Italy’s trade surplus remained relatively stable in March 2026 compared to the same month last year, standing at €4.7 billion, but was below market expectations of €5.2 billion. Exports rose by 7.4% year-on-year to €61.7 billion, driven by stronger sales for basic metals and fabricated metal products, excluding machinery and equipment (38.6%), coke and refined petroleum products (55.0%), motor vehicles (15.8%), computers, electronic and optical equipment (17.5%), pharmaceutical, chemical, medicinal, and botanical products (4.6%), and machinery and equipment, nec (3.3%). Switzerland was the top export destination (84.6%), followed by France (9.2%), Germany (8.0%), Spain (12.6%), and China (23.9%). Meanwhile, imports grew by 8.0% to €57.0 billion, amid increased purchases of metals, motor vehicles, and electronics. Imports from both the EU (8.1%) and non-EU countries (9.1%) went up. source: National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT)

Italy recorded a trade surplus of 4709.09 EUR Million in March of 2026. Balance of Trade in Italy averaged 1370.47 EUR Million from 1991 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 9550.66 EUR Million in July of 2020 and a record low of -9558.37 EUR Million in August of 2022. This page provides the latest reported value for - Italy Balance of Trade - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news. Italy Balance of Trade - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on May of 2026.

Italy recorded a trade surplus of 4709.09 EUR Million in March of 2026. Balance of Trade in Italy is expected to be 5160.00 EUR Million by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the Italy Balance of Trade is projected to trend around 4900.00 EUR Million in 2027 and 5400.00 EUR Million in 2028, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-04-17 08:00 AM
Balance of Trade
Feb €4.944B €1.129B €3.83B €4.7B
2026-05-18 08:00 AM
Balance of Trade
Mar €4.709B €4.983B €5.2B €4.4B
2026-06-15 08:00 AM
Balance of Trade
Apr €4.709B


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Balance of Trade 4709.09 4983.12 EUR Million Mar 2026
Exports 61682.00 53839.00 EUR Million Mar 2026
Imports 56973.00 48856.00 EUR Million Mar 2026
Terms of Trade 108.00 107.20 points Mar 2026
Tourist Arrivals 4578273.00 3639629.00 Persons Mar 2026


Italy Balance of Trade
Italy consistently records trade surpluses, although soaring energy costs in 2022 inflated the price of purchases and drove the Italian economy to import more than it exports during a short period. Italy’s main exports include base metals, chemicals, transportation equipment, and pharmaceutical goods, while the main imports are machinery and energy. The largest exporting partners are France, Germany, and the United States, while the main importing partners are Germany, France, China, and OPEC nations.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
4709.09 4983.12 9550.66 -9558.37 1991 - 2026 EUR Million Monthly
Current Prices, NSA

News Stream
Italy Trade Surplus Steady in March
Italy’s trade surplus remained relatively stable in March 2026 compared to the same month last year, standing at €4.7 billion, but was below market expectations of €5.2 billion. Exports rose by 7.4% year-on-year to €61.7 billion, driven by stronger sales for basic metals and fabricated metal products, excluding machinery and equipment (38.6%), coke and refined petroleum products (55.0%), motor vehicles (15.8%), computers, electronic and optical equipment (17.5%), pharmaceutical, chemical, medicinal, and botanical products (4.6%), and machinery and equipment, nec (3.3%). Switzerland was the top export destination (84.6%), followed by France (9.2%), Germany (8.0%), Spain (12.6%), and China (23.9%). Meanwhile, imports grew by 8.0% to €57.0 billion, amid increased purchases of metals, motor vehicles, and electronics. Imports from both the EU (8.1%) and non-EU countries (9.1%) went up.
2026-05-18
Italy Trade Surplus Above Forecasts
Italy’s trade surplus widened to €4.9 billion in February 2026 from €4.4 billion in the same month last year and above expectations of €3.8 billion. Exports fell 0.2% year-on-year to €53.8 billion, reflecting a decline in shipments to EU countries (-2.9%), while those to non-EU markets rose (+2.8%). Individually, exports declined to Germany (-15.4%), Spain (-15.3%), Turkey (-27.0%), and the UK (-13.6%), while increasing to Switzerland (+33.2%), the US (+8.0%), and OPEC countries (+14.5%). Sector-wise, export declines were led by transport equipment (-22.1%) and refined petroleum products (-18.2%), partly offset by strong gains in basic metals (+30.7%). Meanwhile, imports fell 1.3% to €48.8 billion, with a larger drop from EU partners (-2.0%) than non-EU countries (-0.3%). Specifically, arrivals fell from Belgium (-21.9%), Spain (-4.4%), and Russia (-60.5%). Among commodities, imports dropped the most in mineral extraction (-30.1%) and coke and refined petroleum products (-16.6%).
2026-04-17
Italy Trade Balance Swings to Surplus
Italy recorded a trade surplus of €1.09 billion in January 2026, a sharp reversal from a €0.29 billion deficit in the same month last year, as imports fell much faster than exports. However, the figure fell short of market expectations of a €5.6 billion surplus. Imports declined 7.4% year-on-year to €45.41 billion, largely due to reduced purchases of manufacturing products (-4.4%) and basic metals (-4.9%). Imports from non-EU countries (-13.9%) dropped more sharply than those from EU countries (-2.0%). Exports fell 4.6% to €46.50 billion, weighed down by lower sales of manufacturing goods (-4.6%) and machinery and equipment, nec (-7.3%). Among key trading partners, exports to France (-7.5%), the US (-6.7%), Germany (-4.8%), and the UK (-12.3%) declined, while shipments to Switzerland (15.5%), China (14.6%), and Austria (5.1%) increased.
2026-03-20