Chile Balance of Trade

Last Release

May 31, 2025

Actual

1,520

Units In

USD Million

1,922

Frequency

Monthly

Next Release

Jul 07, 2025

Time to Release

26 Days 12 Hours

Highest	Lowest	Average	Date Range	Source
3,380 Jan 2025	-1,384.72 Oct 2008	591.38 USD Million	1991-2025	Banco Central de Chile

Chile has been recording trade surpluses since 1999, mostly due to a rise in shipments of copper. The most important non mineral exports are processed food, namely salmon; fresh fruit; chemicals; cellulose & paper; forestry & wood products; metals, machinery & equipment; and wine. In 2019, the biggest trade surpluses were recorded with China and Japan while the largest trade deficits with the US, Argentina and Brazil.

Latest Updates

Chile’s trade surplus narrowed to USD 1.517 billion in May 2025 from USD 1.539 billion in the same month of 2024. Exports rose by 6.3% year-on-year to USD 8.490 billion, supported by strong performances across several sectors. Forestry and wood furniture exports surged by 34.7%, driven by a 94.1% jump in plywood and a 59.3% increase in sawn timber. The agricultural sector expanded by 7.4%, highlighted by a 13.0% rise in extractive fishing and a 9.3% gain in fruit exports. Industrial exports grew 6.6%, led by an 11.7% increase in food products. Mining sales rose 5.9%, with notable increases in gold (141.4%), silver (29.6%), and copper (4.4%). In contrast, exports of food and tobacco declined by 10.9%, largely due to an 8.6% drop in bulk wine and related products. On the import side, total purchases climbed 8.1% to USD 6.973 billion, driven by a 30.4% increase in capital goods and an 11.9% rise in consumer goods, while imports of intermediate goods declined by 1.0%.