Chilean exports totaled US$ 10,584 million in September, according to La Tercera, citing short-term economic indicators from the Banco Central (Chile's central bank). The figure is above August's US$ 9,499 million and 14% higher than in September 2025.
From January to September, shipments add up to US$ 93,837 million, an increase of 18.5% over the same period last year. At the current pace, the US$ 100,000 million mark would be crossed in October. For all of 2025, exports reached a record US$ 107,000 million.
Mining accounts for most of the growth. Mining shipments totaled US$ 58,873 million over nine months, 25.7% more than a year earlier. Copper alone contributed US$ 49,247 million, up 18.7%. That is 52.5% of everything Chile sells abroad, almost the same share as in 2025.
The most striking figure is in non-copper mining. Those shipments rose from US$ 5,348 million to US$ 9,627 million, a jump of 80%. The source does not specify which products account for the increase.
In September, copper exports reached US$ 5,971 million, 14% more than a year ago and 29.1% above August.
Industrial exports, which include goods processed in the country, totaled US$ 28,512 million year to date, 11.1% more than in 2025. In September they were the fastest-growing category, rising 19% year on year to US$ 3,280 million.
The agriculture, forestry and fishing sector is the only one down for the year. Its shipments totaled US$ 6,452 million, a drop of 2.9%, although in September they grew 8.9% to US$ 561 million.
Imports also rose, but at a slower pace. Measured at FOB value (the price of goods loaded onto the ship, excluding freight and insurance), they reached US$ 68,116 million through September, an increase of 6.5%. In September alone they totaled US$ 8,537 million, 13.5% more. The source does not break down the trend in purchases of capital goods, such as machinery and equipment.
Think of the trade balance as a household budget: what comes in from sales minus what goes out for purchases. Between January and September 2026, Chile posted a surplus of US$ 25,721 million, 69.1% more than the US$ 15,208 million in the same period of 2025. According to calculations by Pulso, La Tercera's business section, using the Banco Central series, it is the largest for those nine months since at least 2003.
The October figure will show whether exports pass US$ 100,000 million and whether the year is heading for a new record above 2025's US$ 107,000 million.
