France Balance of Trade

Last Release

Sep 30, 2024

Actual

-8,266

Units In

EUR Million

-7,371

Frequency

Monthly

Next Release

Dec 06, 2024

Time to Release

26 Days 7 Hours

Highest	Lowest	Average	Date Range	Source
2,674 Oct 1997	-17,486.7 Sep 2022	-1,920.56 EUR Million	1970-2024	N/A

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. In 2017, the biggest trade deficits were recorded with: China & Hong Kong, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Belgium; while the biggest trade surpluses were recorded with: the Middle East, the UK, Africa and Switzerland.

Latest Updates

The trade gap in France widened to €8.3 billion in September 2024 from a downwardly revised €7.7 billion gap in August and above forecasts of a €6.5 billion shortfall. It is the largest deficit since October 2023, as exports dropped by 1.4% to €48.59 billion, their lowest level since May 2022. The main drag came from sales of industrial products (-0.9%), transport equipment (-7.9%), natural hydrocarbons and other extractive industries, electricity, and waste (-9.3%), as well as refined petroleum products and coke (-21.3%). Exports fell across key regions: the European Union (-0.7%), Asia (-3.7%), and the Americas (-1.9%). Meanwhile, imports declined by 0.3% to €56.85 billion, driven by reduced purchases of mechanical, electrical, electronic, and computer equipment (-4.4%) and agricultural, forestry, fishing, and aquaculture products (-1.8%). Regionally, imports from the EU dropped by 0.4%, from the Americas by 2.5%, and from Africa by a significant 15.8%.