EuroWire, LUXEMBOURG: The European Union recorded a €28.4 billion surplus in trade in goods with non-EU countries in the fourth quarter of 2025, as exports exceeded imports, according to figures released by Eurostat. On a seasonally adjusted basis for October through December, extra-EU exports totaled €643.0 billion and imports €614.6 billion, producing the quarterly surplus and extending a run of positive quarterly balances.
Eurostat said extra-EU imports in the fourth quarter fell 1.4% from the previous quarter, while exports declined 0.8%. It marked the third consecutive quarter in which both flows decreased on a seasonally adjusted basis. The figures cover trade in goods between the EU and partners outside the bloc, excluding trade among EU member states.
The quarterly surplus continued a trend established in the third quarter of 2023, when the EU’s extra-EU goods balance turned positive after a stretch of deficits linked to higher energy costs from late 2021 through mid-2023. Eurostat’s seasonally adjusted series shows the goods balance has remained in surplus since that shift, even as quarterly exports and imports have eased more recently.
Eurostat’s breakdown by major product groups shows large surpluses in chemicals and related products and in machinery and vehicles, partly offset by a sizable deficit in energy products. In the fourth quarter, chemicals and related products posted a surplus of €49.3 billion, while machinery and vehicles recorded a €42.3 billion surplus. Food, drinks and tobacco added a €10.8 billion surplus, and other goods a €7.1 billion surplus.
Trade balance by product group
Deficits were concentrated in energy, other manufactured goods, and raw materials, Eurostat said. The energy deficit totaled €62.7 billion in the fourth quarter, while other manufactured goods registered an €11.0 billion deficit and raw materials a €7.5 billion deficit. Eurostat said products are grouped using the Standard International Trade Classification, which includes categories such as energy products, chemicals including pharmaceuticals and plastics, machinery and transport equipment, and other manufactured goods.
Separate monthly data for December 2025 showed a surplus of €12.9 billion in extra-EU trade in goods, compared with a €14.2 billion surplus in December 2024. Eurostat reported exports to non-EU countries of €214.8 billion in December, up 2.2% from a year earlier, while imports totaled €201.9 billion, up 3.0%. For the full year 2025, the EU recorded a €133.5 billion surplus, down from €140.6 billion in 2024.
Eurostat’s monthly product detail for December indicated that the year-on-year narrowing of the EU’s surplus reflected a smaller balance in several categories alongside an improved energy deficit. The chemicals and related products surplus fell to €16.2 billion from €19.7 billion a year earlier, while the machinery and vehicles surplus slipped to €16.3 billion from €18.3 billion. Other manufactured goods shifted from a €1.0 billion surplus to a €1.9 billion deficit, while the energy deficit narrowed to €21.9 billion from €28.0 billion.
Reporting schedule and definitions
Eurostat said member states transmit trade-in-goods statistics monthly, and EU aggregates are compiled using reported data and, where necessary, estimates. The agency noted that the figures underpinning the quarterly release were based on information transmitted before 10 February 2026 and are provisional. Eurostat said the compilation framework follows Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1197, and that the data are typically available within 40 days after the end of the reference month.
Alongside extra-EU trade, Eurostat’s latest monthly release also reported that intra-EU trade rose to €4,142.9 billion in January through December 2025, up 2.6% from the same period in 2024. On a seasonally adjusted basis, intra-EU trade increased 0.6% in the last quarter of 2025 compared with the previous three months. Eurostat said its quarterly series provides a consistent view of changes in EU goods trade flows and balances over time.