01Key Takeaways
- Uruguay exported $9.19 billion worth of goods in 2023, down 17.8% from $11.18 billion in 2022, a sharp pullback and the most recent year with verified trade data available in this dataset.
- Meat and edible meat offal led every export category at 25.3% ($2.33 billion), by far the largest single category on this list.
- Brazil was Uruguay's largest export partner, taking 20.5% of exports, worth $1.88 billion.
- The top three export partners together accounted for 52.7% of total export value.
025-Year Trend
| Year | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $7.7B | $6.9B | $9.5B | $11.2B | $9.2B |
03Top Export Markets (2023)
| Rank | Partner | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brazil | $1.9B | 20.5% |
| 2 | China | $1.5B | 16.8% |
| 3 | Free Zones | $1.4B | 15.4% |
| 4 | United States | $746.9M | 8.1% |
| 5 | Argentina | $462.5M | 5.0% |
| 6 | Turkey | $259.8M | 2.8% |
| 7 | Chile | $244.5M | 2.7% |
| 8 | Netherlands | $213.6M | 2.3% |
| 9 | Mexico | $165.7M | 1.8% |
| 10 | Paraguay | $121.0M | 1.3% |
04Top Export Categories (2023)
| Rank | Category | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meat and Edible Meat Offal | $2.3B | 25.3% |
| 2 | Wood and Articles of Wood; Wood Charcoal | $1.2B | 12.9% |
| 3 | Cereals | $910.9M | 9.9% |
| 4 | Dairy Produce; Birds' Eggs; Natural Honey; Edible Products of Animal Origin, not elsewhere specified or included | $823.3M | 9.0% |
| 5 | Oil Seeds and Oleaginous Fruits; Miscellaneous Grains, Seeds and Fruit; Industrial or Medicinal Plants; Straw and Fodder | $627.4M | 6.8% |
| 6 | Vehicles other than Railway or Tramway Rolling-Stock, and parts and accessories thereof | $403.5M | 4.4% |
| 7 | Animal or Vegetable Fats and Oils and their Cleavage Products; Prepared Edible Fats; Animal or Vegetable Waxes | $348.2M | 3.8% |
| 8 | Products of the Milling Industry; Malt; Starches; Inulin; Wheat Gluten | $344.5M | 3.7% |
| 9 | Plastics and Articles thereof | $315.6M | 3.4% |
| 10 | Live Animals | $240.9M | 2.6% |
05Trade Partner Map
06Analysis
Export Value Fell Sharply in 2023 After a Two-Year Climb to a Peak
Uruguay exported $9.19 billion worth of goods in 2023, down 17.8% from $11.18 billion in 2022. This is the most recent year with verified trade data available in this dataset. The dataset covers a full five years, from 2019 through 2023, tracking this South American agricultural exporter.
Export value stood at $7.68 billion in 2019. It fell to $6.86 billion in 2020, the low point of this five-year window, before climbing sharply for two consecutive years. Export value reached $9.54 billion in 2021 and $11.18 billion in 2022, the high point of this five-year window, before falling back to $9.19 billion in 2023.
This dataset does not explain the 2020 dip or the sharp two-year climb that followed. Weaker demand and lower prices from China have weighed on Uruguay's beef export revenue, a market long dominated by Chinese buyers, a pattern that lines up with the sharp pullback in total export value recorded in 2023. A decline of 17.8% marks the steepest single-year drop across this entire five-year window. Export value nonetheless remains above every year in this window before 2021, even after this sharp pullback. The shape of this five-year window traces an early dip, a sharp two-year climb, and now a sharp reversal.
Meat and Wood Lead a Diversified Agricultural Export List
Meat and edible meat offal led every export category in 2023, worth $2.33 billion, or 25.3% of the total, by far the largest single category on this list. Wood and articles of wood ranked second at 12.9%, worth $1.19 billion. Cereals followed at 9.9%, worth $910.95 million. These first three categories together account for well over four in ten dollars of total export value, underscoring how heavily this list leans on livestock and grain agriculture.
Dairy produce added 9.0%, worth $823.34 million, and oil seeds and oleaginous fruits contributed 6.8%, worth $627.44 million. Vehicles added a further 4.4%, worth $403.53 million. These middle-ranked categories add a modest manufacturing and processed-goods component to a list otherwise dominated by raw agricultural output.
Animal, vegetable and microbial fats and oils contributed 3.8% ($348.22 million), and products of the milling industry added 3.7% ($344.54 million). Plastics contributed 3.4%, worth $315.61 million. Live animals closed out the top ten at 2.6%, worth $240.94 million, the smallest share among all ten categories on this list. A long tail of agricultural and industrial goods fills out the rest of this list, all trailing meat by a wide margin. These ten categories together span livestock, grains, dairy and light manufacturing, reflecting an economy still anchored in agricultural commodity exports.
Brazil, China and a Free-Zone Hub Lead a Concentrated Partner List
Brazil was Uruguay's largest export partner in 2023, taking 20.5% of exports, worth $1.88 billion. China ranked second at 16.8%, worth $1.55 billion. A grouping recorded in trade statistics as "Free Zones," a classification covering shipments to duty-free trading and logistics areas rather than a single specific country, ranked third at 15.4%, worth $1.41 billion. Together, these top three entries accounted for 52.7% of total export value, a notably concentrated grouping. That level of concentration is common among smaller export economies where a handful of destinations dominate total trade.
United States contributed 8.1% ($746.92 million), and Argentina added 5.0% ($462.51 million), a smaller share than the neighboring relationship might otherwise suggest. Turkey followed at 2.8%, worth $259.84 million, a notable presence given the geographic distance between the two countries.
Chile contributed a further 2.7% ($244.47 million), rounding out the neighboring South American presence on this list. Netherlands added 2.3%, worth $213.61 million, and Mexico contributed 1.8% ($165.73 million). Paraguay closed out the top ten at 1.3%, worth $121.05 million, the smallest share among the ten identifiable partners listed here. This list is dominated by neighboring South American economies alongside China and a regional free-zone logistics hub. Ranks four through ten here are packed within roughly seven percentage points of each other, a far tighter cluster than the wide gaps separating the top three.
Taken together, this dataset's most recent confirmed year describes an export profile anchored in meat, wood and cereals, pulling back sharply after a two-year climb to a 2022 peak. That profile is sourced from a partner base led by neighboring Brazil, China and a free-zone trading hub, a notably concentrated grouping among the identifiable destinations.