Colombia’s exports totaled US$13,809.5 million in the first quarter of 2026, a 15.5% year-over-year increase. Highlights show March as the month of greatest commercial dynamism, driven by a sharp rebound in sales from the Other Sectors group —particularly non-monetary gold. Transactions in this last month totaled US$5,315.9 million, consolidating the national economic recovery trend.
Fuels and extractive industry products made up 41.5% of total export value in March and nearly 37% of the quarterly export basket, reaching US$5,097.8 million — a 5.4% increase from the same period in 2025.
Despite a 17.7% year-on-year decline in oil export volumes, non-monetary gold sales generated a significant influx of foreign currency, bolstering the trade balance.
Dynamism in the manufacturing sector
The manufacturing sector reported US$2,413 million in exports for Q1. This represents a 1.1% year-on-year decline, primarily driven by a 15.1% drop in manufactured articles. However, the sector rebounded in March with 6.9% growth, fueled by strong performances in machinery and transport equipment (+27.0%) and chemical products (+3.2%).
Exporters of electrical machinery and precision instruments saw year-on-year growth in the U.S. market. Similarly, the metal-mechanical sector trended upward, driven by the supply of steel structures and hand tools for regional infrastructure projects. This expansion into value-added segments helps hedge the economy against its historical dependency on volatile natural resource prices.
Behavior of traditional commodities
The rise in export revenue for oil and its derivatives was primarily driven by strengthening international prices. Meanwhile, coal remained a cornerstone of foreign trade, recording a 19.4% increase fueled by large-scale shipments from Caribbean ports to European markets.
Non-monetary gold was the standout performer of the quarter. Its 132.9% growth in nominal value became the primary driver of the overall export surge, as global financial uncertainty increased demand for the metal as a safe-haven asset. Income from this concept facilitated the balance of payments equilibrium at the start of the fiscal year.
Agricultural and food sectors
Exports of agricultural products, food, and beverages totaled 3,980.9 million dollars in the analyzed period, with an 8.1% year-on-year growth. Bananas led the group’s recovery with a 108.2% surge, followed by palm oil at 78.9%, together contributing nearly 10.9 percentage points to the group’s overall growth.
However, March presented an adverse outlook for the sector: agricultural exports fell by 6.8 percent compared to March 2025, dragged down by a 29.1% collapse in coffee and cocoa shipments. The president of Analdex, Javier Diaz, warned that the agricultural sector presented a major drop in March. Authorities expect that greater destination diversification will help mitigate trade risks in Q2 2026.
Main destinations and trade balance
The United States remained Colombia’s primary export destination, accounting for 29.9% of total quarterly exports and 27.4% of sales in March. Panama, India, Italy, Canada, Brazil, and the Netherlands complete the list of destinations for Colombian products. Notably, exports to India surged 290.5% in March, while shipments to China fell 49.3%, due to a complete halt in Colombian crude oil purchases.
The national government projects an optimistic half-year close if logistic conditions in Pacific ports maintain their current pace. Investments in the technical modernization of industrial processes suggest that the manufacturing component will gain ground against commodities in future reports. The National Administrative Department of Statistics in Colombia (DANE) will continue statistical supervision to speed up the publication of data from free trade zones and goods with a high technological component.