Kosovo Posts Largest Trade Deficit on Record

2026-08-24 10:46 By Joana Ferreira 1 min. read

Kosovo’s trade deficit widened to a record €615.7 million in July 2026, up from €576.4 million in July 2025, as both imports and exports reached all-time highs.

Imports rose 9.1% to €720.5 million, driven by increases from EU countries (up 7.2%, notably Germany, Italy, and Poland), CEFTA nations (up 11.5%, led by North Macedonia, Albania, and Serbia), and third countries (up 10.3%, primarily Turkey and China).

Key import categories included mineral products (15.7% of total imports), prepared foods, beverages, and tobacco (13.3%), and machinery and electrical equipment (12.4%).

Exports surged 25.0% to €104.8 million, fueled by growth in shipments to the EU (up 9.6%, mainly Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands), CEFTA countries (up 27.4%, including North Macedonia, Albania, Serbia, and Montenegro), and third countries (up 47.4%, primarily Switzerland).

Top export categories were base metals (27.8%), prepared foods, beverages, and tobacco (12.7%), and plastics and rubber (10.1%).



News Stream
Kosovo Posts Largest Trade Deficit on Record
Kosovo’s trade deficit widened to a record €615.7 million in July 2026, up from €576.4 million in July 2025, as both imports and exports reached all-time highs. Imports rose 9.1% to €720.5 million, driven by increases from EU countries (up 7.2%, notably Germany, Italy, and Poland), CEFTA nations (up 11.5%, led by North Macedonia, Albania, and Serbia), and third countries (up 10.3%, primarily Turkey and China). Key import categories included mineral products (15.7% of total imports), prepared foods, beverages, and tobacco (13.3%), and machinery and electrical equipment (12.4%). Exports surged 25.0% to €104.8 million, fueled by growth in shipments to the EU (up 9.6%, mainly Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands), CEFTA countries (up 27.4%, including North Macedonia, Albania, Serbia, and Montenegro), and third countries (up 47.4%, primarily Switzerland). Top export categories were base metals (27.8%), prepared foods, beverages, and tobacco (12.7%), and plastics and rubber (10.1%).
2026-08-24
Kosovo Trade Deficit Widens in June
Kosovo recorded a trade deficit of €578.3 million in June 2026, widening from a €498.3 million in the same month a year earlir. Imports rose 17.6% year-on-year to EUR 680.3 million, driven by broad-based increases, with mineral products (15.2%), machinery and electrical equipment (13.0%), and transport equipment (12.0%) accounting for the largest shares. China (15.1%), Germany (13.3%), and Turkey (11.6%) remained the country's leading suppliers. Exports increased at a faster annual pace of 26.9% to EUR 102.0 million, supported by widespread gains, led by base metals and related products (27.4%) and prepared food, beverages, and tobacco (12.7%). North Macedonia (16.7%), Albania (14.3%), Germany (10.1%), and Switzerland (10.0%) were the main export destinations. In the first six months of 2026, Kosovo's cumulative trade deficit widened to EUR 3.09 billion.
2026-07-23
Kosovo Trade Gap Widens in May
Kosovo recorded a trade deficit of EUR 544.4 million in May 2026, widening from EUR 523.4 million in the corresponding month a year earlier. Imports increased 5.6% year-on-year to EUR 638.6 million, supported by stronger purchases of mineral products (15.2%), food, beverages, and tobacco (12.6%), machinery, mechanical and electrical equipment (12.0%), and base metals and related articles (10.8%). Germany (13.1%), Italy (8.8%), and Poland (4.1%) were the country's main import partners. Meanwhile, exports rose 15.7% to EUR 94.1 million, driven by higher shipments of base metals and articles (27.5%), plastics, rubber and related products (11.1%), food, beverages, and tobacco (10.7%), and miscellaneous manufactured goods (8.9%). Exports expanded to Germany (9.9%), Italy (4.9%), and the Netherlands (2.7%). In the first five months of 2026, Kosovo's trade deficit rose to EUR 2,514.2 million, compared with EUR 2,416.9 million in the same period a year earlier.
2026-06-24