France's trade deficit expanded to €6.6 billion in September 2025, marking the largest shortfall in three months, increasing from €5.2 billion in August and surpassing expectations of €5.9 billion. Export activities saw a slight growth of 0.1% from the previous month, totaling €51.9 billion. This marginal increase was propelled by substantial gains in refined petroleum products, which surged by 19.0%; mechanical equipment, which rose by 6.1%; and agricultural products, which saw a modest rise of 1.6%. However, these gains were nearly negated by significant declines in the export of transport equipment, which fell by 8.6%, and natural hydrocarbons, which plummeted by 20.9%.
In terms of destination, exports rose to the European Union by 4.1% and Asia by 0.9%. However, exports to the Middle East and the Americas decreased by 22.5% and 1.2%, respectively, with the latter being negatively impacted by tariffs imposed by the United States. On the other side, imports rose by 2.5% to reach €58.5 billion, fueled by increased purchases of natural hydrocarbons, up by 14.5%; mechanical equipment, which climbed by 3.8%; and refined petroleum, which increased by 3.2%. In contrast, there was a decline in agricultural products and transport equipment imports, which fell by 2.6% and 2.7%, respectively.
From a regional perspective, imports surged from Asia by 5.5% and the Americas by 3.9%, while imports from Africa and the Middle East saw reductions of 14.1% and 0.1%, respectively.
