By THE PULSE NEWS MEXICO STAFF

Mexico’s exports fell by a whopping 9.34 percent in 2020 — the worst drop in the country’s foreign sales since 2009, when exports plunged by 21.16 percent compared to the previous year — according to figures released by the National Institute of Geography and Statistics (Inegi) on Wednesday, Jan. 27.

Mexico’s petroleum exports were among the worst hit in 2020, amounting to just $17.413 billion in sales, down by 32.6 percent in 2019.

In comparison, non-petroleum exports fell by 8 percent, to $400.257 billion during that same period.

Manufactured goods exports totaled $374.167 billion, a drop of 8.9 percent compared to the comparable figure for 2019.

Automotive sales were down by 16.8 percent.

Meanwhile, Mexico’s imports also decreased last year to just $383.2 billion, down 15.8 percent over 2019.

Overall, Mexico registered a trade surplus of $34.476 billion in 2020, compared to a $5.409 billion surplus in 2019.