Albania Trade Gap Narrows in April

Albania’s trade deficit narrowed to ALL 44 billion in April 2026 from ALL 45.8 billion in the same month a year earlier. Exports jumped 16.9% year-on-year to ALL 34.9 billion, driven by higher shipments of construction materials and metals (+48.7%), machinery, equipment, and spare parts (+11.9%), and food, beverages, and tobacco (+8.4%). Among key trading partners, exports increased the most to Kosovo (+26%) and Germany (+28.9%), while sales to Spain (-20.6%) and Italy (-3.8%) declined. Meanwhile, imports rose 4.4% to ALL 79 billion, lifted by stronger purchases of minerals, fuels, and electricity (+24.3%), food, beverages, and tobacco (+12.6%), and textiles and footwear (+4.7%). Imports increased primarily from China (+18.9%) and Italy (+3.8%), while declining from Germany (-3.6%) and Turkey (-0.8%).

Albania’s trade deficit widened to ALL 47.6 billion in March 2026 from ALL 42.4 billion in the same month a year earlier. Imports rose by 8.8% year-on-year to ALL 80.3 billion, driven by higher purchases of machinery, equipment and spare parts (13.3%%), food, beverages and tobacco (8.9%), chemical and plastic products (9.5%), and construction materials and metals (10.5%). Among key trading partners, imports increased most from China (33.3%) and Germany (15.3%). Meanwhile, exports grew at a slower pace of 4.1% to ALL 32.7 billion, supported by stronger sales of minerals, fuels and electricity (26%), machinery, equipment and spare parts (14.5%), and construction materials and metals (4.2%), but partly offset by weaker shipments of textiles and footwear (-6.3%) and food, beverages and tobacco (-5.2%). Exports increased primarily to Kosovo (7.2%) and Greece (38.3%), while declining to Italy (-7%) and Spain (-74.3%).

Albania’s trade deficit narrowed slightly to ALL 37.1 billion in February 2026 from ALL 37.4 billion in the same month a year earlier. Exports grew by 2.8% year-on-year to ALL 30.9 billion, driven by higher shipments of minerals, fuels, electricity (+31.1%) and machinery equipment, spare parts (6.4%), partly offset by lower sales of food, beverages, tobacco (-14.4%) and construct materials and metals (-6.6%). Exports mainly increased to China (+91.7%), Kosovo (37.1%), Germany (34.7%), and North Macedonia (27.7%), while it decreased to Ukraine (-74%) and Switzerland (-72.1%). Meanwhile, imports rose at a softer 0.8% to ALL 68 billion, with increased purchases of machinery equipment, spare parts (21.5%) and food, beverages, tobacco (5.7%), mitigated by minerals, fuels, electricity (-30.6%) and construct materials and metals (-9.5%). Imports grew from Russia (165.5%), China (53.9%), and Kosovo (36.5%), while it declined from Ukraine (-30.8%) and Spain (-25.1%).