2026.02.0608:06:38UTC+00France Trade Gap Broadens in December

In December 2025, France experienced an increase in its trade deficit, reaching €4.8 billion compared to a revised €4.0 billion in November. Imports rose by 3.0% month-over-month to €57.9 billion, primarily driven by significant growth in transport equipment (up 10.3%), mechanical and electronic equipment (up 2.1%), and refined petroleum products (up 8.0%). Regionally, imports saw an uptick from the Middle East (up 24.6%), Asia (up 8.6%), the Americas (up 5.6%), and the European Union (up 0.3%), while they declined from Africa (down 4.1%).

On the export side, there was a 1.8% increase, bringing the total to €53.1 billion. This growth was propelled by mechanical and electronic equipment (up 6.3%), agri-food products (up 2.4%), and natural hydrocarbons (up 11.1%). However, there were decreases in exports of refined petroleum products (down 10.2%), transport equipment (down 2.2%), and agricultural products (down 2.5%). Regionally, exports increased to the Middle East (up 27.1%) and Asia (up 12.1%), but saw declines to the Americas (down 3.8%), Africa (down 3.3%), and the European Union (down 0.4%). Over the entire year, the overall trade deficit diminished slightly to €69.6 billion from €79.0 billion in 2024.