Mercosur has consolidated as the main destination for Paraguayan exports over the past two decades, with purchase volumes nearly tripling between 2006 and 2025. The finding is part of a study prepared by Hugo Jiménez De Recalde based on data from the Central Bank of Paraguay (BCP) and released by the Union of Production Guilds (UGP).
The regional bloc went from US$2.448 billion in 2006 to US$6.918 billion in 2025. The leap reflects not only the consolidation of the regional market but also a transformation in the country's export basket, with Manufactures of Agricultural Origin (MOA) and Manufactures of Industrial Origin (MOI) gaining ground over primary products.
Animal protein and soybean crushing anchor 40.4% of total exports, functioning as the driving force of agribusiness. “The old export model, historically concentrated in agricultural raw materials, has evolved into industrialized forms with higher added value,” the analysis points out, emphasizing impacts on jobs, services, and logistics.
Beyond Mercosur, other destinations also recorded significant growth. The rest of Asia jumped from US$80 million in 2006 to US$963 million in 2025. The North American bloc USMCA advanced from US$72 million to US$716 million over the same period. China, after an extraordinary peak of US$1.954 billion in 2009 — nearly a third of total exports that year — stabilized at much lower levels, closing 2025 with just US$52 million.
The European Union, which exceeded US$1.5 billion annually between 2011 and 2015, ended 2025 with US$392 million, a figure considerably lower than its peak years.