Mexico recorded exports of 389,723 million dollars between January and June 2026, the highest figure for any first semester since INEGI began the series in 1980, with annual growth of 24.6%, the highest rate since 2021. The trade surplus for the period reached 9,857 million dollars, also an unprecedented figure, compared to 1,433 million dollars in the same period of 2025.
The export surge coincided with the USMCA review and a U.S. trade policy environment that, according to El Financiero, accelerated advance purchases of inputs by U.S. companies. For the binational business community, the data confirms the depth of productive integration between the two economies. Analysts at El Universal linked part of the momentum to the expansion of artificial intelligence infrastructure and the relocation of Asian supply chains to Mexican territory.
Non-automotive manufactured goods led the advance with a 37.6% increase in the semester, the highest ever recorded in that category, according to INEGI data cited by both outlets. Automotive exports grew 1.0% after three consecutive semesters of declines, while petroleum exports fell 2.9% and agricultural exports dropped 4.0%. In June alone, external sales totaled 72,551 million dollars, an annual increase of 34.4%, with non-petroleum exports to the United States surpassing 60,000 million dollars in a single month for the first time.
Gerónimo Ugarte, chief economist at Valmex, told El Financiero that the performance reflects the U.S. investment cycle in technology and the reconfiguration of supply chains following tariffs on Asian goods. Rodolfo Ostolaza, at Banamex, noted that a significant portion of manufactured exports rely on imported inputs, meaning the impact on GDP will be smaller than the gross trade value suggests.
The data strengthens expectations of a Mexican GDP rebound in the second quarter of the year, though analysts anticipate a more moderate pace for the second half of 2026. INEGI's complete data on first-semester foreign trade will be published in the coming days.
This article was drafted with artificial intelligence assistance from verified sources and reviewed by a human editor before publication.