Swings to Trade Surplus in February

Uruguay's trade balance rebounded sharply to a $2 million surplus in February 2026 from a $168.6 million deficit a year earlier. Exports rose 12.4% to $917 million, driven by a 6.5% gain in livestock and animal products and a 52.4% surge in vegetal products. Imports fell 7% to $915 million, weighed down by lower capital goods (-35.9%) and intermediate goods (-0.6%) purchases, partially offset by a 0.7% rise in consumer goods imports.

Uruguay's trade deficit narrowed sharply to $72.2 million in January 2026 from $199.4 million a year earlier. Exports rose 6.8% to $808.1 million, driven by a 31.2% surge in primary product sales, while manufactured goods slipped 1.3%. Imports fell 7.9% to $880.3 million, weighed down by lower capital goods (-22.3%) and intermediate goods (-14.2%) purchases, partially offset by a 9.7% rise in consumer goods imports.

Uruguay’s trade deficit narrowed to $151.8 million in December 2025 from $233.8 million a year earlier. Exports rose 23.7% year-on-year to $894.8 million, driven by a sharp increase in shipments of primary products (66.3%) and solid growth in manufactured goods exports (11.3%). In contrast, utilities exports plunged 82.9%. Meanwhile, imports increased 9.3% to $1.05 billion. Consumer goods purchases rose 8.2%, imports of intermediate goods advanced 17.2%, while capital goods imports declined 9.3%.