Republic of Chile
South America · Pacific coast, from the Atacama Desert to Patagonia
- Capital
- Santiago
- Largest city
- Santiago
- Language
- Spanish
- Demonym
- Chilean
- Government
- Unitary presidential republic
- President
- José Antonio Kast (since 11 March 2026)
- Currency
- Chilean peso (CLP · $)
- Area
- 756,102 km² (excluding Antarctic claim)
- WTO member
- Yes — since 1995
- Trade agreements
- Extensive network incl. China, US, EU, CPTPP, Pacific Alliance and India (preferential agreement)
Chile's Geography & People
Chile stretches along the Pacific coast of South America, from the Atacama Desert in the north to Patagonia in the south, and borders Peru, Bolivia and Argentina.
Santiago is the capital and largest city; Valparaíso, San Antonio and Antofagasta are major ports.
Chile's Economy
Chile is the world's largest copper producer, and copper made up more than half of its goods exports in 2026. It is also a leading exporter of lithium, fresh fruit, salmon, wine and wood pulp.
State copper company Codelco has abandoned its 2026 production targets after operational problems at its mines.
Chile's Trade Policy
Chile is one of the world's most open economies. It has trade agreements with China, the United States, the European Union and many others, and is a member of the CPTPP and the Pacific Alliance.
Almost all of Chile's goods exports go to economies it has trade agreements with (see the Exports tab).
Chile's Trade Position
Exports passed $80 billion for January–August for the first time in 2026, with records for both mining and non-mining exports (Subrei).
Most of the growth, 62%, came from markets other than China and the United States, led by India, Japan and South Korea.
Chile's Top Trading Partners
Goods · Jan–Jun 2026 · SubreiChina is Chile's largest trading partner, with $32.8 billion of two-way goods trade in January–June 2026, 30.8% of the total. The United States follows with $18.9 billion. Trade with India grew fastest among major partners, up 69.4%.
| # | Partner | Total trade | Share | Change vs a year earlier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇨🇳 China | $32,794M | 30.8% | ▲ 5.6% |
| 2 | 🇺🇸 United States | $18,883M | 17.7% | ▲ 5.6% |
| 3 | 🇧🇷 Brazil | $6,377M | 6.0% | ▲ 8.6% |
| 4 | 🇯🇵 Japan | $6,092M | 5.7% | ▲ 11.3% |
| 5 | 🇦🇷 Argentina | $4,417M | 4.1% | ▲ 8.2% |
| 6 | 🇰🇷 South Korea | $4,050M | 3.8% | ▲ 22.7% |
| 7 | 🇮🇳 India | $3,533M | 3.3% | ▲ 69.4% |
| 8 | 🇵🇪 Peru | $2,020M | 1.9% | ▲ 8.5% |
Exports plus imports of goods with individual economies; share is of Chile's total goods trade of $106,498 million. As a bloc, the European Union ($11,566M, 10.9%) would rank third. Source: Subrei, Perspectivas del Comercio Exterior de Chile, enero–junio 2026 (August 2026), based on Central Bank of Chile data.
India is one of Chile's fastest-growing markets
India's purchases of Chilean goods more than doubled in January–August 2026 (Subrei). Trade runs under the India–Chile Preferential Trade Agreement, in force since 2007 and expanded in 2017; the two countries are negotiating a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, aiming to conclude it by the end of 2026. Check trade obstacles for your product →
Other Country Profiles
Import Summary
Chile's Top Import Sources
Goods · Jan–Jun 2026 · SubreiChina supplied $12.3 billion of Chile's goods imports in January–June 2026, 26.7% of the total, followed by the United States at $8.8 billion. Imports from Brazil and Argentina, which lead Mercosur's supply of intermediate goods to Chile, rose 12.8% and 8.5%.
