Argentine Republic
South America · the eighth-largest country in the world by area
- Capital
- Buenos Aires
- Largest city
- Buenos Aires
- Language
- Spanish
- Demonym
- Argentine
- Government
- Federal presidential republic
- President
- Javier Milei
- Currency
- Argentine peso (ARS · $)
- Area
- 2,780,400 km² (CIA World Factbook)
- WTO member
- Yes — since 1 January 1995
- Trade bloc
- Mercosur (founding member)
Argentina's Geography & People
Argentina occupies most of the southern half of South America, from the subtropical north to Patagonia, and is the eighth-largest country in the world by area.
Buenos Aires is the capital. Buenos Aires province and Santa Fe province are the largest exporting provinces; Santa Fe alone shipped $10.98B of agricultural manufactures in January–August 2026 (INDEC).
Argentina's Economy
Soybean meal, soybean oil, corn, wheat and beef are among Argentina's main exports.
Energy is the fastest-growing export: crude oil, mostly from Neuquén province in Patagonia, is now its single largest export product. Exports of lithium carbonate and gold are also rising (INDEC).
Argentina's Trade Policy
Argentina is a founding member of Mercosur, alongside Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, and has been a WTO member since 1995.
Trade with India runs under the Mercosur–India Preferential Trade Agreement, in force since 2009.
Argentina's Trade Position
Argentina has run a goods trade surplus every month for nearly three years (INDEC). In January–August 2026 the surplus more than tripled, as exports rose on higher volumes and prices while imports fell.
Brazil and China are its largest trading partners; it runs its biggest deficit with China and large surpluses with India and Southeast Asia.
Argentina's Top Trading Partners
Goods · Jan–Aug 2026 · INDEC| # | Partner | Total Trade | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇧🇷 Brazil | $19,208M | 16.5% |
| 2 | 🇨🇳 China | $17,385M | 15.0% |
| 3 | 🇺🇸 United States | $11,221M | 9.7% |
Exports plus imports. INDEC publishes both directions for these three; for other partners only one direction is published, so the ranking stops at three. China includes Hong Kong and Macao, as defined by INDEC. Source: INDEC, Intercambio comercial argentino, August 2026.
Argentina runs a large surplus with India
Argentina's goods surplus with India reached $3,497M in January–August 2026, one of its largest with any partner (INDEC). India buys mostly vegetable oils. Check trade obstacles for your product →
Other Country Profiles
Import Summary
Argentina's Top Import Sources
Goods, CIF · Jan–Aug 2026 · INDECLATEST| # | Country | Imports | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇨🇳 China | $11,230M | |
| 2 | 🇧🇷 Brazil | $10,630M | |
| 3 | 🇺🇸 United States | $4,530M | |
| 4 | 🇵🇾 Paraguay | $3,296M | |
| 5 | 🇩🇪 Germany | $2,053M |
Imports from China fell 0.4% year on year; China includes Hong Kong and Macao, as defined by INDEC. Source: INDEC, August 2026.
Argentina's Top Imported Products
Jan–Aug 2026 · INDEC economic usesLATEST| # | Product | Imports | Share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Intermediate goods | $16,949M | 34.6% | ▲ 4.6% |
| 2 | Capital goods | $9,277M | 18.9% | ▼ 5.9% |
| 3 | Parts & accessories for capital goods | $8,387M | 17.1% | ▼ 19.2% |
| 4 | Consumer goods | $7,193M | 14.7% | ▼ 0.4% |
| 5 | Passenger vehicles | $3,469M | 7.1% | ▼ 1.4% |
| 6 | Fuels & lubricants | $2,833M | 5.8% | ▲ 10.1% |
| 7 | Other (incl. courier shipments) | $892M | 1.8% | ▲ 65.4% |
INDEC's complete breakdown of imports by economic use. The largest single products were soybeans for crushing (5.6% of imports), passenger cars (2.0%) and immunological products (1.9%). Change versus January–August 2025.
Argentina's Import Trend
Goods, CIF · US$| Period | Goods Imports | Change vs a year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Aug 2026 | $48,999M | ▼ 2.6% |
| 2025 (full year) | $75,791M | — |
Source: INDEC, Intercambio comercial argentino, August 2026 (Table 1). Next release: 19 October 2026.
What Argentina buys from India
Argentina imported $779M of goods from India in January–August 2026, $193M less than a year earlier (INDEC). Recent purchases include steel pipes for oil and gas pipelines, sulphuric acid, pharmaceutical ingredients and motorcycles. Indian goods get tariff preferences on about 450 tariff lines under the Mercosur–India agreement. Check import duty for your product →
Export Summary
Argentina's Top Export Markets
Goods, FOB · Jan–Aug 2026 · INDECLATEST| # | Country | Exports | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇧🇷 Brazil | $8,578M | |
| 2 | 🇺🇸 United States | $6,691M | |
| 3 | 🇨🇳 China | $6,155M | |
| 4 | 🇨🇱 Chile | $4,289M | |
| 5 | 🇮🇳 India | $4,276M |
Exports to the United States rose 34.5%, to China 17.8% and to India 25.5%. INDEC does not publish values for further individual destinations in the report, so the ranking stops at five. Source: INDEC, August 2026.
Argentina's Top Exported Products
Jan–Aug 2026 · INDEC main export categoriesLATEST| # | Product | Exports | Share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Agricultural manufactures (soybean meal & oil, beef, etc.) | $22,206M | 33.0% | ▲ 13.9% |
| 2 | Industrial manufactures (vehicles, chemicals, gold, etc.) | $17,894M | 26.6% | ▲ 23.9% |
| 3 | Primary products (corn, wheat, soybeans, etc.) | $16,480M | 24.5% | ▲ 15.3% |
| 4 | Fuels & energy | $10,667M | 15.9% | ▲ 48.9% |
INDEC's four main export categories, which together make up all exports. Change versus January–August 2025.
Argentina's Export Trend
Goods, FOB · US$| Period | Goods Exports | Change vs a year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Aug 2026 | $67,248M | ▲ 21.4% |
| 2025 (full year) | $87,111M | — |
Source: INDEC, Intercambio comercial argentino, August 2026 (Table 1). Next release: 19 October 2026.
Argentina's Leading Export Products
Jan–Aug 2026 · INDEC| Product | Exports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Crude petroleum oil | $6,625M | ▲ 54.7% |
| Soybean meal & pellets | $5,965M | ▲ 4.8% |
| Crude soybean oil | $4,453M | ▲ 6.9% |
| Goods vehicles (pickups, trucks) | $3,763M | ▲ 21.5% |
| Soybeans | $1,269M | ▼ 42.3% |
Individual products with published January–August values. Corn is also a top export, at 9.0% of the total, but INDEC gives only its share. Sources: INDEC, August 2026 (special sections on fuels, soybeans and the automotive sector).
India buys Argentina's vegetable oils
In August 2026, 94.8% of Argentina's exports to India were crude soybean oil and crude sunflower oil (INDEC). Check trade obstacles →