Colombia continued to diversify its export base in the first quarter of 2026, with nearly two of every three dollars earned from foreign sales now coming from non-mining and non-energy goods and services.

Services exports reached $5.34 billion USD between January and March, up 11.3% from $4.8 billion USD in the same period of 2025, according to balance-of-payments data from the Banco de la República (Colombia’s central bank) analyzed by the Ministerio de Comercio, Industria y Turismo (Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism).

“Colombia is building a more complex international integration, with greater added value and less concentration in the mining and energy sectors.” — Diana Marcela Morales Rojas, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism

Combined with $6.48 billion USD in non-mining, non-energy goods exports, the country’s non-mining export basket totaled $11.82 billion USD. That represented 61.7% of Colombia’s total exports for the quarter, above the 55.8% target set for 2026.

“We are advancing a productive transformation aimed at broadening and adding sophistication to the country’s exportable supply, strengthening business and regional capacities, and diversifying the sources of foreign-exchange generation,” said Diana Marcela Morales Rojas, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism. “The results show that Colombia is building a more complex international integration, with greater added value and less concentration in the mining and energy sectors.”

Tourism has driven the 11.3% increase in Colombian service exports this year. Stock photo by Norbert via Pixabay.

Tourism powers services exports

The increase was driven mainly by tourism-related activity, particularly travel and transport, which together accounted for 67% of services exports between January and March. Within transport, passenger transport was the main driver of the growth.

Travel, which made up 50.1% of the services export portfolio, generated $2.68 billion USD in the quarter, a 9.5% increase over the first quarter of 2025. Transport accounted for 16.8% of services exports, reaching $898 million USD, up 11% year over year.

The third-largest category was other business services, at 16.4% of services exports. The segment, which covers trade-related technical services along with consulting and business support, exported $874.7 million USD in the quarter, up 11.7% from a year earlier.

Headline image:Stock photo by Rudy and Peter Skitterians via Pixabay.

The Ministerio de Comercio, Industria y Turismo (Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Tourism) hosted the first Foro de Reencuentro Económico CELAC–África at the Ágora Convention Center in Bogotá on March 20, 2026. The event, held as part of a broader high-level forum, aimed to strengthen commercial and investment ties between Colombia and the African continent. During the proceedings, officials identified various sectors for potential growth, including jewelry, agricultural machinery, construction materials, software, digital marketing, and food and beverages.

Minister of Trade Diana Marcela Morales Rojas stated that the forum represents a strategic shift toward trade equity and shared economic opportunities. Over the past four years, the Colombian government has sought to diversify its market reach through economic diplomacy, trade missions, and the establishment of new logistical routes to Africa. Data from 2025 indicates that these efforts have resulted in a significant increase in non-mining and non-energy exports to the continent.

“We aim for this forum to mark the beginning of a new stage: one of strategic cooperation, trade with equity, and the construction of shared opportunities.” — Diana Marcela Morales Rojas, Minister of Trade, Industry, and Tourism.

According to ministry figures, non-mining exports to Africa reached $296.5 million USD in 2025, representing a 112% increase compared to 2024. In terms of volume, these shipments totaled 209,273 tons, a 226.8% rise over the previous year. These goods accounted for 46.6% of Colombia’s total exports to the continent, signaling a shift toward a more diversified export basket. Key products driving this growth include coffee, bananas, machinery, paper, and apparel.

The number of Colombian firms participating in this trade has also expanded. In 2025, 165 companies exported non-mining goods to Africa with values exceeding $10,000 USD, up from 145 companies in 2024. This 15.2% growth in participating firms underscores a transition toward higher value-added exports. Vice President Francia Márquez Mina noted that the economies of Latin America and Africa are complementary, offering potential for the development of new value chains and the utilization of strategic mineral reserves necessary for the global energy transition.