| # | Country | Imports | Share | Change vs a year earlier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇨🇳 China | $12,305M | 26.7% | ▲ 2.2% |
| 2 | 🇺🇸 United States | $8,829M | 19.1% | ▲ 3.3% |
| 3 | 🇧🇷 Brazil | $3,915M | 8.5% | ▲ 12.8% |
| 4 | 🇦🇷 Argentina | $3,864M | 8.4% | ▲ 8.5% |
| 5 | 🇵🇪 Peru | $1,126M | 2.4% | ▲ 1.9% |
| 6 | 🇯🇵 Japan | $1,072M | 2.3% | ▲ 8.8% |
| 7 | 🇰🇷 South Korea | $780M | 1.7% | ▼ 3.2% |
| 8 | 🇲🇽 Mexico | $756M | 1.6% | ▼ 5.2% |
| 9 | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | $749M | 1.6% | ▼ 4.5% |
| 10 | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | $692M | 1.5% | ▲ 83.1% |
Imports valued CIF; share is of total goods imports of $46,144 million. As a bloc, the European Union ($5,758M, 12.5%) would rank third. India supplied $661M (1.4%), down 7.1%. Source: Subrei, Perspectivas del Comercio Exterior de Chile, enero–junio 2026 (August 2026), based on Central Bank of Chile data.
Chile's Top Imported Products
Goods · Jan–Jun 2026 · Subrei| # | Type of good | Imports | Share | Change vs a year earlier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Intermediate goods (incl. fuels) | $24,041M | 52.1% | ▲ 5.6% |
| 2 | Consumer goods | $12,518M | 27.1% | ▲ 2.4% |
| 3 | Capital goods | $9,585M | 20.8% | ▲ 2.3% |
Chile's Central Bank classifies imports by use rather than by product line. China supplied 37.6% of consumer goods and 29.2% of capital goods; Mercosur countries supplied 24.3% of intermediate goods. In August 2026 alone, intermediate and consumer goods imports rose 20.5% and 16.5% while capital goods fell 6.3% (Central Bank of Chile). Source: Subrei, Perspectivas del Comercio Exterior de Chile, enero–junio 2026 (August 2026), based on Central Bank of Chile data.
Chile's Import Trend
Goods · US$| Period | Goods Imports | Change vs a year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Aug 2026 | $63,944M | ▲ 5.4% |
Source: Subrei, Informe Mensual de Comercio Exterior, January–August 2026, based on Central Bank of Chile and Customs data.
Low tariffs for Indian goods
Chile's simple average applied tariff was just 1.03% in 2023, with a maximum of 6% (World Bank WITS). Indian goods get further preferences under the India–Chile Preferential Trade Agreement. Check import duty for your product →
Export Summary
Chile's Top Export Markets
Goods · Jan–Aug 2026 · SubreiLATEST| # | Country | Exports | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇨🇳 China | $27,997M | |
| 2 | 🇺🇸 United States | $13,971M |
Both reached their highest levels in at least two decades. India follows with $4,254M, more than double a year earlier. Exports to Japan rose 22.5% and to South Korea 39.1%; Subrei's summary does not give their values, so the ranking stops at two. Source: Subrei.
Chile's Top Exported Products
Jan–Aug 2026 · Subrei sectorsLATEST| # | Product | Exports | Share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Copper | $43,275M | 52.0% | ▲ 19.3% |
| 2 | Food industry (incl. salmon, frozen raspberries, fish oil, beef) | $9,457M | 11.4% | ▲ 3.6% |
| 3 | Fresh fruit | $5,262M | 6.3% | ▼ 5.1% |
| 4 | Lithium | $4,332M | 5.2% | ▲ 186.7% |
| 5 | Forestry manufactures (incl. wood pulp) | $3,653M | 4.4% | ▼ 10.2% |
| 6 | Metal products, machinery & equipment | $1,964M | 2.4% | ▲ 15.2% |
Product and sector groups as reported by Subrei; they do not overlap. Lithium exports nearly tripled, from $1,511M a year earlier, with carbonate making up 74%. Change versus January–August 2025. Source: Subrei, January–August 2026.
Chile's Export Trend
Goods · US$| Period | Goods Exports | Change vs a year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Aug 2026 | $83,252M | ▲ 19.1% |
| Jan–Aug 2025 | $69,884M | — |
The January–August 2025 value is the 2026 total less the reported increase of $13,368M. Source: Subrei, based on Central Bank of Chile data.
Chile's Exports by Trade Bloc
Jan–Aug 2026 · Subrei| Bloc | Share of goods exports |
|---|---|
| CPTPP | 14.96% |
| European Union | 10.23% |
| Mercosur | 4.9% |
| Pacific Alliance | 3.2% |
Chile tracks exports by agreement bloc; 97.1% of its goods exports go to economies with which it has trade agreements. Source: Subrei.
What India buys from Chile
India's purchases of Chilean goods are led by copper, gold, iodine, walnuts, fresh apples, seeds and lithium hydroxide (Subrei). Check trade obstacles →