France Balance Commerciale

France’s trade deficit narrowed sharply to €3.9 billion in October 2025 from €6.4 billion in September, well below expectations of €6.8 billion and marking the smallest gap since December 2024. Exports slipped 0.5% month-on-month to €51.7 billion, weighed down by lower sales of agricultural and aquaculture products (-3.0%), mechanical and electronic equipment (-3.8%), and other industrial goods (-1.8%). By region, exports fell to the EU (-4.9%), the Americas (-6.4%), and Africa (-1.8%), while shipments surged to the Middle East (+65.5%) and Asia (+6.2%). Meanwhile, imports declined at a faster 4.6% to a four-year low of €55.6 billion, with broad-based drops across most categories, including natural hydrocarbons (-23.8%), agricultural products (-7.5%), transport equipment (-3.8%), and refined petroleum (-3.1%). Regionally, imports decreased across all major partners, the EU (-3.6%), Africa (-2.1%), the Americas (-10.1%), Asia (-4.5%), and the Middle East (-14.5%).