France’s trade deficit narrowed to €5.6 billion in April 2026 from €6.4 billion in March, coming in better than market expectations of a €6.5 billion gap. The improvement was mainly driven by stronger exports, which rose 3.1% month-on-month to €54.6 billion.
By product category, export growth was led by transport equipment (+5.9%), mechanical, electrical, electronic and computer equipment (+5.8%), and other industrial products (+0.2%). These gains more than offset declines in exports of natural hydrocarbons (-8.7%) and agri-food products (-1.1%).
Geographically, exports increased to all major regions: the European Union (+1.1%), Asia (+2.7%), the Americas (+0.6%), Africa (+0.4%), and the Middle East (+8.7%).
Imports also rose, but at a slower pace, gaining 1.5% to €60.2 billion. This was supported by higher purchases of natural hydrocarbons (+5.4%) and other industrial products (+2.5%), while imports of transport equipment (-2.8%) and refined petroleum products (-3.3%) declined.
By region, imports grew from Africa (+20.4%), Asia (+6.1%), and the Americas (+2.4%). In contrast, they fell sharply from the Middle East (-60.7%) and edged down from the European Union (-0.2%).
