Malta’s trade deficit narrowed to EUR 296 million in August 2026, down from EUR 372 million in August 2025, marking the smallest gap since March. The improvement was driven by a 19.0% year-on-year increase in exports to EUR 481.4 million, supported by strong growth in shipments of food (+20.7%), crude materials (+111.1%), mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials (+43.7%), and machinery and transport equipment (+26.8%).
Imports edged up by 0.1% to EUR 777.1 million, as higher purchases of mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials (+43.9%) and miscellaneous manufactured articles (+12.2%) more than offset declines in imports of food (-15.0%), animal and vegetable oils and fats (-33.3%), and chemicals (-32.7%).
Over the January–August period, Malta posted a trade deficit of EUR 2,838 million, an improvement from EUR 3,462 million recorded in the same period a year earlier.
