# Euro area trade surplus widens to €14.2 billion in July as exports rise 9% > Eurostat's first estimate shows the surplus for January to July at €17.0 billion, down from €92.8 billion a year earlier, as imports outpaced exports. The EU's deficit with China reached €36.5 billion in July. - Canonical URL: https://forextradingcommunity.com/news/euro-area-trade-surplus-july-2026/ - Type: Data - Published: 2026-09-15 - Updated: 2026-09-15 - Publisher: Forex Trading Community (https://forextradingcommunity.com), FTC Editorial Team - Currencies: EUR Eurostat published its first estimate of July 2026 trade in goods on Tuesday 15 September. The euro area recorded a €14.2 billion surplus with the rest of the world, compared with €10.7 billion in July 2025. ## Euro area: July 2026 Compared with July 2025, before seasonal adjustment: - **Trade surplus**: €14.2 billion, up from €10.7 billion - **Exports**: €276.0 billion, up 9.0% - **Imports**: €261.8 billion, up 7.9% ## Euro area: January to July - **Trade surplus**: €17.0 billion, compared with €92.8 billion in January to July 2025 - **Exports**: €1,763.6 billion, up 1.2% - **Imports**: €1,746.6 billion, up 5.8% Imports have grown almost five times as fast as exports this year, and the cumulative surplus is €75.8 billion smaller than in 2025. In July exports grew faster than imports, which is why the monthly surplus widened even as the year-to-date figure stayed low. ## Month on month, seasonally adjusted Seasonally adjusted figures are the ones to compare with the previous month: - **Euro area**: exports up 1.2% and imports down 0.4% from June, lifting the surplus to €5.0 billion from €1.0 billion - **European Union**: exports up 1.2% and imports down 0.7%, narrowing the deficit to €1.4 billion from €5.9 billion ## European Union: July 2026 For all 27 EU members, compared with July 2025: - **Trade surplus**: €8.0 billion, down from €9.8 billion - **Exports**: €247.1 billion, up 7.8% - **Imports**: €239.1 billion, up 9.0% ## The EU's main trading partners in July Eurostat reports trade by partner for the EU as a whole. Changes are against July 2025. - **United States**: exports €49.1 billion (+10.7%), imports €31.2 billion (−1.9%), surplus €17.9 billion - **United Kingdom**: exports €31.8 billion (+3.1%), imports €14.0 billion (−1.3%), surplus €17.8 billion - **Switzerland**: exports €20.5 billion (+14.2%), imports €13.9 billion (+18.3%), surplus €6.6 billion - **China**: exports €17.4 billion (−1.6%), imports €53.9 billion (+8.0%), deficit €36.5 billion The two largest balances point in opposite directions: the surplus with the United States and the deficit with China. China's own customs figures showed exports up 25% in August and a $119 billion surplus ([report](/news/china-exports-august-2026/)), and the US trade deficit widened to $88.6 billion in July ([report](/news/us-trade-deficit-july-2026/)). ## Products: energy imports up 30% In Eurostat's product breakdown for the EU, compared with a year earlier: - **Chemicals**: exports up 11.2% - **Machinery and vehicles**: exports up 4.6% - **Energy**: imports up 30.3% Higher energy import bills are consistent with the energy prices behind August's 3.3% euro area inflation rate ([report](/news/euro-area-inflation-august-2026-flash/)) and Brent crude above $100 a barrel ([report](/news/brent-crude-above-100-september-2026/)). ## What it means for the euro Net exports added 0.9 percentage points to euro area growth in the second quarter ([GDP report](/news/euro-area-gdp-q2-2026/)). The July surplus is larger than a year earlier, but the smaller cumulative surplus shows how rising import costs, energy above all, have eaten into it in 2026. Monthly goods trade data rarely moves the euro on the day, because it arrives six weeks after the month ends and covers goods only, not services or investment income. [Trade balance and current account explained](/news/trade-balance-and-current-account-explained/) covers when deficits and surpluses matter for a currency. The same morning, ZEW's September survey showed German economic sentiment at +34.7 ([report](/news/zew-economic-sentiment-september-2026/)). The ECB raised its deposit rate to 2.50% on 10 September ([report](/news/ecb-raises-interest-rates-september-2026/)), and live prices are on the [EUR/USD](/markets/eur-usd/) page. ## Sources - [Eurostat: Euro area international trade in goods surplus €14.2 bn (July 2026, first estimate)](https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-euro-indicators/w/6-15092026-ap) ## Common questions ### What is the euro area trade balance? The euro area had a €14.2 billion surplus in trade in goods with the rest of the world in July 2026, compared with €10.7 billion in July 2025, according to Eurostat's first estimate. For January to July 2026 the surplus was €17.0 billion, down from €92.8 billion a year earlier. ### Is there a trade deficit between the US and the EU? In goods, the EU had a €17.9 billion surplus with the United States in July 2026, which means the US had a goods deficit with the EU. EU exports to the US were €49.1 billion and imports from the US €31.2 billion. These Eurostat figures cover goods only, not services. ### What is the EU's trade balance with China? The EU had a €36.5 billion deficit in goods trade with China in July 2026. EU exports to China fell 1.6% to €17.4 billion, while imports from China rose 8.0% to €53.9 billion. --- This article is for information only and is not financial advice. Trading forex and CFDs carries a high risk of losing money.