Bolivia Trade Surplus Passes US$2.2B

BOLIVIA · ECONOMY

Bolivia has sold US$2.24 billion more abroad than it has bought this year, and its exports have already passed the whole of 2025. The gains come from silver, gold and zinc, and they follow 53 days of road blockades.

Bolivia ran a trade surplus of US$2,236.5 million in the first nine months of 2026, according to Bolivia’s INE, the national statistics institute. Exports reached US$10,350.2 million and imports US$8,113.7 million.

The figure matters to US readers because Bolivia, a landlocked Andean country, has been short of dollars. Silver, gold and zinc exports are one of its few reliable sources of them, as our report on the September surplus showed.

In Plain English

A trade surplus means a country earned more from exports than it spent on imports. Bolivia’s gap is now large enough to matter for its dollar supply.

Exports Already Beat Last Year

Exports through September were about US$650 million, or 6.7%, above the roughly US$9.7 billion Bolivia sold in all of 2025. Exports in all of 2025 were US$9,702.1 million by the INE-based count, so nine months have beaten twelve.

Silver, gold and zinc led the gain, the INE data show.

A Recovery After the Blockades

The gains came despite 53 days of road blockades in May and June. Blockades shut highways and disrupted transport and supply chains across the country.

The surplus stood at US$1.67 billion at the end of June and US$1.92 billion at the end of July. September alone added US$183.4 million.

The Record Is Still Out of Reach

Bolivia’s export record is US$13.65 billion, set in 2022. The country needs another US$3,302.8 million in the last three months of the year to beat it.

That would take monthly exports of about US$1.10 billion. Exports averaged about US$1.15 billion a month so far this year, so the record is within reach but not secured.

What It Means for You

Investors in Bolivian bonds and mining companies get a better dollar picture than a year ago, because export earnings are rising. The wider economy is still weak, so a surplus does not mean a boom.

Travellers can read the Rio Times guide to La Paz for local context. More is on the Bolivia hub, and Bolivia Power Explained, Who Dominates in 2026 shows who holds power.

What Is Not Known

We did not find a breakdown of exports by destination in the figures we reviewed, so the share going to the United States is unknown. Nor is it clear how much of the mineral gain comes from higher prices and how much from higher volumes.

Whether exports can keep this pace in the last quarter depends on prices for silver, gold and zinc, and on whether the blockades return.

Frequently Asked Questions

How large is Bolivia’s trade surplus in 2026?

Bolivia ran a surplus of US$2,236.5 million from January to September 2026, the INE says. Exports were US$10,350.2 million and imports US$8,113.7 million.

What is Bolivia selling abroad?

Silver, gold and zinc led the export gains, the INE data show. Bolivia is a landlocked Andean country that depends on minerals and farm goods.

Have Bolivia’s exports passed last year’s total?

Yes, exports to September beat the US$9,702.1 million of all 2025 by about US$650 million, or 6.7%. The all-time record is US$13.65 billion, set in 2022.

Why does a trade surplus matter to Bolivia?

Bolivia has struggled with a shortage of US dollars. Export earnings are one way the country brings in hard currency.

Sources: Bolivia’s National Statistics Institute (INE), January to September 2026 foreign-trade data, published at the end of October 2026.