Albania Trade Gap Largest in 5-Months

2026-06-17 10:14 By Mariene Camarillo 1 min. read

Albania’s trade deficit widened to ALL 48.2 billion in May 2026 from ALL 45.8 billion in the same month a year earlier, marking the largest shortfall in five months.

Exports rose 2.8% year-on-year to ALL 32.7 billion, driven by higher shipments of food, beverages, and tobacco (+17.5%), construction materials and metals (+16.5%), and machinery, equipment, and spare parts (+10.5%).

Among key trading partners, exports increased the most to Austria (+106.7%), China (+170.2%), and Turkey (+74.6%), while sales to Spain (-21.6%), Macedonia (-14.1%), and Switzerland (-10.6%) declined.

Meanwhile, imports grew 4.1% to ALL 80.9 billion, lifted by stronger purchases of minerals, fuels, and electricity (+40.2%), chemicals and plastic products (+6.4%), and wood and paper products (+6.4%).

Imports increased significantly from Switzerland (+115.9%), followed by Russia (+49.4%), China (+29.2%), and Kosovo (+22.3%), while purchases dropped from Croatia (-22.9%), Macedonia (-22.0%), and Spain (-18.9%).



News Stream
Albania Trade Gap Largest in 5-Months
Albania’s trade deficit widened to ALL 48.2 billion in May 2026 from ALL 45.8 billion in the same month a year earlier, marking the largest shortfall in five months. Exports rose 2.8% year-on-year to ALL 32.7 billion, driven by higher shipments of food, beverages, and tobacco (+17.5%), construction materials and metals (+16.5%), and machinery, equipment, and spare parts (+10.5%). Among key trading partners, exports increased the most to Austria (+106.7%), China (+170.2%), and Turkey (+74.6%), while sales to Spain (-21.6%), Macedonia (-14.1%), and Switzerland (-10.6%) declined. Meanwhile, imports grew 4.1% to ALL 80.9 billion, lifted by stronger purchases of minerals, fuels, and electricity (+40.2%), chemicals and plastic products (+6.4%), and wood and paper products (+6.4%). Imports increased significantly from Switzerland (+115.9%), followed by Russia (+49.4%), China (+29.2%), and Kosovo (+22.3%), while purchases dropped from Croatia (-22.9%), Macedonia (-22.0%), and Spain (-18.9%).
2026-06-17
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%).
2026-05-18
Albania Trade Gap Widens in March
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%).
2026-04-17