Malta’s international trade deficit widened in June 2025 as imports surged and exports slipped, reversing the previous trend. Provisional figures published by the National Statistics Office (NSO) show the goods trade gap reaching €426.8 million, up from €350.6 million in June 2024.
Imports climbed by €67.6 million to €798.5 million, driven largely by higher spending on machinery and transport equipment, which rose by €51.4 million, and on mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials, which increased by €36.6 million. On the export side, goods sales abroad fell by €8.6 million to €371.7 million. The decline was led by a €26.3 million drop in machinery and transport equipment, partly offset by a €21.3 million rise in chemical exports.
Despite June’s deterioration, the first half of 2025 paints a more positive picture. Between January and June, Malta’s trade deficit narrowed by €44.9 million compared to the same period last year, settling at €1,926.8 million. Imports fell by €256.1 million to €4,108.1 million, while exports were down by €211.2 million to €2,181.3 million. The decline in imports was mainly due to lower outlays on mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials, which dropped by €184.6 million, and machinery and transport equipment, which fell by €105.1 million. These reductions were partly offset by an increase of €55.2 million in chemicals.
On the exports side, the most notable decreases were registered in machinery and transport equipment, down by €203.5 million, and in mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials, down by €65.2 million. These losses were partially cushioned by a €29.6 million rise in miscellaneous transactions and commodities.
The European Union remained Malta’s primary trading partner, accounting for 60 per cent of imports and 35.3 per cent of exports in the first six months of the year. Asia followed with 20.6 per cent of imports and 12.9 per cent of exports. The Netherlands recorded the largest increase in goods sold to Malta, up by €108.4 million, while imports from Italy fell by €128.3 million. On the export front, sales to Turkey rose by €77.9 million, whereas exports to the United States dropped by €118.1 million.
When excluding specific trade categories such as fuels, aircraft and confidential items, Malta recorded a goods trade deficit of €170.6 million in June, an improvement from €239.4 million a year earlier. This reflected an 11.9 per cent drop in imports to €416.1 million and a 5.5 per cent rise in exports to €245.6 million. Over the first half of the year, however, the deficit in this category widened by €17 million to €1,407.8 million, as imports inched up by 0.3 per cent and exports edged down by 0.6 per cent.
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