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Exports and imports increase in February 2026, trade deficit remains high
2026-03-17 18:29:36 / EKONOMI&SOCIALE
According to data published by INSTAT , during February 2026, foreign trade in goods in Albania has increased in both exports and imports, while the trade deficit continues to remain considerable.
Exports of goods reached the value of 30.9 billion lek, increasing by 2.8% compared to the same period a year earlier and by 15.8% compared to January 2026. On the other hand, imports of goods reached 68.0 billion lek, with an increase of 0.8% compared to February 2025 and 17.6% compared to the previous month.
As a result, the trade deficit for February reached 37.1 billion lek. This level represents a slight decrease of 0.8% compared to a year earlier, but a significant increase of 19.2% compared to January 2026.
In the analysis of the structure of exports, the annual growth of 2.8% was positively influenced mainly by the group “Minerals, fuels, electricity”, with a contribution of +6.3 percentage points, as well as by “Machinery, equipment and spare parts” with +0.7 percentage points. Meanwhile, the groups “Food, beverages, tobacco” with -2.1 percentage points, “Textiles and footwear” with -1.1 percentage points and “Construction materials and metals” with -0.9 percentage points had a negative impact.
Regarding imports, the annual growth of 0.8% was positively influenced by “Machinery, equipment and spare parts” with +5.0 percentage points and “Food, beverages, tobacco” with +0.9 percentage points. In contrast, the groups “Minerals, fuels and electricity” (-3.6 percentage points), “Construction materials and metals” (-1.3 percentage points) and “Chemical and plastic products” (-1.1 percentage points) had a negative impact.
In terms of trading partners, during February 2026, Albanian exports recorded the largest increase towards Kosovo by 37.1% and Germany by 34.7%. Meanwhile, the largest declines in exports were recorded towards Italy by 5.1% and Spain by 42.3%.
For imports, the largest increase was recorded from China with 53.9% and Kosovo with 36.5%, while decreases were recorded in imports from Italy with 5.5% and Turkey with 20.7%.
Trade with European Union countries continues to occupy the main share in Albania's trade exchanges, accounting for 56.3% of the total. Exports to EU countries represent 70.3% of total exports, while imports from the EU constitute 49.9% of total imports./ ekofin.al
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