Brasil

A UIP mission to Curitiba on October 21 will bring together at least 30 Paraguayan companies for meetings and business discussions. Martín Ruiz said that more than 60% of Paraguayan exports under the maquila regime go to Brazil and linked Brazilian businesspeople’s interest in investing in Paraguay to the pursuit of competitiveness amid the growing presence of Chinese products and investment in Brazil.

Work-life balance is the main priority for 41.6% of the 3,908 participants in Rankmi’s study across 14 Latin American and Caribbean markets, while remote or hybrid work leads the conditions for balancing responsibilities; for companies, flexibility affects talent attraction and retention, and in Paraguay, Jobs Paraguay reported that 37% of 193 surveyed companies had work-from-home practices, especially in technology (33%), administration (30%) and human resources (12%), generally under a hybrid model.

Paraguay is undergoing a clear demographic transition: according to INE, the total fertility rate is 1.9 children per woman in 2026, life expectancy is rising and the share of older people is increasing. At the same time, Paraguay remains a relatively young country and its population is still growing. There are striking differences between current figures from Paraguay's INE and the UN World Population Prospects. INE puts the 2026 population at about 6.46 million, with a median age of 29.4 and 8.9% aged 65 or older; the UN series gives about 7.01 million people for 2025, a median age of 28 and 6.7% aged 65+. The differences result from separate statistical and projection systems, but both point toward the same broad trend: Paraguay is ageing, gradually rather than suddenly.

Traveler assistance on international bus journeys through South America should cover every country on the route, medical transport, border delays, missed connections and baggage problems, with accessible support channels even without internet.

Paraguayan exports under the maquila regime totaled $1.01 billion from January to August 2026, up 26% in one year, with a positive trade balance of $481 million, driven by auto parts, garments, beverages and aluminum manufactures, mainly for Mercosur.

The suspension of Brazilian beef exports to the European Union could redirect Brazil’s supply and increase competition for Paraguay in Chile and the United States, while Mercosur discusses how to divide a potential European quota.

The European Union’s two-year sanitary suspension of Brazilian beef could increase Paraguay’s presence in the European market, while also intensifying Brazilian competition in Chile and other regional destinations.

Paraguay ended 2025 with 16 banks, maintaining virtually the same number of institutions since 2013 and ranking among Latin America’s smallest banking markets, amid a regional decline from 551 to 524 banks over the period.

Paraguay granted 36,033 residence permits to foreigners between January and July 2026, 74% more than in the same period last year, including 23,994 to Brazilians, amid the expansion of the Investor Pass program and a 58% increase in applications.

ECLAC has lowered Paraguay's growth projection to 4.3% in 2026, keeping it among the highest in a region expected to grow 2.2% on average, despite warnings about vulnerabilities due to commodity dependence and structural problems.

Chia producers in Paraguay blame smuggling from Brazil for a nearly 50% price drop, while DNIT denies the existence of the problem.

The price of Paraguayan beef reached a historic record as the United States suspends import tariffs for ground beef, creating a strategic opportunity for the country's exports.

Senave issued a sanitary alert against the cassava 'Witches' Broom' pest that threatens food security and warned that the El Niño phenomenon may favor the emergence of other pests in various crops.

South America recorded a record grain harvest in 2026, with historic production in Paraguay, recovery in Argentina, and record-breaking output in Brazil, reshaping the global food supply.

An ABC Color investigation reports that a Singapore company less than a year old with an opaque structure offered $70 per MW to ANDE, more than double the price negotiated with Atome. The report identifies inconsistencies in the documentation and questions about the company’s investment capacity.

A tomato oversupply in Paraguay, caused by weather conditions and expanded planting, threatens to cause a sharp drop in prices, while authorities monitor the situation and producers warn of the need for market balance.

Moody's warns that low revenue and an increasingly rigid budget, with rising mandatory spending, limit Paraguay's fiscal space and reduce its investment capacity, despite the country maintaining stable debt levels and one of the lowest public expenditures in the region.

Paraguayan exports of soybeans and derivatives totaled $3.5 billion in the first seven months of 2026, a 41% growth compared to the previous year, with Argentina as the main destination.

H&M has opened its first store in Paraguay, with a second unit scheduled for next week, and confirmed plans to expand to Argentina in 2027, as part of its growth strategy in Latin America.

In a rare move, Brazilian media outlets published a joint editorial rejecting gambling house advertising, voluntarily renouncing a revenue source.

Paraguay's hotel sector recorded 43% growth in the first half of 2026, with an average occupancy of 61% driven mainly by business tourism and markets from Argentina and Brazil.

Paraguay and Brazil are negotiating an agreement to accelerate the transfer of convicts between the two countries, focusing on reducing bureaucratic delays such as official translations and implementing the Electronic Judicial File system.

Paraguay's beef exports fell 24.6% in volume in the first seven months of 2026, but the total value declined only 9% due to an increase of more than 20% in the average price per kilogram.

Paraguayan President Santiago Peña has enacted the law approving the Mercosur agreement to provide consular assistance to citizens in countries where their nation lacks representation.