A central component of the forum was a business matchmaking event held on March 17 and 18. Preliminary results from the session show expected trade operations totaling $16 million USD. Nicolás Mejía, Vice President of Exports at ProColombia, characterized the results as a validation of the current market diversification plan. Since the beginning of the current administration, the government has implemented the Estrategia África 2022–2026 to strengthen socioeconomic relations with the region.

Through commercial intelligence analysis, the Colombian government has prioritized nine specific markets for its diplomatic and economic deployment: South Africa, Angola, Mozambique, Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria. These nations serve as the primary focus for the continued implementation of the 2022–2026 strategy.

Above photo: MinCIT/Ricardo Báez.

Demand for Colombian non-mining products has fluctuated across international markets, but exports to key partners like the United States, Mexico, and Venezuela have shown notable increases. Exports to the United States rose by 8.6%, while Mexico and Venezuela saw increases of 22.5% and 47.4%, respectively. Other markets also saw growth, with exports to Belgium increasing by 33.7% and the Netherlands by 3.9%.

Industrial and Agricultural Sectors Drive Export Growth

Industrial products, which account for about 62% of Colombia’s non-mining exports, grew by 4.1% year-over-year. Key industrial exports included electrical machinery and equipment, which rose by 30.3%, and cosmetics and beauty preparations, up by 26.4%. Exports of plastics and related products grew by 10.6%, while sales of insecticides and fungicides increased by 4.1%.

Agricultural products, comprising 37.8% of Colombia’s non-mining export basket, grew by 16% through September. Significant increases were observed in exports of Tahiti lime (69%), bananas (48.6%), Hass avocado (42.4%), and passion fruit (20.2%). Coffee exports rose by 11.6%, while cut flower exports increased by 12%. Tilapia fillets saw a modest increase of 7.6%.

Regional Contributions to Export Growth

Several Colombian regions played a prominent role in the export growth of non-mining goods. Risaralda saw the largest percentage increase, with exports reaching $639.9 million, up 58.9% year-over-year. Huila exported $677.1 million worth of non-mining goods, representing a 35.3% increase, while Santander reported $253.6 million in exports, marking a 12% rise.

Bolívar contributed $1.38 billion in exports, showing a 10.1% growth, and Antioquia led with $3.02 billion in non-mining exports, a 9.1% increase. Other regions also contributed, reflecting a broad geographic distribution of Colombia’s non-mining export growth.

Government’s Strategy and Export Support

According to Minister of Commerce, Industry, and Tourism Luis Carlos Reyes Hernández, the government is focused on sustaining export growth by supporting regional businesses. The Ministry is working with local entrepreneurs to help them access new markets, providing various resources and support tools to boost Colombia’s international presence in non-traditional sectors.

The rise in Colombia’s non-mining exports reflects ongoing efforts to diversify the country’s export base, moving away from traditional reliance on mining and energy products. This trend underscores Colombia’s strategic push to leverage its agricultural and industrial sectors to enhance trade resilience and support economic growth.

This data was researched and compiled by the Office of Economic Studies of Colombia’s Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, based on figures from the Bank of the Republic and the governmnent’s statistics agency DANE.

This behavior of the non-mining export basket (goods + services) indicates that the 2021 target was surpassed by 114.8%, originally set at $22.499 billion pandemic adjusted dollars.

The Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, María Ximena Lombana Villalba (above photo), said that this “is the result of an articulated work with entrepreneurs. We have programs to support and promote exports of both goods and services, which we have put at the service of the productive sector. We continue to walk from reactivation to growth, and in this process, foreign trade is an important lever of growth.”

Services Exports

Within the services export sector, the travel sector was the largest, making up 34.6% of the total. In 2021, Travel exports reached $2.6 billion, an increase of 64% compared to 2020 during the worst of the COVID pandemic.

“Other Business” represented 29.7%, with exports reaching US$2.3 billion, an approximate increase of 21% compared to 2020. Meanwhile, exports of services associated with transportation accounted for 17.4%, totaling US $ 1.3 billion, an increase of 8.6% compared to 2020.