Ecuador–Peru Trade Rose 33.5% to USD 1.23 Billion in H1 2026

Ecuador–Peru bilateral trade reached USD 1.2267 billion in the first half of 2026, up 33.5% from the same period of 2025. The Central Bank figures point to a growing regional relationship, but the composition is as important as the headline total.

Trade composition

Ecuadorian exports to Peru rose 40% to USD 561.3 million, making Peru the country’s fifth export destination. Imports from Peru reached USD 665.4 million, an increase of 28% year over year.

The result was a USD 104 million trade deficit for Ecuador. Peru also became Ecuador’s third-largest supplier, behind the United States and China.

The product chain spans energy and aquaculture. Ecuador’s main export to Peru is petroleum, while Ecuador imports fuels and lubricants from Peru. Ecuador also imports shrimp feed from Peru and exports shrimp into the Peruvian market.

The latter is strategically relevant: bilateral trade is carrying both inputs and finished export products. That creates a wider commercial footprint than a simple one-way commodity exchange.

Colombia displacement effect

Purchases from Colombia fell 34% between February and May 2026, a period that coincided with the commercial dispute between the two countries. The decline helped move Peru into the third supplier position.

This creates an attribution problem for analysts. Part of Peru’s gain may reflect underlying commercial expansion, while part may represent substitution during a temporary disruption with Colombia. The durability of the ranking will depend on whether Ecuador–Colombia trade normalizes.

Capital signal

Peruvian foreign direct investment in Ecuador rose more than 700% in the first quarter, from USD 12.2 million to USD 101.6 million.

The corporate footprint includes Alicorp’s announced purchase of Jabonería Wilson in October 2025. Promart opened its first Quito store at the end of 2024 and has a plan for 20 stores; the reported footprint at the time was three stores in Quito and two in Guayaquil.

The investment and retail examples indicate that the relationship is not limited to border trade. It includes consumer distribution, industrial ownership, and commercial services.

Brief assessment

The first-half result is a positive regional-connectivity signal, but not a full-year forecast. The key variables are whether Peru retains its import-supplier position after the Colombia dispute, whether the FDI surge repeats, and whether commodity and input trade continues to support the broader supply chain.

For operators, Peru is becoming a more important counterparty in Ecuador’s sourcing and market strategy. For investors, the cleanest interpretation is conditional: bilateral growth is real in the first-half data, while its persistence depends on substitution effects, corporate follow-through, and the next Central Bank release.