The euro area recorded a €12.4 billion surplus in trade in goods with the rest of the world in July 2025, compared with an €18.5 surplus in the corresponding month a year earlier, according to new estimates from Eurostat.
This was higher than the €8.0 billion surplus recorded in June 2025, however.
According to the data, the value of overall exports from the euro area to the rest of the world stood at €251.5 billion in July, up 0.4% compared with July 2024. Imports, meanwhile, increased by 3.1% to €239.1 billion.
The month-on-month increase in trade surplus was largely driven by higher surpluses in chemicals and related products, which rose from €15.4 billion to €17.4 billion, and in machinery and vehicles, which increased from €13.7 billion to €18.5 billion.
Compared to the corresponding month a year earlier, however, the surplus in chemicals and related products fell from €23.8 billion to €17.4 billion.
The year to date
Looking at the period from January to July 2025, the euro area reported a surplus of €106.9 billion, down from €120.4 billion in the same period of 2024.
Exports during this seven-month period rose by 3.5% to €1,739.3 billion, while imports grew by 4.7% to €1,632.4 billion. Intra-euro area trade increased by 1.6% to €1,549.8 billion, Eurostat noted.
European Union trade surplus
Taking the European Union as a whole, meanwhile, the trade surplus stood at €12.1 billion, compared with a surplus of €15.9 billion in July of last year.
Exports of goods outside the EU totalled €227.7 billion, a 0.5% decline on the year, while imports rose 1.2% to €215.6 billion.
On a month-on-month basis, segments to see a rise in surplus at an EU level included chemicals and related products, up from €14.5 billion to €16.6 billion, and in machinery and vehicles, which grew from €16.5 billion to €21.4 billion.
Compared with the same month the previous year, however, the chemicals surplus fell from €22.2 billion to €16.6 billion, while the deficit in other manufactured goods widened from €1.9 billion to €3.1 billion.
For the period from January to July 2025, the EU registered a trade surplus of €91.8 billion, down from €108.9 billion in the same period of 2024. Exports rose by 3.8% to €1,570.4 billion, while imports increased 5.3% to €1,478.6 billion, the data showed. Read more here.
