MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina records 21st straight trade surplus

Imports grew at a faster pace than exports, so if the trend persists, a negative balance would be on the radar

Argentina's trade surplus last month was US$1.402 billion, which was way higher than expectations. According to the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (Indec), this marks the 21st consecutive month of a trade surplus for the country.

“In August, the trade balance showed a surplus of USD 1.402 billion, which represented a reduction of USD 473 million compared to the same month in 2024,” Indec said.

This achievement was driven by exports, which grew by 16.4% year-on-year to US$7.865 billion. Imports also increased, climbing 32.4% to US$6.463 billion, reflecting the government's trade liberalization policies. Analysts consulted by Reuters had projected a surplus of US$800 million for the eighth month of the year.

While the surplus was a 25.2% decrease compared to August 2024, it also represented a 54.5% increase from the previous month's US$907 million. The energy sector, particularly from the Vaca Muerta formation, contributed nearly US$750 million to these results.

In the first two-thirds of 2025, Argentina accumulated a trade surplus of US$5.071 billion, with exports worth US$55.367 billion and imports worth US$50.296 billion. Last year, Argentina recorded a trade surplus of US$18.928 billion, after a US$6.925 billion deficit in 2023.

Despite these figures, imports grew at a faster pace than exports. Hence, if the trend persists, a negative balance is on the radar.