12.10.202609:25:11UTC+00Malta Trade Deficit Narrows to 5-Month Low

Malta’s trade deficit narrowed to EUR 296 million in August 2026, down from EUR 372 million in August 2025, marking the smallest gap since March. The improvement was driven by a 19.0% year-on-year increase in exports to EUR 481.4 million, supported by strong growth in shipments of food (+20.7%), crude materials (+111.1%), mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials (+43.7%), and machinery and transport equipment (+26.8%).

Imports edged up by 0.1% to EUR 777.1 million, as higher purchases of mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials (+43.9%) and miscellaneous manufactured articles (+12.2%) more than offset declines in imports of food (-15.0%), animal and vegetable oils and fats (-33.3%), and chemicals (-32.7%).

Over the January–August period, Malta posted a trade deficit of EUR 2,838 million, an improvement from EUR 3,462 million recorded in the same period a year earlier.