March 2025
Issue brief: Trade with Colombia is big business for US
exporters—amid growing Chinese influence in Latin America Colombia’s role as a key market for US exports underscores the importance of maintaining strong commercial relations. About this issue brief Written by
Geoff Ramsey and Enrique Millán-Mejía
Toplines •
Colombia and the United States have achieved a close, mutually beneficial partnership over several decades on migration, security, counternarcotics, and commerce—with the US trade surplus with Colombia totaling $1.3 billion in 2024.
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The Colombian market is particularly important for US agricultural producers. Thanks to the US-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement (TPA), Colombia is the top destination for US agricultural exports in South America and the third main destination in the Western Hemisphere.
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The United States is still Colombia’s largest trading partner in South America—with $36.7 billion in two-way trade in 2024—but January data showed Chinese products leading over US imports for the month. The TPA promotes both reciprocal trade and US influence; interpretative improvements to previously agreed-upon matters are possible.
Colombia is the top US trading partner in South America— for now Colombia’s imports from the US vs. from China (2020-2023) Figure 1: Colombia’s imports from the US vs. from China (2020-2023) $20,000,000
US imports
Trade Value (in 1,000 USD)
$15,000,000
China imports
$10,000,000
$5,000,000
$0
2020
2021
2022
Year Source: World Bank Data (2020-2023)
Sources: Atlantic Council, using World Bank Data (2020-2023)
ATLANTIC COUNCIL
1
2023