France Trade Deficit Widens Beyond Forecast

2026-09-08 07:04 By Kyrie Dichosa 1 min. read

France’s trade deficit widened to €6.7 billion in July 2026 from €5.8 billion in June, exceeding the expected €6.0 billion shortfall.

Imports rose 1.8% month-on-month to €61.3 billion, driven by higher purchases of transport equipment (+6.6%), natural hydrocarbons and other extractive products (+7.0%), and publishing and communication products (+13.5%).

By origin, imports increased from the Middle East (+64.0%), the EU (+0.9%) and Asia (+1.2%), while declining from Africa (-6.0%) and the Americas (-1.3%).

Meanwhile, exports rose at a softer 0.3% to €54.7 billion, led by natural hydrocarbons and other extractive products (+14.5%), other industrial products (+1.4%), and agricultural, forestry and aquaculture products (+0.1%), while transport equipment (-0.9%) and mechanical, electronic and computer equipment (-0.4%) declined.

By destination, exports increased to the EU (+3.4%) and the Middle East (+7.0%), while shipments to Africa (-4.1%), the Americas (-0.7%) and Asia (-1.6%) fell.



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France Trade Deficit Widens Beyond Forecast
France’s trade deficit widened to €6.7 billion in July 2026 from €5.8 billion in June, exceeding the expected €6.0 billion shortfall. Imports rose 1.8% month-on-month to €61.3 billion, driven by higher purchases of transport equipment (+6.6%), natural hydrocarbons and other extractive products (+7.0%), and publishing and communication products (+13.5%). By origin, imports increased from the Middle East (+64.0%), the EU (+0.9%) and Asia (+1.2%), while declining from Africa (-6.0%) and the Americas (-1.3%). Meanwhile, exports rose at a softer 0.3% to €54.7 billion, led by natural hydrocarbons and other extractive products (+14.5%), other industrial products (+1.4%), and agricultural, forestry and aquaculture products (+0.1%), while transport equipment (-0.9%) and mechanical, electronic and computer equipment (-0.4%) declined. By destination, exports increased to the EU (+3.4%) and the Middle East (+7.0%), while shipments to Africa (-4.1%), the Americas (-0.7%) and Asia (-1.6%) fell.
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France Trade Deficit Largest in a Year
France's trade deficit widened to €6.9 billion in May 2026 from €5.4 billion in April, exceeding expectations of a €5.2 billion shortfall. This marked the largest trade gap since April 2025, as exports fell 2.0% month-on-month to €53.6 billion, weighed down by lower shipments of mechanical, electrical, electronic and computer equipment (-4.4%) and natural hydrocarbons and other extractive products (-4.5%). By destination, exports declined to the EU (-0.9%), Africa (-17.0%), and the Americas (-3.2%), while rising to Asia (+9.9%) and the Middle East (+14.4%). Meanwhile, imports increased 0.7% to €60.5 billion, driven by higher purchases of refined petroleum products (+10.2%), transport equipment (+3.9%), other industrial products (+1.1%), and mechanical, electrical, electronic and computer equipment (+1.0%). By origin, imports rose from the EU (+1.1%) and the Middle East (+38.4%), remained broadly unchanged from Asia, and declined from the Americas (-3.8%) and Africa (-8.8%).
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