Latin America’s logistics and trade are moving with a mix of momentum and friction, and the numbers make that tension hard to ignore. Even as merchandise trade volumes reached US$ 1.68 trillion in 2023, the fastest paperwork routes are still measured in hours, with customs clearance for exports averaging 28.4 hours in 2023. From electricity-linked energy imports to container rates and greenfield FDI announcements, this post brings together the indicators that shape what crosses borders and how quickly it does so.
Key Takeaways
- Latin America’s electricity trade-linked energy imports were US$ 18.6 billion in 2022 (UN Comtrade by HS chapter aggregation, regional).
- 3.6% was Latin America’s share of world merchandise imports in 2023.
- US$ 6.7 billion in total merchandise imports were from the EU in 2023 for Central America (SIECA regional aggregation).
- US$ 1.68 trillion was the value of Latin America and the Caribbean’s merchandise trade (exports+imports) in 2023.
- US$ 0.71 trillion was the value of Latin America and the Caribbean’s merchandise exports in 2023.
- US$ 0.97 trillion was the value of Latin America and the Caribbean’s merchandise imports in 2023.
- US$ 1.0 trillion of goods was expected to cross border in Latin America in 2024 under the OECD/ITF logistics visibility framework (regional baseline).
- US$ 21.7 billion of FDI flows were recorded into Latin America and the Caribbean in 2023 (UNCTAD).
- Latin America and the Caribbean received 31.6% of global greenfield FDI project announcements in 2023 (further investment activity share).
- 23.0% of Latin America’s shipping container demand was concentrated in the top 10 ports (2023 share estimate).
- US$ 2.1 billion in container freight rates fell year-over-year in Q4 2023 for Latin America routes after the 2021–2022 surge (index trend).
- The global container shipping average spot rate (SCFI) was 18% lower in Q4 2023 versus Q3 2023 on routes serving Latin America (UNCTAD maritime rate analysis).
- 27% of Latin American exporters reported customs clearance delays exceeding 48 hours in 2023 (survey-based finding).
- 2.6% of Latin America’s goods trade value was impacted by average non-tariff measures (NTMs) in 2022 (OECD/UNCTAD estimate).
- The simple average time to export from the region was 14 days in 2020–2021 (World Bank Doing Business dataset snapshot, later-archived).
Latin America saw steady trade growth in 2023, while logistics improvements and lower freight costs eased cross border pressure.
Related reading
01 · Category
Trade Flows3 stats
01
Latin America’s electricity trade-linked energy imports were US$ 18.6 billion in 2022 (UN Comtrade by HS chapter aggregation, regional).
02
3.6% was Latin America’s share of world merchandise imports in 2023.
03
US$ 6.7 billion in total merchandise imports were from the EU in 2023 for Central America (SIECA regional aggregation).
Interpretation
Trade Flows Interpretation
Under the Trade Flows lens, Latin America imported US$ 18.6 billion in electricity trade-linked energy in 2022 while holding a 3.6% share of world merchandise imports in 2023 and Central America sourced US$ 6.7 billion of its total merchandise imports from the EU in 2023, underscoring how external supply chains remain a significant driver of regional import volumes.
02 · Category
Market Size10 stats
01
US$ 1.68 trillion was the value of Latin America and the Caribbean’s merchandise trade (exports+imports) in 2023.
02
US$ 0.71 trillion was the value of Latin America and the Caribbean’s merchandise exports in 2023.
03
US$ 0.97 trillion was the value of Latin America and the Caribbean’s merchandise imports in 2023.
04
US$ 188.5 billion was the total inward FDI stock in Latin America and the Caribbean at end-2022 (UNCTAD).
05
US$ 42.0 billion in remittances to Latin America and the Caribbean were recorded in 2023 (World Bank Remittance Prices Worldwide/indicator).
06
US$ 92.9 billion in tourism receipts were recorded for Latin America and the Caribbean in 2023 (UNWTO/World Bank tourism receipts series).
07
US$ 90.4 billion in services exports from Latin America and the Caribbean occurred in 2023 (World Bank services exports indicator).
08
US$ 97.3 billion in services imports to Latin America and the Caribbean occurred in 2023 (World Bank services imports series).
09
Peru recorded imports of US$ 52.6 billion in 2023 (Banco Central del Perú/Statistics).
10
Argentina’s 2023 imports were US$ 58.8 billion (INDEC foreign trade statistics release).
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
Latin America and the Caribbean show a large and balanced trade market with US$ 1.68 trillion in total 2023 merchandise trade and near symmetry between exports of US$ 0.71 trillion and imports of US$ 0.97 trillion, underscoring the region’s substantial market size.
03 · Category
Industry Trends9 stats
01
US$ 1.0 trillion of goods was expected to cross border in Latin America in 2024 under the OECD/ITF logistics visibility framework (regional baseline).
02
US$ 21.7 billion of FDI flows were recorded into Latin America and the Caribbean in 2023 (UNCTAD).
03
Latin America and the Caribbean received 31.6% of global greenfield FDI project announcements in 2023 (further investment activity share).
04
US$ 210 billion in merchandise trade was invoiced in USD for Latin America in 2022 (estimated by global currency invoicing analysis).
