Peru Exports Reach Record US$83 Billion by September

Peru exports of goods reached US$83 billion between January and September 2026, the finance ministry said on Friday, 9 October. That is the highest figure on record for that period, and Minister Elmer Cuba expects US$100 billion for the full year.

The numbers matter far beyond Lima. Peru exports copper and gold, metals used in power grids and electronics, and US-listed mining companies run some of its biggest mines.

Cuba spoke at the 21st meeting of the Chilean-Peruvian Business Council, a press release from the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) said. ComexPerú, a private business group that promotes foreign trade, organised the meeting.

He presented Peru’s economic outlook to Chilean business leaders and investors. He highlighted openings in mining, energy and infrastructure, the ministry said.

Foreign Minister Carlos Espá and Energy and Mines Minister Guillermo Shinno also took part. Andina , the state news agency, carried the same figures later on Friday.

The ministry said private investment grew 15.5% in real terms, meaning after inflation, in the first half of 2026. Cuba added that business expectations for investment and hiring are at high levels.

Chile is the third-largest source of foreign direct investment in Peru, with US$4,548 million, or 13.3% of the total, the minister said. Most of that money sits in mining, industry and energy.

Peru and the United States have had a free-trade deal, the Trade Promotion Agreement, since 1 February 2009, according to the US Trade Representative .

US buyers took US$7.26 billion of Peruvian goods from January to August 2026, up 11.9% on a year earlier, US Census Bureau data show. The United States sold Peru US$9.52 billion over the same months, a surplus of about US$2.26 billion.

Mining dominates the export boom, with mineral products making up about 74% of export value from January to August, central bank figures show. US-based Newmont runs the Yanacocha gold mine, covered in Newmont Plans 19.7M Tonnes at Peru’s Yanacocha Mine .

Southern Copper , part of Mexico’s Grupo México and listed in New York since 1996, also mines copper in Peru. Higher metal prices raise the value of each metal shipment that leaves the country.

For the January-to-August breakdown by sector and market, see Peru Exports Jump 34% to US$74 Billion on Mining .

The ministry projects that Peru’s economy will grow 3.4% in both 2026 and 2027. It said that forecast holds even with the risks tied to El Niño.

At the average pace of the first nine months, about US$9.2 billion a month, exports would pass US$100 billion in November. The ministry did not say whether it expects a slowdown in the final quarter.

El Niño is a periodic warming of the Pacific that can bring floods and heavy rain to Peru’s coast. ENFEN , the official commission that tracks it, said on 28 September that the warming off Peru would stay ‘extraordinary’ until January 2027.

The government has also sought extra spending from Congress , partly for El Niño prevention.

Cuba said Peru has kept its public finances solvent despite years of political instability. He serves in the government of President Keiko Fujimori , a conservative who took office in July 2026.

Cuba said informality reaches about 90% among micro-businesses outside Lima. Informal businesses operate outside the tax and labour registers.

He said that figure shows tax rules need recalibrating to push firms into the formal economy. The government’s agenda also includes wider access to credit, better public investment management and stronger tax compliance.

For US investors, strong Peru exports bring more US dollars into the country, which tends to support its currency, the sol. Shares of companies with Peruvian mines, such as Newmont and Southern Copper , move with the same metal prices.

For travellers and expats, the sol stood at about 3.44 to the US dollar on 10 October 2026. A stronger sol makes a trip to Peru more expensive in dollar terms, and a weaker one makes it cheaper.

For US exporters, Peru is a customer as well as a supplier. More export income gives Peruvian firms and the state more dollars to spend abroad.

The ministry did not break Peru exports down by product or destination, and it gave no figure for September alone. It also did not say which metal prices its US$100 billion projection assumes.

How much damage El Niño will do is not known. ENFEN expects above-normal rain on the north and central coast from October to December, and again in the southern summer of early 2027.

The 15.5% investment figure covers only the first half of the year. Central bank figures for July to September are not yet out.

Peru exports of goods totalled US$83 billion from January to September 2026, the finance ministry said on 9 October. It called that the highest figure on record for that period.

The finance ministry projects exports of about US$100 billion by the end of 2026. That is a forecast, and final figures depend on metal prices and the weather.

The ministry expects growth of 3.4% in 2026 and again in 2027, even with El Niño risks. Private investment grew 15.5% in real terms in the first half of 2026.

Peru is a major supplier of copper and gold, and US companies such as Newmont operate large mines there. The two countries have had a free-trade agreement since 2009.

Sources: Ministerio de Economía y Finanzas (MEF), Inversión privada creció 15,5% en Perú y exportaciones alcanzarían los US$100 000 millones en 2026 , 9 October 2026; Banco Central de Reserva del Perú (BCRP), Exportaciones por grupo de productos, mineros (millones US$) , accessed 10 October 2026; Comisión Multisectorial ENFEN, Comunicado Oficial ENFEN N° 17-2026 , 28 September 2026; US Census Bureau, Trade in Goods with Peru , accessed 10 October 2026; Office of the United States Trade Representative, Peru Trade Promotion Agreement , accessed 10 October 2026; Andina, MEF: Inversión privada creció 15.5% y exportaciones sumarían US$ 100,000 millones en 2026 , 9 October 2026.

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