Czech Republic Trade Surplus Narrows Sharply

The trade surplus in the Czech Republic narrowed to CZK 15.5 billion in June 2026 from CZK 26.9 billion a year earlier, falling below market expectations of CZK 17.0 billion. Imports rose 14.9% year-on-year to a record CZK 449.2 billion, lifted by higher purchases of mineral fuels and lubricants (+27.9%), machinery and transport equipment (+19.0%), crude materials (+18.5%), animal and vegetable oils (+17.2%), and chemicals and related products (+16.6%). Meanwhile, exports grew 11.2% to CZK 464.7 billion, driven by higher sales of mineral fuels and lubricants (+82.2%), crude materials (+24.6%), beverages and tobacco (+14.4%), chemicals and related products (+13.7%), and machinery and transport equipment (+9.6%). In the first half of the year, the trade surplus reached CZK 107.8 billion, down from CZK 132.6 billion a year earlier, as imports outpaced exports, rising 6.6% and 5.2%, respectively.

The trade surplus in the Czech Republic narrowed to CZK 9.9 billion in May 2026 from CZK 10.9 billion a year earlier, coming in well above expectations of CZK 3.2 billion. Imports rose 6.0% year-on-year to CZK 405.7 billion, lifted by higher purchases of forestry and logging (+13.1%), fishing products (+21.7%), tobacco products (+13.2%), coke and refined petroleum (+59.3%), and printing and reproduction services of printed media (+28.9%). Meanwhile, exports grew 5.6% to CZK 415.6 billion, driven by higher sales of agriculture (+22.9%), metal ores (+15.3%), chemicals (+16.4%), and other transport equipment (+23.4%), partly offset by declines in coal and lignite (-43.4%), tobacco products (-20.6%), and food products (-1.4%). In the January–May period, the trade surplus reached CZK 87.7 billion, down from CZK 105.6 billion a year earlier, as imports outpaced exports, rising 5.0% and 3.8%, respectively.

The trade surplus in the Czech Republic sharply narrowed to CZK 6.8 billion in April 2026 from CZK 18.3 billion in the same month last year. Imports rose 8.9% year-on-year to CZK 427.3 billion, driven primarily by higher purchases of mineral fuels and lubricants (24.6%) and chemical and related products (14.4%). Meanwhile, exports increased 5.7% to CZK 434.1 billion, as gains in crude materials (5.9%), mineral fuels and lubricants (7.1%), and machinery and transport equipment (6.0%) partially offset declines in animal and vegetable oils (-10.2%), food and live animals (-1.8%), and beverages and tobacco (-0.6%). For the January-April period, the trade balance reached a surplus of CZK 77.3 billion, lower than the CZK 94.7 billion surplus recorded in the same period a year ago, with exports rising 3.4% and imports increasing 4.8%.