中文title: “Uruguay’s Leather Exports Slide 19% in H1 2026 as June Offers Glimmer of Recovery” seo_description: “Uruguay’s leather exports fell 19% to $35 million in H1 2026, but June shipments rose 13%, hinting at a turnaround.” seo_tags: [“Uruguay leather exports”, “leather trade”, “Uruguay XXI”, “hide exports”, “South America leather”, “leather statistics”] seo_slug: “uruguay-leather-exports-h1-2026” original_url: “https://leathernews.org/uruguay-leather-exports-fall-19-to-35-million-in-h1-2026-as-june-recovery-signals-improvement/” source: “Leather News”
Uruguay’s Leather Exports Slide 19% in H1 2026 as June Offers Glimmer of Recovery
Uruguay’s leather sector enters the second half of 2026 with a familiar mix of disappointment and cautious hope. According to the latest figures from Uruguay XXI, the country’s export, investment and country-brand promotion agency, exports of leather and leather products totalled $35 million in the first six months of the year — a 19% decline from the $44 million recorded in the same period of 2025.
The drop is not trivial for a small, open economy that prizes its reputation for high-quality, traceable hides. Uruguay has spent years carving out a niche as a premium, socially responsible supplier of wet blue and crust leather, often positioning itself as the clean alternative to larger, more volatile exporting nations. A 19% contraction in the first half therefore stings, particularly because it comes against a backdrop of soft global demand for leather across multiple markets.
Yet the monthly data tell a more nuanced story. Leather exports reached $7 million in June, up 13% from the $6 million shipped in June 2025. After a difficult opening to the year, that single month suggests the sector may have found its footing. In an industry where confidence is often rebuilt one shipment at a time, a positive year-on-year comparison in the final month of the half is precisely the kind of signal exporters look for.
The container data reinforce the cautionary tone. Separate shipment figures from Datamar show Uruguay exported 46 TEUs (20-foot equivalent units) of leather and leather products in the first five months of 2026, down from 75 TEUs in the comparable period of 2025. The decline in volume tracks the fall in value, confirming that this was a broad softening rather than a price-effect illusion.
The fur and fur garment segment added to the gloom at the headline level, with exports of $2 million in the first half, down 9% from $3 million a year earlier. On a monthly basis, the segment remained below $1 million in June but still registered an 11% increase versus the same month in 2025 — another small, encouraging data point buried inside an otherwise weak report.
What explains the first-half weakness? Uruguay’s leather trade is sensitive to the same forces weighing on the global industry: subdued consumer demand for leather goods in key markets, cautious ordering from buyers, and competitive pressure from lower-cost origins. As a relatively small supplier, Uruguay feels these swings acutely; it lacks the volume cushion that lets larger exporters ride out a quiet quarter.
The June rebound, however, hints that some of those headwinds may be easing. Whether the improvement reflects restocking by buyers, a seasonal pickup, or genuine recovery in end-demand is impossible to say from one month’s figures. What is clear is that the year-on-year growth recorded in June suggests export activity improved toward the end of the reporting period — a far better place to end the half than to begin it.
For Uruguayan tanners and exporters, the path forward hinges on the things the country already does well: quality, traceability and reliability. In a market where buyers are increasingly selective, a premium supplier that can demonstrate consistent standards has a structural advantage even when volumes dip. The challenge is converting that reputation into resilient order books when the broader cycle is soft.
The first half of 2026 will be remembered in Montevideo as a period of contraction with a late, tentative bright spot. If June’s momentum carries into the second half, Uruguay could yet close the year closer to 2025 levels — proving once again that in leather, as in weather, the outlook can change quickly when the winds shift.
Source: Leather News
