Trade Balance
Trade Balance is the difference between a country's exports and imports of goods, based on customs data. A positive balance (surplus) means exports exceed imports, while a negative balance (deficit) means imports are greater than exports. This measure covers goods only — it excludes services — and is used to calculate the merchandise trade balance. Part of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Latin Macro Watch, the indicator gives researchers, policymakers and journalists a consistent view of merchandise trade dynamics across Latin America and the Caribbean.
Coverage
The series covers 22 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean at annual, monthly and quarterly frequency over the period 1990–2026. Values are reported in millions of USD and as a share of GDP (% of GDP), with month-on-month (MoM %), quarter-on-quarter (QoQ %) and year-on-year (YoY %) transformations.
Sources
Data are compiled by the IDB from national statistical offices and central banks, including the Banco Central de Chile, the Banco de Mexico (Banxico), the Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística (DANE) - Colombia and INDEC - Argentina. See the resource notes for the complete list of source agencies by country.
Metadata & use
| Format | CSV |
|---|---|
| Language | en |
| Country |
Argentina
Bahamas
Trinidad & Tobago
Belize
Costa Rica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Bolivia
Brazil
Chile
Colombia
El Salvador
Jamaica
Mexico
Nicaragua
Guatemala
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Panama
Uruguay
Venezuela
Barbados
Paraguay
Peru
Suriname
|
| Data notes |
What does the Trade Balance indicator measure?It measures the difference between a country's exports and imports of goods, based on customs data. A surplus means exports exceed imports; a deficit means the opposite. Does it include services?No. This measure covers goods only and excludes services; it is used to calculate the merchandise trade balance. How many countries and what period does it cover?It covers 22 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean at annual, monthly and quarterly frequency over 1990–2026. What units and transformations are available?Values are reported in millions of USD and as a share of GDP, with month-on-month (MoM %), quarter-on-quarter (QoQ %) and year-on-year (YoY %) changes. Where does the data come from?The IDB compiles the series from national statistical offices and central banks, including the Banco Central de Chile, the Banco de Mexico (Banxico), DANE - Colombia and INDEC - Argentina. What is the Trade Balance used for?It is used to assess external competitiveness, monitor merchandise trade flows and inform analysis of a country's external sector and current account. How do I cite this indicator?Cite as: Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Latin Macro Watch — "Trade Balance." data.iadb.org/dataset/latin-macro-watch-dataset. |