Markets, resources, industry.
Costa Rica’s economy was historically built on agricultural exports such as coffee and bananas, but the country has transformed since the 1980s into an export-oriented hub for advanced manufacturing and services. Beginning with reforms that established free trade zones and attracted foreign investment, successive governments pursued trade liberalization and diversification away from traditional commodities. Medical […]
Colombia’s economy has traditionally relied on the export of commodities such as petroleum, coal, coffee, and cut flowers, though recent decades have brought efforts toward greater diversification. As one of the largest economies in the Andean region, Colombia has pursued an outward-oriented trade policy since the 1990s, opening its markets through a series of bilateral […]
Chile’s economy has long depended on international trade, and the country ranks among the most open in Latin America. Following the return to democratic government in 1990, successive administrations pursued an aggressive strategy of trade liberalization, negotiating agreements to secure access to foreign markets for copper, agricultural products, wine, and seafood. This outward-looking approach helped […]
The United States remains overwhelmingly Canada’s most important trading partner, purchasing about three-quarters of Canadian exports and supplying roughly half of its imports, according to Global Affairs Canada’s 2024 trade figures. China ranks a distant second on both sides, followed by the United Kingdom, Japan, and Mexico among export markets, and by Mexico, Germany, and […]
China has been Brazil’s largest single trading partner for both exports and imports since around 2009, a position reinforced by strong demand for Brazilian iron ore, soybeans, crude petroleum, and other commodities. The United States ranks second on both fronts, followed by regional and European partners including Argentina, the Netherlands, and Spain. Brazil’s imports lean […]
