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%). source: Ministère de l'Économie et des Finances

France recorded a trade deficit of 1843.50 EUR Million in January of 2026. Balance of Trade in France averaged -2006.26 EUR Million from 1970 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 2674.00 EUR Million in October of 1997 and a record low of -16354.00 EUR Million in September of 2022. This page provides the latest reported value for - France Balance of Trade - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news. France Balance of Trade - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on March of 2026.

France recorded a trade deficit of 1843.50 EUR Million in January of 2026. Balance of Trade in France is expected to be -5140.00 EUR Million by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the France Balance of Trade is projected to trend around -5900.00 EUR Million in 2027 and -6100.00 EUR Million in 2028, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-02-06 07:45 AM
Balance of Trade
Dec €-4.8B €-4B €-4.1B €-3.9B
2026-03-10 07:45 AM
Balance of Trade
Jan €-1.8B €-4.3B €-4.6B €-3.4B
2026-04-08 06:45 AM
Balance of Trade
Feb €-1.8B €-1.4B


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Balance of Trade -1843.50 -4297.80 EUR Million Jan 2026
Current Account 2101.00 137.00 EUR Million Jan 2026
Exports 53429.70 53044.40 EUR Million Jan 2026
Imports 55273.10 57342.20 EUR Million Jan 2026


France Balance of Trade
Since 2004, France has been recording trade deficits due the gradual erosion of the export-oriented industry, the appreciation of the euro and the increasing dependency on imports of energy and manufactured products. The biggest trade deficits were recorded with: China, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Belgium; while the biggest trade surpluses were recorded with: the United States, the United Kingdom, the Middle East, and Switzerland.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
-1843.50 -4297.80 2674.00 -16354.00 1970 - 2026 EUR Million Monthly

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