Mercado Libre Expands Its Economic Impact Across Latin America in 2025
The 2026 Efeito Meli Impact Report brings together data from Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Mexico, highlighting the value generated by the company’s ecosystem across the region
Mercado Libre expanded its economic activity in 2025 across its four main markets – Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Mexico. The results of the Efeito Meli reports reinforce the regional scale of the company’s ecosystem and its contribution to businesses, entrepreneurs and workers.
Brazil accounts for the largest share, with an impact of approximately US$13.08 billion, equivalent to 0.7% of Brazil’s GDP in 2025. In Argentina, the impact reached more than US$5.4 billion, nearly 1% of GDP. In Mexico, it totaled more than US$5.54 billion, equivalent to 0.4% of GDP. In Chile, the impact exceeded US$690 million, representing 0.25% of GDP.
Impact translates into jobs and opportunities for SMEs
Mercado Libre’s presence in Latin America also helps create and sustain thousands of jobs across the four markets studied.
In 2025, Mercado Libre’s ecosystem supported more than 413,000 jobs in Brazil, 126,500 direct and indirect jobs in Argentina, over 136,800 in Mexico, and more than 14,600 in Chile.
Small and medium-sized businesses also stand out as one of the main drivers of this impact. In Argentina, more than 3.5 million SMEs and entrepreneurs are part of the ecosystem. In Brazil, the figure was 5.3 million, while Chile recorded more than 65,000 and Mexico more than 220,000 sellers among SMEs and entrepreneurs.
Digitalization expands opportunities for SMEs
The reports highlight Mercado Libre’s role as a gateway to digital commerce. In Argentina and Mexico, 67% and 68% of sellers, respectively, made their first online sales through the platform.
In Brazil, nearly 627,000 SMEs and entrepreneurs sold on the marketplace in 2025, including 160,000 individual entrepreneurs who operate primarily online. In Chile, more than 12,000 businesses began selling through the platform during the year.
Greater convenience in consumers’ everyday lives
The impact of Mercado Libre’s ecosystem is also reflected in consumers’ daily lives. In 2025, the platform was the first choice for product searches for 75% of buyers in Brazil and Chile, 84% in Argentina, and 82% in Mexico. In addition, 59% of Brazilians, 72% of Argentines, 53% of Chileans, and 62% of Mexicans turn to Mercado Libre to compare prices before using other platforms.
Mercado Pago has also helped transform the way consumers and businesses manage their money. More than 90% of users and sellers in Argentina reduced their use of cash after they began using the platform. In Brazil, this figure is nearly 90%, while it exceeds 86% in Chile and 80% in Mexico.
Learn more about the Efeito Meli – 2026 Impact Report and explore the full data on the impact of Mercado Libre’s ecosystem across Latin America.
