FX.co ★ France Trade Deficit Largest in 8 Months

In May 2025, France's trade deficit expanded to €7.8 billion, aligning closely with market forecasts and a marginally adjusted €7.7 billion deficit in April. This represents the most significant trade shortfall since the previous September. The widening gap resulted from a 0.3% decrease in exports, totaling €48.9 billion, largely due to diminished sales in natural hydrocarbons (-6.8%), publishing and communication goods (-2.8%), and various industrial products (-2.1%). Export reductions were observed in numerous regions, with notable declines in Asia (-14.1%), America (-6.4%), the Middle East (-2.5%), and Africa (-0.8%), although exports to the EU increased by 4.8%. On the import side, there was a slightly less pronounced decline of 0.2%, bringing the total to €56.7 billion. This was primarily influenced by lower purchases of natural hydrocarbons (-3.3%), publishing and communication products (-3.1%), and other industrial items (-1.1%). Regionally, imports decreased from the Americas (-5.4%), the Middle East (-2%), and Asia (-0.1%), but increased from Africa (+8.6%) and the EU (+1.3%).