Chile Trade, Exports and Imports

Chile’s trade, exports and imports suffered losses of more than 20% in 2009. The global recession of 2009 forced this South American nation to witness weak trading activities and unfinished projects. Exports account for 40% of Chile’s GDP, with commodities accounting for more than 75% of the total Chilean shipments. Chile’s exports shrunk by 19.3% in 2009 to $159 billion. Chile’s imports in 2009 were worth $9.4 billion, down by 21.4% from $11.9 billion in 2008.

Chile’s trade, exports and imports suffered losses of more than 20% in 2009. The global recession of 2009 forced this South American nation to witness weak trading activities and unfinished projects. Exports account for 40% of Chile’s GDP, with commodities accounting for more than 75% of the total Chilean shipments. Chile’s exports shrunk by 19.3% in 2009 to $159 billion. Chile’s imports in 2009 were worth $9.4 billion, down by 21.4% from $11.9 billion in 2008. However, Chile’s global trade deficit witnessed a 10.3% drop, from $8.9 billion in 2008 to $7.9 billion in 2009.[br]

 

The following table shows Chile’s exports to the US for some commodities and the gain/loss percentage in 2009 compared to 2008.

 

Commodity	Export Worth	Gain/Loss
Fruits and frozen juices	$1.5 billion	0.1%
Copper	$1.3 billion	-49.8%
Fish	$736.9 million	-25.3%
Wine	$275.2 million	21.2%
Industrial inorganic chemicals	$211.9 million	-23.6%
Farming materials	$200.3 million	14.8%
Lumber	$118 million	-63.4%

 

The following table shows Chile’s imports from the US for some commodities and the gain/loss percentage in 2009 compared to 2008.

 

Commodity	Import Worth	Gain/Loss
Fuel oil	$1.4 billion	-51.1%
Civilian aircraft and parts	$1.2 billion	133.6%
Petroleum products	$419.8 million	-42.1%
Computer accessories	$328 million	5.7%
Telecom equipment	$278.5 million	-4.6%
Computers	$263.1 million	-14.5%
Industrial machinery	$222.7 million	6.6%

 

Chile Trade: Exports and Imports

Chile’s primary export commodities include copper, fruit, fish products, paper and pulp, wine and chemicals. The following chart shows the distribution of its main export partners. (All figures in percentages.)

 

 

 

The primary import commodities to Chile include petroleum, chemicals, electronics and telecom equipment, vehicles, natural gas and industrial machinery. The following chart shows the distribution of its main import partners. (All figures in percentages.)[br]

 

 

 

[br]Chilean Peso (CLP) is the official Chilean currency. The following chart shows the CLP per US dollar during 2005-2009.