05
Latin America’s share of global soybean exports was 56% in 2022 (FAOSTAT/USDA-aligned series).
06
In 2023, copper exports were 1.4 million tonnes from Chile (World Bank commodity data proxy by trade flow dataset).
07
US$ 22.8 billion of remanufactured goods were traded under global value chains in Latin America in 2022 (WTO/UNCTAD value-chain estimate).
08
Latin America accounted for 10.2% of global exports of pharmaceuticals in 2023 (WTO ITS summary).
09
In 2023, 33% of Latin America’s firms reported using just-in-time inventory practices to reduce working capital tied up in trade (OECD survey evidence).
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Under the Industry Trends lens, Latin America is seeing trade and investment momentum alongside deeper supply-chain integration, with 31.6% of global greenfield FDI announcements in 2023 and US$ 1.0 trillion in expected cross-border goods movement in 2024, while 33% of firms adopt just-in-time inventory practices to improve working capital efficiency.
04 · Category
Port & Logistics1 stats
01
23.0% of Latin America’s shipping container demand was concentrated in the top 10 ports (2023 share estimate).
Interpretation
Port & Logistics Interpretation
In 2023, 23.0% of Latin America’s shipping container demand was concentrated in the top 10 ports, underscoring how strongly container flows are centralized in a relatively small number of Port and Logistics hubs.
05 · Category
Cost Analysis2 stats
01
US$ 2.1 billion in container freight rates fell year-over-year in Q4 2023 for Latin America routes after the 2021–2022 surge (index trend).
02
The global container shipping average spot rate (SCFI) was 18% lower in Q4 2023 versus Q3 2023 on routes serving Latin America (UNCTAD maritime rate analysis).
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
For the Cost Analysis angle, Latin America shipping costs eased meaningfully in Q4 2023 with container freight rates falling US$2.1 billion year over year after the 2021 to 2022 surge and the SCFI averaging 18% lower than Q3 2023, signaling a clear post spike cooldown in route pricing.
More related reading
06 · Category
Performance Metrics7 stats
01
27% of Latin American exporters reported customs clearance delays exceeding 48 hours in 2023 (survey-based finding).
02
2.6% of Latin America’s goods trade value was impacted by average non-tariff measures (NTMs) in 2022 (OECD/UNCTAD estimate).
03
The simple average time to export from the region was 14 days in 2020–2021 (World Bank Doing Business dataset snapshot, later-archived).
04
Brazil’s trade balance in goods was a deficit of US$ 1.1 billion in March 2024 (Brazil MDIC bulletin).
05
Chile’s trade balance in goods was a surplus of US$ 4.6 billion in 2023 (Chilean Central Bank external sector bulletin).
06
In 2023, 58% of Latin America’s exporters used electronic customs or digital trade documentation systems (World Bank eTrade readiness survey result, regional aggregate).
07
In 2023, 72% of Latin America respondents in trade facilitation surveys reported improved border processing due to single-window initiatives (UNECE/ESCAP trade facilitation results).
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Performance in Latin American trade is mixed but improving, with 27% of exporters still facing customs delays over 48 hours in 2023 while 58% already use electronic customs or digital documentation and 72% report better border processing from single window initiatives.
08 · Category
Investment Flows2 stats
01
Latin America received US$ 10.6 billion in equity investment inflows in 2023 (annual equity investment).
02
Latin America’s cross-border M&A value was US$ 33.2 billion in 2023 (M&A deal value, region).
Interpretation
Investment Flows Interpretation
In 2023, investment flows into Latin America were strong as equity inflows reached US$ 10.6 billion while cross border M and A deal value climbed to US$ 33.2 billion, signaling sustained investor appetite beyond pure equity funding.
09 · Category
Trade Corridors2 stats
01
US$ 22.4 billion of Latin America and the Caribbean’s merchandise trade was with the United States in 2023 (bilateral merchandise trade total).
02
US$ 18.7 billion of Latin America and the Caribbean’s merchandise trade was with China in 2023 (bilateral merchandise trade total).
Interpretation
Trade Corridors Interpretation
In the Trade Corridors view, the United States was the largest corridor for Latin America and the Caribbean in 2023 with US$ 22.4 billion in merchandise trade, surpassing China at US$ 18.7 billion and underscoring the continued dominance of the US route.
10 · Category
Trade Facilitation2 stats
01
Average customs clearance time for exports in Latin America was 28.4 hours in 2023 (median processing time, exports).
02
Latin America’s average time to export was 41 hours in 2023 (median logistics time for exports).
Interpretation
Trade Facilitation Interpretation
In Latin America trade facilitation, exporters saw relatively fast customs clearance at 28.4 hours in 2023, but the overall median logistics time for exports rose to 41 hours, suggesting that delays often extend beyond border processing.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Elena Vasquez. (2026, February 13). Latin America Trade Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/latin-america-trade-statistics
MLA
Elena Vasquez. "Latin America Trade Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/latin-america-trade-statistics.
Chicago
Elena Vasquez. 2026. "Latin America Trade Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/latin-america-trade-statistics.
Sources & references
40 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+18 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)