India–Chile trade: what the 2025 numbers change

India–Chile goods trade rose from US$3.84 billion in 2024 to US$5.69 billion in 2025, an increase of 48.2%. These are calendar-year figures from SUBREI, based on Banco Central de Chile data, with Chilean exports measured FOB and imports from India measured CIF.

The two directions changed at different rates. Chilean exports to India increased 64.8%, from US$2.57 billion to US$4.24 billion. Chilean imports from India increased 14.5%, from US$1.27 billion to US$1.45 billion.

Most of the increase came from mining

Mining represented US$3.43 billion, or 81.0%, of Chile’s 2025 exports to India. Copper accounted for US$2.33 billion and other mining products for US$1.10 billion. The largest individual exports included copper concentrates, gold, iodine, molybdenum concentrates, and copper anodes.

Read the 48.2% figure with that mix in mind. Most of the growth sat in a few mining lines, so a supplier outside those lines cannot treat the headline as demand for their product.

India’s main 2025 shipments to Chile included passenger and hybrid cars, medicines, steel pipes, bulk textile containers, electrical control panels, cotton towels, leather gloves, and electrical-machine parts. Those are categories with existing trade. A new exporter still has to prove fit in a specific channel.

The current agreement has product-specific limits

The Chile–India Partial Scope Agreement entered into force in 2007 and its expansion in 2017. SUBREI reports that Chile grants preferences to 2,099 Indian products and India to 1,110 Chilean products. The applicable tariff line, origin rule, and proof of origin still have to be checked for each shipment.

Negotiations for a broader economic agreement remain open. By April 2026, SUBREI reported four negotiation rounds; on July 21, India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry still listed the India–Chile agreement among negotiations in progress. Price and plan with the rules in force today.

Investment remains smaller than trade

SUBREI’s 2025 country sheet estimates accumulated Indian investment in Chile at US$643 million and Chilean investment in India at US$117 million, using fDi Markets calculations for 2003–2025. These are project-based estimates rather than official balance-of-payments positions, so they should not be compared directly with annual goods-trade flows.

Checks that still matter

An Indian exporter should confirm the Chilean tariff line, preference, and origin evidence, then name who imports, distributes, holds registrations, and handles after-sales. Demand should be tested in one customer segment before anyone grants exclusivity.

A Chilean buyer should confirm the Indian legal entity, factory, exporter, and bank beneficiary against the same order file, then lock the specification, inspection plan, payment evidence, and Chilean import permits before production starts.

Sources

• SUBREI, Chile–India country sheet 2025, updated April 2026 and accessed July 28, 2026
• SUBREI, Chile–India Partial Scope Agreement, accessed July 28, 2026
• SUBREI, Chile seeks to advance the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with India, April 8, 2026, accessed July 28, 2026
• India Press Information Bureau, Government expands FTAs and export-promotion measures, July 21, 2026, accessed July 28, 2026

Insights contain general business information and do not constitute legal, tax, customs, regulatory or technical advice.