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Exports reach $5,093.1 million to September, up 3.7%, as maquila lifts September sales

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September exports rose 8.2% on a year earlier to $563.7 million, helped by a 16.2% rise in maquila, while coffee and sugar fell and the monthly trade deficit widened to $1,133.43 million.

El Salvador's exports totalled $5,093.1 million between January and September 2026, 3.7% more than a year earlier, according to preliminary Central Reserve Bank (BCR) figures reported by La Prensa Gráfica. Export volume rose 6.1% to about 2,978 million kilograms, the BCR's trade summary shows.

In September alone, exports reached $563.74 million, up 8.2% from $521.11 million in September 2025 and 14.4% higher than in August, Dinero reported. Maquila exports, mostly assembly of garments and other goods for foreign clients, rose 16.2% on the year to $88.33 million, with knitted garments, textiles and other products all higher.

Traditional exports moved the other way. Shipments of coffee fell 29.7% and sugar 42.3% in September, according to Trading Economics, which summarised the BCR release. Imports rose 13.2% to $1,697.17 million, so the September trade deficit widened 15.8% to $1,133.43 million, Infobae reported.

In the first nine months, maquila exports totalled $706.2 million, up 5.1% in value, though their volume fell 13.6%, La Prensa Gráfica reported. The United States remains the largest destination, followed by Guatemala and Honduras.

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