The euro area recorded a trade surplus of €18.40 billion in October 2025, according to Eurostat, marking a remarkable increase from €7.10 billion in the same month the previous year.
- The euro area recorded a trade surplus of €18.40 billion in October 2025, according to Eurostat, marking a remarkable increase from €7.10 billion in the same month the previous year.
This surge was primarily attributed to a rise in exports alongside a notable decline in imports. Exports of goods from the euro area totalled €258.00 billion in October 2025, reflecting a 1.0 per cent increase compared to the €255.50 billion seen in October 2024. In contrast, imports fell by 3.6 per cent to €239.60 billion, down from €248.40 billion in the previous year.
Interestingly, the trade balance for October 2025 remained consistent with September 2025’s figure of €18.40 billion. While the surplus for chemicals and related products saw a decrease from €28.50 billion in September to €18.40 billion in October, improvements in other sectors helped sustain the overall balance.
A significant factor in this positive trade balance was the energy sector, where the deficit reduced dramatically from €-24.70 billion in October 2024 to €-17.00 billion in October 2025. This shift contributed an impressive €11.30 billion improvement in the overall balance compared to the previous year.
For the first ten months of 2025, the euro area accumulated a total trade surplus of €144.60 billion, slightly up from €141.40 billion during the same timeframe in 2024. Exports during this period reached €2.46 trillion, a 2.9 per cent rise year-on-year, while imports climbed to €2.32 trillion, reflecting a 3.0 per cent increase.
Intra-euro area trade also showed promising growth, rising to €2.20 trillion from January to October 2025, an increase of 1.6 per cent compared to the previous year. The European Union as a whole mirrored this strong performance, achieving a trade surplus of €14.70 billion in October 2025, up from €3.10 billion in the same month of 2024.
Extra-EU exports in October 2025 amounted to €227.50 billion, a slight decline of 0.6 per cent from the €228.90 billion reported in October 2024. However, imports from outside the EU saw a sharper drop, falling by 5.8 per cent to €212.80 billion from €225.80 billion the previous year.
Despite the monthly surplus for the EU decreasing from €15.40 billion in September to €14.70 billion in October, the overall balance still improved by €11.60 billion compared to October 2024. This improvement was largely due to reductions in deficits for energy products and manufactured goods.
From January to October 2025, the cumulative surplus for the EU reached €116.70 billion, slightly higher than the €116.30 billion recorded in the same period in 2024. Extra-EU exports rose to €2.22 trillion, a 2.6 per cent increase from the previous year, while imports also increased to €2.10 trillion, a 2.8 per cent rise.
Seasonally adjusted data revealed a decrease in both euro area and EU exports and imports in October 2025 compared to September. Euro area exports fell by 4.6 per cent and imports by 3.3 per cent, resulting in a seasonally adjusted surplus of €14.00 billion, down from €18.00 billion in September. For the EU, seasonally adjusted exports decreased by 5.6 per cent and imports by 4.3 per cent, leading to a balance of €11.80 billion, a decline from the previous month.
In the three months from August to October 2025, euro area exports to non-EA countries saw a slight rise of 0.1 per cent, while imports dropped by 2.2 per cent. Intra-euro area trade increased by 0.4 per cent during the same period. Conversely, EU exports to non-EU countries fell by 0.6 per cent, while imports decreased by 2.9 per cent, with intra-EU trade growing by 0.7 per cent.
