The following export product groups represent the highest dollar value in Colombian global shipments during 2018. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from Colombia.

1. Mineral fuels including oil: US$24.2 billion (57.8% of total exports)
2. Coffee, tea, spices: $2.3 billion (5.6%)
3. Gems, precious metals: $1.6 billion (3.9%)
4. Plastics, plastic articles: $1.5 billion (3.7%)
5. Live trees, plants, cut flowers: $1.5 billion (3.5%)
6. Fruits, nuts: $1.1 billion (2.5%)
7. Iron, steel: $650.8 million (1.6%)
8. Vehicles: $645.7 million (1.5%)
9. Animal/vegetable fats, oils, waxes: $623 million (1.5%)
10. Sugar, sugar confectionery: $518.3 million (1.2%)

Colombia’s top 10 exports accounted for over four-fifths (82.1%) of the overall value of its global shipments.

Iron and steel was the fastest-growing among the top 10 export categories, up 46.2% in value from 2017 to 2018.

In second place for Colombia’s improving export sales was vehicles via a 19.7% uptick.

Mineral fuels-related goods including oil posted the third-fastest gain in value up 18.4%, propelled by accelerating revenues for crude oil and coal.

Gems and precious metals led the decliners thanks to its -18.6% drop year over year.

The following types of Colombian product shipments represent positive net exports or a trade balance surplus. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports.

In a nutshell, net exports represents the amount by which foreign spending on a home country’s goods or services exceeds or lags the home country’s spending on foreign goods or services.

1. Mineral fuels including oil: US$20.6 billion (Up by 23.6% since 2017)
2. Coffee, tea, spices: $2.2 billion (Down by -12.4%)
3. Gems, precious metals: $1.6 billion (Down by -18.6%)
4. Live trees, plants, cut flowers: $1.4 billion (Up by 4.3%)
5. Fruits, nuts: $823 million (Down by -4.2%)
6. Sugar, sugar confectionery: $410 million (Up by 2%)
7. Raw hides, skins not furskins, leather: $63.5 million (Down by -34.6%)
8. Cocoa: $47.1 million (Down by -21.6%)
9. Ores, slag, ash: $43.1 million (Down by -9.7%)
10. Live animals: $33.6 million (Up by 0.3%)

Colombia has highly positive net exports in the international trade of mineral fuels-related exports particularly crude oil and coal. In turn, these cashflows indicate Colombia’s strong competitive advantages under the oil product category.

Overall Colombia incurred a -$9.5 billion trade deficit during 2018, up 13.9% from the -$8.3 billion in red ink one year earlier.

Below are exports from Colombia that result in negative net exports or product trade balance deficits. These negative net exports reveal product categories where foreign spending on home country Colombia’s goods trail Colombian importer spending on foreign products.

1. Machinery including computers: -US$5.4 billion (Up by 7.3% since 2017)
2. Electrical machinery, equipment: -$5.3 billion (Up by 17.5%)
3. Vehicles: -$3.7 billion (Up by 19.5%)
4. Organic chemicals: -$2.1 billion (Up by 12.2%)
5. Pharmaceuticals: -$2 billion (Up by 11.1%)
6. Cereals: -$1.7 billion (Up by 10.6%)
7. Optical, technical, medical apparatus: -$1.4 billion (Up by 11.1%)
8. Aircraft, spacecraft: -$1.2 billion (Up by 24.9%)
9. Iron, steel: -$1.2 billion (Up by 28.1%)
10. Plastics, plastic articles: -$973.2 million (Up by 26.8%)

Colombia has highly negative net exports and therefore deep international trade deficits for machinery particularly computers.

These cashflow deficiencies clearly indicate Colombia’s competitive disadvantages in the international machinery market, but also represent key opportunities for Colombia to improve its position in the global economy through focused innovations.

Colombian Export Companies

Six Colombian corporations rank among Forbes Global 2000. Below is a sample of the major Colombian companies that Forbes included:

• Ecopetrol (fuel, petrochemicals)
• Grupo Argos (construction materials)

Wikipedia also lists exporters from Colombia. Selected examples are shown below:

• Alpina Productos Alimenticios (dairy products)
• Auteco (vehicles)
• Manuelita (sugar, fruits, vegetables)
• Organizacion Corona (ceramics)
• Ospina Coffee Company (coffee)