Uruguay exports to EU rise 3.5% to $1.86 bln in 2025, Uruguay XXI says

Uruguay exported $1.856 billion worth of goods to the European Union in 2025, up 3.5% from the previous year, with the bloc accounting for 13.7% of the country’s total exports and ranking as Uruguay’s third-largest destination after China and Brazil, according to data released by Uruguay XXI.

The figures were disclosed in the context of the signing of the Mercosur–European Union trade agreement, which took place in Asunción, Paraguay, on Saturday, Jan. 17. Export values have remained above $1.6 billion annually since 2021, the agency said.

Uruguay posted a trade surplus of $174.3 million with the EU in 2025, as imports from the bloc totaled $1.682 billion. Over the past decade, the bilateral trade balance has remained positive, peaking at $670 million in 2018.

Exports to the EU were led by pulp and beef, which accounted for 38% and 32% of the total, respectively. The remaining 30% included products such as rice, wood, rapeseed, meat by-products and wool.

The 3.5% annual increase in shipments to the EU was driven mainly by beef exports, which rose 60% year on year in both value and volume. Pulp, the main export item to the bloc in 2025, posted a 26% decline in dollar terms. Rice exports fell 20%, wood shipments increased 4%, rapeseed exports doubled, and sales of meat by-products rose more than sixfold compared with the previous year.

The Netherlands was the main entry point for Uruguayan exports to the EU, accounting for 37% of the total, followed by Italy with 23% and Germany with 14%. Spain, Portugal and Belgium came next.

Imports from the EU in 2025 were mainly composed of machinery and equipment, which represented 22% of the total, followed by vehicles at 13%, pharmaceuticals at 12% and fuels at 6.5%. Overall import levels were broadly unchanged from 2024. Germany was the largest supplier, accounting for 21% of EU-origin imports, followed by Italy at 16%, Spain at 15% and France at 12%.

Source: Altamar News

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