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The manufacturing industry led El Salvador’s imports of goods in july 2016, with purchases totaling US$1,644.23 million, according to preliminary data from Banco Central de Reserva (BCR). This amount represents a 10.84% increase compared to june, when it reached US$1,483.40 million, and accounted for the majority of foreign purchases.
Overall, goods imports totaled US$1,825.77 million in july, a 12.14% increase compared to the US$1,628.14 million recorded in june. This means that foreign purchases increased by US$197.63 million in one month.
Within the manufacturing industry, imports of other manufactured goods grew by 10.85%, rising from US$1,482.95 million to US$1,643.82 million. The maquila manufacturing industry also advanced, with a monthly increase of 9.05%, rising from US$41.33 million to US$45.07 million.
Among the sectors that grew the most compared to june, the supply of electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning stood out, with a 436.75% increase, rising from US$1.17 million to US$6.28 million. Agriculture, livestock, forestry, and fishing also saw a strong increase of 82.87%, climbing from US$49.86 million to US$91.18 million.
The maquila of other products registered monthly growth of 18.09%, while the maquila of knitwear increased by 5.04%. Meanwhile, processed coffee showed a decrease of 13.04%, falling from US$0.46 million to US$0.40 million.
Among the sectors that saw a decrease in imports compared to june was mining and quarrying, with a drop of 28.94%, falling from US$44.36 million to US$31.52 million. Wholesale and retail trade, and vehicle repair, decreased by 6.72%, from US$8.03 million to US$7.49 million.
The maquiladora industry for textile products also registered a monthly reduction of 7.64%, going from US$8.38 million to US$7.74 million. In the case of cane sugar and other sugars, the figure went from zero in June to US$0.01 million in July, so the monthly percentage change is not comparable.
Comparison with july 2025
When comparing july 2026 to july 2025, total imports increased by 7.19%, rising from US$1,703.35 million to US$1,825.77 million. The manufacturing industry maintained its leading position, with year-over-year growth of 6.81%, from US$1,539.44 million to US$1,644.23 million.
Also noteworthy in the year-over-year comparison was the supply of electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning, which grew by 361.76%. Trade and repair of vehicles increased by 58.35%, mining and quarrying by 30.84%, and the assembly of other products by 20.64%. In contrast, the assembly of knitwear decreased by 28.05%, and the maquila manufacturing industry remained virtually unchanged, with a variation of -0.09%.
In summary, july imports showed both monthly and year-on-year growth. The manufacturing industry was the main driver, with an increase of 10.84% compared to june and 6.81% compared to July 2025, while electricity and agriculture stood out for their strong monthly increases.
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