Exports from the European Union to the United States fell by 30% in the first quarter of 2026, compared to the same period a year ago, new data from Eurostat has revealed.
According to the data, the EU imported €627.8 billion in goods from non-EU countries and exported €640.5 billion – a 1.7% increase in imports and a 0.1% decrease in exports compared to the previous quarter.
On a year-on-year basis – i.e. compared to the first quarter of 2025, both imports and exports decreased, by 3.3% and 8.8%, respectively.
Exports to the United States
Eurostat said EU exports to the US totalled €119.4 billion between January and March 2026, down 30.4% compared with the same period in 2025.
The US nevertheless remained the bloc’s largest export market, accounting for 18.6% of total EU exports.
The decline marked the steepest fall among the EU’s major export destinations, ahead of decreases to Türkiye (-8.2%) and China (-7.9%).
Import sources
China remained the EU’s largest import source, supplying €145.3 billion worth of goods during the quarter, equivalent to 23.1% of all imports.
The United States ranked second at €85.9 billion, followed by the United Kingdom with €39.5 billion (6.3%), Switzerland with €36.7 billion (5.8%) and Türkiye with €24.6 billion (3.9%).
Imports from the US also declined, falling 5.7% year-on-year during the quarter. Read more here.
