Slovakia Posts Trade Surplus of €560.8 Mn in May 2025

Bratislava, 9 July (TASR) – Slovakia exported goods worth €9.4 billion in May 2025, according to preliminary data, representing a year-on-year increase of 3.1 percent, whereas imports declined by 1.9 percent to €8.8 billion, which resulted in a trade surplus of €560.8 million - the highest since June last year, the Statistics Office reported on Wednesday. Eight out of ten export categories showed annual growth, with the most significant increase - more than 27 percent - recorded in the category of miscellaneous industrial products. On the import side, six out of ten categories saw a decline, led by a drop of over 22 percent in mineral fuels, which includes crude oil, electricity, and natural gas. Machines and transport equipment remained the most traded category in Slovakia’s foreign trade, accounting for nearly 62 percent of total exports and around 49 percent of total imports in May. More than 77 percent of Slovakia’s May exports went to EU member states, from which nearly 67 percent of imports also originated. Exports to the EU rose by about 3 percent year-on-year, while imports from the EU increased by 1 percent. Exports to non-EU countries grew by 5 percent, whereas imports from those countries fell by over 7 percent. Slovakia recorded a surplus of over €1.3 billion in trade with EU countries, but a deficit of more than €768 million in trade with non-EU countries. In the first five months of 2025, exports rose by 4.4 percent year-on-year to €46.2 billion, while imports increased by 8 percent to €45.4 billion. The trade surplus stood at €764.5 million, compared to nearly €2.2 billion in surplus during the same period in 2024. For the January–April 2025 period alone, exports increased by 4.7 percent to €36.8 billion, and imports grew by 10.6 percent to €36.6 billion, resulting in a surplus of €203.7 million. In the same four-month period last year, the trade balance had a surplus of almost €2.1 billion. mf