Swiss Trade Surplus Expands in January

Switzerland’s trade surplus widened to CHF 3.6 billion in January 2026, from a downwardly revised CHF 2.9 billion in December, as exports rose while imports decreased. Exports grew 2.3% month-on-month to CHF 23.0 billion, driven mainly by chemical and pharmaceutical exports, which rose 4.9% after a 10.6% decline in December. Exports of machinery, electronics, and equipment also increased (2.0%). By destination, shipments to Europe went up 5.3%, while exports to Asia (-3.5%) and North America (-7.2%) dropped. Specifically, exports to the US dropped 7.1%, despite a tariff cut on Swiss goods from 39% to 15% in mid-November. Meanwhile, imports decreased 0.9% to CHF 19.4 billion, largely due to reduced purchases of machinery, electronics, and equipment (-1.1%) and vehicles (-6.2%), which offset a modest rise in chemical and pharmaceutical imports (0.1%). Imports from Europe fell 0.2%, with purchases from Eurozone dropping 1.3% and those from non-Eurozone down 8.6%.

Switzerland’s trade surplus narrowed to CHF 3 billion in December 2025, from an upwardly revised CHF 3.9 billion in November. Imports fell 1% month-on-month to CHF 19.5 billion, driven by a decline in chemical and pharmaceutical products (-1.4%), which offset gains in machinery, electronics, and equipment (1.3%) and food, feed, and luxury food products (1.1%). Imports from Europe decreased 2%, with Eurozone countries down 1.4% and non-Eurozone countries falling 3.5%. Meanwhile, exports dropped 4.5% month-on-month to CHF 22.5 billion, primarily due to lower sales of chemical and pharmaceutical products, which fell 10.7%. Exports to the US declined 22.4%, reversing a 7.6% gain in November. However, US-bound exports for 2025 still rose 3.9% to hit a record CHF 54.7 billion, despite President Trump’s 39% tariff, which was the highest among advanced economies. For the full year, Switzerland’s trade surplus reached CHF 54.3 billion, with exports increasing 1.4% and imports rising 4.5%.

Switzerland's trade surplus widened to CHF 3 billion in November 2025, from a downwardly revised CHF 2.5 billion in the previous month. This marked the largest surplus since August, as exports rose 1.6% month-over-month to CHF 22.8 billion, led by higher sales of chemical and pharmaceutical products (1.5%), machinery and electronics (1.5%), and watches (0.3%). Exports to the US grew 7.6%, rebounding from a 6.9% drop in October, following a recent Swiss-US agreement that cut US tariffs from 39% to 15% in exchange for a $200 billion investment pledge from Swiss companies and improved market access for certain American agricultural products. Meanwhile, imports fell 0.8% month-on-month to CHF 19.8 billion, mainly due to lower purchases of chemical and pharmaceutical products (–6.4%) and food and luxury food products (–1.2%). Imports from Europe declined 1.3%, with Eurozone countries down 1.4% and non-Eurozone countries falling 4.2%.