Cyprus Posts Largest Trade Deficit in Over a Year
2026-06-09 10:00
By
Erika Ordonez
1 min. read
Cyprus’ trade deficit widened to EUR 1,007.0 million in April 2026 from EUR 797.2 million a year earlier, according to preliminary estimates.
This marked the largest trade deficit since December 2024, as imports rose while exports fell.
Total imports jumped 15.1% year-on-year to an over one-year high of EUR 1,370.7 million, lifted by higher purchases from non-EU countries, which climbed 61.2%, while EU imports decreased 12.9%.
Imports included the transfer of economic ownership of vessels valued at EUR 240.4 million, up from EUR 146.2 million in April last year.
Meanwhile, total exports declined 7.6% to EUR 363.6 million, weighed by reduced shipments to non-EU countries, which dropped 14.2%, offsetting an increase in exports to EU markets of 9.6%.
Vessel transfers were valued at EUR 33.8 million, compared with EUR 32.8 million in April 2025.
From January to April 2026, the trade shortfall increased to EUR 3,057.1 million from EUR 2,674.6 million in the corresponding period of 2025.