Colombia Exports Rise 15.1% in August on Gold and Coal
ECONOMY · COLOMBIA
Key Facts
- —The country Colombia, home to more than 50 million people, sells oil, coal, gold, coffee and flowers abroad. Its free trade agreement with the United States has been in force since May 2012.
- —Why it matters The United States is Colombia’s largest customer. It took 27.2% of August exports, worth US$1.21 billion, according to DANE, the national statistics office.
- —Why now DANE and DIAN, the tax and customs authority, published the August trade figures on Monday 5 October 2026.
- —What happened Exports reached US$4.46 billion in August 2026, up 15.1% from US$3.87 billion in August 2025, driven by gold, coal and oil (DANE, provisional).
- —The numbers In August, gold sales rose 126.9% to US$708 million and coal 99.4% to US$448 million. Raw coffee fell 23.5% to US$404 million. January to August: US$36.88 billion, up 12.8%.
- —What it means for you Sales to the United States rose 8.2% in August. Without gold, they fell 4.5%, DANE data show.
- —Still open Why coffee earnings fell, how much of the gold jump is price rather than volume, and what August imports and the trade balance show.
Colombia exports rose 15.1% in August to US$4.46 billion, the national statistics office DANE said on Monday 5 October. The United States stayed the largest buyer, taking 27.2% of the total.
For US buyers and investors the mix matters more than the total: gold, coal and oil grew, while coffee earned less. DANE compiles the data with DIAN, the national tax and customs authority, and the figures are provisional.
Gold and Coal Drive the Gain
Non-monetary gold, meaning gold not held as central-bank reserves, earned US$707.6 million in August. That was 126.9% more than a year earlier, and it alone added 10.2 points to the overall rise.
Fuels and mining products brought in US$1.79 billion, up 23.8%, and made up 40.1% of all exports. Coal, coke and briquettes almost doubled, rising 99.4% to US$447.7 million.
Oil and oil products rose 12.3% to US$1.11 billion. Colombia shipped 11.9 million barrels of crude in August, 2.4% more than a year before.
Manufactures rose 5.6% to US$892 million, led by chemicals, which grew 18.7%. Over January to August, Colombia exports reached US$36.88 billion, up 12.8% from US$32.69 billion.
The pattern matches the first half of the year: Colombia Exports Jump 14.2% to US$27.8 Billion in First Half. Gold and fuels again did most of the work.
Coffee and Bananas Lose Ground
Farm goods and food fell 16.0% to US$1.07 billion, the only major group to shrink. Raw coffee exports dropped 23.5% to US$404.2 million, and coffee extracts fell 51.4% to US$34.3 million.
Banana sales slipped 27.5% to US$88.7 million, and cocoa beans fell 74.5% from a small base. Sales of raw coffee to Belgium alone dropped 71.0%, the bulletin shows.
There were bright spots in farming too. Cut flowers rose 7.8% to US$163.9 million, palm oil grew 24.0% and live cattle more than doubled.
The steadier half of the farm basket softens the coffee blow. Even so, farm goods fell 4.1% over the first eight months, while fuels and mining grew 16.9%.
Where the Goods Went
The United States bought US$1.21 billion of Colombian goods in August, up 8.2%. Gold sent to the US nearly tripled to US$223.0 million, while all other goods fell 4.5% to US$989.2 million.
Panama came second with 10.6% of the total, as crude sales there more than doubled to US$421.6 million. Italy was third, almost entirely because of US$271.0 million in gold.
Turkey bought US$77.8 million of Colombian crude, after none a year earlier. Coal found new buyers in the region, with US$52.7 million sent to Mexico and US$35.0 million to Brazil.
Over January to August, the US took 28.3% of Colombia exports, worth US$10.45 billion. That was 5.2% more than in the same months of 2025.
What It Means for You
For investors, stronger crude and coal sales mean more dollars flowing into the country. Ecopetrol, the state-controlled oil company whose shares also trade in New York, is the country’s largest oil producer.
Export dollars also support the currency, a point covered in Colombian Peso Gains 1.7% to Close at 3,211 per Dollar. A firmer peso makes Colombian goods dearer for US importers.
For US shoppers and roasters, Colombian coffee and flowers remain staples. Lower coffee earnings could reflect prices, volumes or timing, and DANE does not say which.
The gold boom carries its own risk. A UN-backed survey found much alluvial mining is illegal: Colombia Alluvial Gold Mining Grows 4.5%, UN Says. DANE’s figures do not show where exported gold was mined.
What Is Not Known
DANE does not split the gold surge between higher prices and larger volumes. Its bulletin also gives no reason for the drop in coffee earnings.
August imports, and so the trade balance, have not yet been published. The data are provisional, and July’s total has already been revised from US$4.69 billion to US$4.62 billion.
It is also unclear whether gold and coal can keep this pace for the rest of the year. A fall in either would leave farm goods and manufactures carrying more of the load.
How much did Colombia export in August 2026?
US$4.46 billion, up 15.1% from August 2025, according to DANE and DIAN data published on Monday 5 October 2026. The figures are provisional.
Why did Colombia’s exports rise in August?
Gold sales more than doubled to US$707.6 million, coal rose 99.4% and oil products 12.3%. Coffee and bananas fell.
Who buys most of Colombia’s exports?
The United States, with 27.2% of the August total, worth US$1.21 billion. Panama and Italy came next.
Sources: DANE, export statistics, updated 5 October 2026; DANE and DIAN, exports bulletin (EXPO), August 2026; El Tiempo, 5 October 2026; Portafolio, 5 October 2026; Valora Analitik, 5 October 2026.
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