2026.02.0518:38:32UTC+00Brazil Trade Surplus Jumps on Sharp Import Drop

Brazil reported a trade surplus of USD 4.34 billion in January 2026, marking an 85.8% increase compared to the previous year. This significant rise was primarily fueled by a substantial decrease in imports. Imports dropped by 9.8% to USD 20.8 billion, with the most notable decline seen in the extractive industry, which fell by 30.2%. Agricultural and livestock imports also saw a decline of 28.7%, and imports from the transformation industry decreased by 8.2%. The decrease in imports was reflected across several major trade partners, including Argentina (-13.6%), the United States (-10.9%), China (-4.9%), and the European Union (-11.5%).

Conversely, exports fell slightly by 1%, totaling USD 25.1 billion. There was a 3.4% decline in extractive industry sales and a 0.5% dip in transformation industry exports. However, these declines were partially offset by a 2.1% increase in agricultural exports. Among the exports, there was a significant decline in sales to Argentina (-24.5%), the United States (-25.5%), and the European Union (-6.2%), while exports to China notably increased by 17.4%.