Croatia’s trade deficit narrowed to EUR 1.34 billion in August 2026 from EUR 1.52 billion a year earlier, marking the smallest gap since February. The improvement reflected stronger exports alongside weaker imports. Exports rose 8.5% year-on-year to EUR 1.87 billion, their lowest level in seven months, while imports fell 1.1% to EUR 3.21 billion, also a seven-month low.
Over the first eight months of 2026, the trade deficit shrank to EUR 13.31 billion from EUR 13.66 billion in the same period a year earlier. Exports increased 9.5% to EUR 17.85 billion, supported by robust growth in shipments to both EU countries (up 12.5%) and non-EU markets (up 3.4%). During the same period, imports rose 3.9% to EUR 31.15 billion, driven mainly by higher purchases from EU partners (up 2.8%) and, even more notably, from non-EU countries (up 7.9%).
