France Trade Gap Smallest Since 2009

2026-03-10 08:03 By Kyrie Dichosa 1 min. read

France’s trade deficit narrowed sharply to €1.8 billion in January 2026, from a revised €4.3 billion in December and well below the expected €4.6 billion gap.

This marked the smallest deficit since July 2009, as exports rose 0.7% month-on-month to €53.4 billion, supported by gains in transport equipment (+0.8%), natural hydrocarbons and electricity (+16.2%), and publishing and communication products (+43.3%).

By region, exports increased to the European Union (+3.8%), Europe outside the EU (+0.2%), and the Americas (+0.2%), but declined to Asia (-5.8%), Africa (-5.1%), and the Middle East (-36.9%).

Meanwhile, imports fell 3.6% to €55.3 billion, driven by lower purchases of transport equipment (-9.6%), natural hydrocarbons and electricity (-10.6%), and other industrial products (-2.2%).

Purchases declined from most regions, including Asia (-6.7%), Europe outside the EU (-6.1%), the Americas (-3.9%), and Africa (-17.0%), while imports from the EU edged down slightly (-0.6%).



News Stream
France Trade Gap Smallest Since 2009
France’s trade deficit narrowed sharply to €1.8 billion in January 2026, from a revised €4.3 billion in December and well below the expected €4.6 billion gap. This marked the smallest deficit since July 2009, as exports rose 0.7% month-on-month to €53.4 billion, supported by gains in transport equipment (+0.8%), natural hydrocarbons and electricity (+16.2%), and publishing and communication products (+43.3%). By region, exports increased to the European Union (+3.8%), Europe outside the EU (+0.2%), and the Americas (+0.2%), but declined to Asia (-5.8%), Africa (-5.1%), and the Middle East (-36.9%). Meanwhile, imports fell 3.6% to €55.3 billion, driven by lower purchases of transport equipment (-9.6%), natural hydrocarbons and electricity (-10.6%), and other industrial products (-2.2%). Purchases declined from most regions, including Asia (-6.7%), Europe outside the EU (-6.1%), the Americas (-3.9%), and Africa (-17.0%), while imports from the EU edged down slightly (-0.6%).
2026-03-10
France Trade Gap Broadens in December
France’s trade deficit widened to €4.8 billion in December 2025 from a revised €4.0 billion in November. Imports rose 3.0% month-on-month to €57.9 billion, led by transport equipment (+10.3%), mechanical and electronic equipment (+2.1%), and refined petroleum products (+8.0%). By region, imports increased from the Middle East (+24.6%), Asia (+8.6%), the Americas (+5.6%), and the EU (+0.3%), but fell from Africa (-4.1%). Meanwhile, exports grew 1.8% to €53.1 billion, supported by mechanical and electronic equipment (+6.3%), agri-food products (+2.4%), and natural hydrocarbons (+11.1%), partially offset by declines in refined petroleum products (-10.2%), transport equipment (-2.2%), and agricultural products (-2.5%). Regionally, exports rose to the Middle East (+27.1%) and Asia (+12.1%), but fell to the Americas (-3.8%), Africa (-3.3%), and the EU (-0.4%). For the full year, the trade gap narrowed slightly to €69.6 billion from €79.0 billion in 2024.
2026-02-06
France Trade Deficit Widens in November
France’s trade deficit widened to €4.2 billion in November 2025 from a revised €3.5 billion in November, in line with expectations. Imports rose 2% month-on-month to €56.4 billion, led by agricultural products (+10.0%), mechanical equipment (+2.7%), and other industrial products (+1.8%). By region, imports increased from Africa (+32.5%), the Middle East (+14.4%), and Asia (+2.6%), but fell from the Americas (-0.7%) and the EU (-0.2%). Meanwhile, exports grew more moderately by 0.8% to €52.2 billion, supported by stronger sales of agricultural products (+2.3%), mechanical and electronic equipment (+1.3%), and transport equipment (+0.3%). These were partially offset by declines in shipments of refined petroleum products (-12.3%), agri-food products (-0.3%), and publishing and communication products (-2.7%). Regionally, exports rose to the EU (+2.9%), Africa (+3.6%), and the Americas (+12.0%), but fell to the Middle East (-28.6%) and Asia (-3.0%).
2026-01-08