Oriental Republic of Uruguay
South America · Atlantic coast, between Argentina and Brazil
- Capital
- Montevideo
- Largest city
- Montevideo
- Language
- Spanish
- Demonym
- Uruguayan
- Government
- Unitary presidential republic
- President
- Yamandú Orsi
- Currency
- Uruguayan peso (UYU · $)
- Area
- 176,215 km² (CIA World Factbook)
- WTO member
- Yes
- Trade blocs
- Mercosur (founding member); Mercosur–EU interim agreement applied since 1 May 2026
Uruguay's Geography & People
Uruguay lies on the Atlantic coast of South America between Argentina and Brazil, across the Río de la Plata from Buenos Aires.
Montevideo is the capital and main port, and a logistics hub for goods in transit to Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil.
Uruguay's Economy
Uruguay's exports are led by beef, wood pulp, dairy products, beverage concentrates and soybeans, much of it produced or shipped from free zones.
It is also a notable exporter of IT services, now its third-largest services export after travel and business services (Central Bank of Uruguay).
Uruguay's Trade Policy
Uruguay is a founding member of Mercosur. The interim trade agreement between Mercosur and the European Union has applied provisionally since 1 May 2026, cutting EU tariffs on Uruguayan beef, honey, fish, rice and citrus.
Trade with India runs under the Mercosur–India Preferential Trade Agreement.
Uruguay's Trade Position
Exports held roughly steady in January–August 2026 despite a drought that roughly halved the soybean harvest; beef, dairy and beverage concentrates grew (Uruguay XXI).
Exports from the regular customs territory grew, while exports from free zones fell.
Uruguay's Top Trading Partners
Goods · 2025 · Uruguay XXIChina is Uruguay's largest trading partner in both directions: in 2025 Uruguay exported $3,493 million of goods to China and imported $2,976 million from it, about $6.5 billion of two-way trade.
| # | Partner | Uruguay's exports to | Uruguay's imports from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇨🇳 China | $3,493M | $2,976M |
| 2 | 🇧🇷 Brazil | $1,964M | — |
| 3 | 🇪🇺 European Union (bloc) | $1,835M | — |
| 4 | 🇺🇸 United States | $1,553M | — |
| 5 | 🇦🇷 Argentina | $549M | — |
Full-year 2025 figures from Uruguay XXI's annual foreign-trade report. Exports include free-zone shipments. The annual summary gives an import value by origin only for China, so other partners show exports only; ranked by exports. Source: Uruguay XXI, Informe Anual de Comercio Exterior 2025.
Mercosur–India Preferential Trade Agreement
Uruguay trades with India under the Mercosur–India Preferential Trade Agreement, in force since 1 June 2009, which cuts tariffs on about 450 tariff lines in each direction. Check trade obstacles for your product →
Other Country Profiles
Import Summary
Uruguay's Top Import Sources
Goods · 2025 · Uruguay XXIChina was Uruguay's largest supplier in 2025, with $2,976 million of goods, about 26% of total imports of $11,460 million. Brazil, the European Union, Argentina and the United States are the other main suppliers.
| # | Product group bought from China | Imports |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Machinery and electronic equipment | $920M |
| 2 | Vehicles and parts | $572M |
| 3 | Chemical products | $364M |
What Uruguay buys from its largest supplier, 2025. A full ranking of suppliers with values was not available in the sources used. Source: Uruguay XXI, Informe Anual de Comercio Exterior 2025.
Uruguay's Top Imported Products
Goods · 2025 · Uruguay XXI| # | Product group | Imports | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Industrial supplies | $2,256M | 19.7% |
| 2 | Vehicles | $1,906M | 16.6% |
The two largest import groups in 2025; chemicals, wood, paper, rubber and plastics, and other manufactured consumer goods follow. Share is of total 2025 imports of $11,460 million. In 2026, car imports rose 31% to $433 million in January–June (Uruguay XXI), and crude oil purchases reached $146.0 million in August alone (Banco Central del Uruguay). Source: Uruguay XXI, Informe Anual de Comercio Exterior 2025.
Uruguay's Import Trend
Goods, FOB · customs territory · BCULATEST| Period | Goods Imports | Change vs a year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Aug 2026 | $8,634M | ▲ 12.8% |
| August 2026 | $1,061M | ▲ 24.3% |
Banco Central del Uruguay figures for the customs territory (excluding free zones), valued FOB. The January–August total is calculated from the bank's reported exports of $7,401.0 million and goods deficit of $1,232.7 million. August's jump was driven by crude oil purchases. Source: Banco Central del Uruguay, goods trade report, August 2026.
India is a notable source of tariff revenue
In January 2026, goods from India generated $1.7M of Uruguay's import tariff revenue, the third-highest after China and the EU, ahead of Bangladesh (UCU-INI). Check import duty for your product →
Export Summary
Uruguay's Top Export Markets
August 2026 (single month) · Uruguay XXILATEST| # | Country | Exports | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇨🇳 China | $245M | |
| 2 | 🇧🇷 Brazil | $182M | |
| 3 | 🇪🇺 European Union (bloc) | $165M | |
| 4 | 🇺🇸 United States | $125M | |
| 5 | 🇹🇷 Turkey | $53M |
Single-month figures for August 2026; Uruguay XXI does not publish a year-to-date ranking by destination in its monthly report. Exports to China fell 46% on lower soybean sales, while those to Brazil rose 30% and to the US 15%.
Uruguay's Top Exported Products
Jan–Aug 2026 · Uruguay XXILATEST| # | Product | Exports | Share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beef | $1,790M | 20.0% | — |
| 2 | Wood pulp (cellulose) | $1,535M | 17.2% | ▼ 2.0% |
| 3 | Dairy products | $575M | 6.4% | — |
| 4 | Beverage concentrates | $555M | 6.2% | — |
| 5 | Soybeans | $543M | 6.1% | ▼ 46.0% |
The five leading export products. Values are the January–July totals in Uruguay XXI's July report plus the August figures in its August report. Beef, dairy and beverage concentrates grew year to date; exact rates were not published.
Uruguay's Export Trend
Goods incl. free zones · US$| Period | Goods Exports | Change vs a year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Aug 2026 | $8,939M | ▼ 0.6% |
| Jan–Aug 2025 | $8,994M | ▲ 5.3% |
| Jan–Aug 2024 | $8,540M | — |
Uruguay XXI reports the 2026 change as −1% (rounded). The 2025 change is calculated from Uruguay XXI's published totals for each year.
Uruguay's Exports by Customs Regime
Jan–Aug 2026 · Uruguay XXI| Regime | Exports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Customs territory | $6,290M | ▲ 4.0% |
| Free zones (pulp, beverage concentrates, pharmaceuticals, Nueva Palmira grains) | $2,648M | ▼ 10.0% |
Uruguay reports exports from its free zones separately; they account for about 30% of goods exports. Source: Uruguay XXI, August 2026.
India is not among Uruguay's top export markets
India does not appear among Uruguay's five largest export destinations in 2026 (Uruguay XXI). Its main buyers are China, Brazil, the EU, the United States and Turkey. Check trade obstacles →