Switzerland Balance of Trade

Last Release

Nov 30, 2024

Actual

3,958.59

Units In

CHF Million

5,990.85

Frequency

Monthly

Next Release

Jan 30, 2025

Time to Release

1 Months 8 Days 12 Hours

Highest	Lowest	Average	Date Range	Source
5,990.85 Oct 2024	-1,478.68 Aug 1989	316.23 CHF Million	1950-2024	Swiss Customs Administration

In 2019, the Swiss trade surplus widened 19 percent from the previous year to CHF 37 billion, as both imports and exports reached new records despite global trade tensions, Brexit uncertainty and Hong Kong protests. The biggest trade surpluses were recorded with the US, India, the UK, China, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore; and the largest deficits were recorded with the UAE, Germany, Ireland, Italy and Thailand.

Latest Updates

The trade surplus in Switzerland narrowed to CHF 4.0 billion in November 2024, down from a record CHF 6.0 billion in October. Month-on-month, exports dropped 11% to CHF 21.7 billion, driven by lower sales of chemical and pharmaceutical products (-15.2%), food and beverages (-11.5%), and machinery and electronic products (-8.3%). Among trading partners, demand fell significantly in Slovenia (-49.2%), Egypt (-23.3%), South Africa (-19.3%), and the UK (-18.2%). Meanwhile, imports declined by a softer 3.6% to CHF 17.8 billion, reflecting reduced purchases of chemical and pharmaceutical products (-10.4%), jewelry (-9%), and watches (-4.2%). By trading partner, imports decreased notably from Hong Kong (-36.6%), Slovenia (-22.7%), and Russia (-15.1%). For January to November, the trade surplus widened to CHF 43.3 billion, up from CHF 33.8 billion in the same period last year.