Mercado Libre economic impact in Latin America

Mercado Libre released its ‘Efecto MELI’ report, which details the economic and social impact of its ecosystem in 2025. In Argentina, the platform’s activities generated more than US$ 5.4 billion in added value, accounting for approximately 1% of the national GDP and supporting 126,500 direct and indirect jobs.

The report notes that over 3.5 million small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurs operated on the platform in Argentina, with 42,000 new sellers joining during the year. For 67% of these new sellers, the platform represented their first experience with online sales. Additionally, nearly half of the Argentine SMEs using the platform utilized artificial intelligence tools for the first time in 2025 to improve product images and video content.

Further details indicate the ecosystem’s impact extends across Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Mexico. Financially, the company reported record Q2 revenue exceeding US$ 10.17 billion, a 50% year-over-year increase. While operating income experienced temporary compression due to investments in free shipping in Brazil and the expansion of a credit portfolio that now exceeds US$ 16 billion, the company maintains a merchant scale of over 2.7 million SMEs within its ecosystem.