Stats Slovakia Posted Trade-balance Surplus of €580.6 million in May 2026

Bratislava, 8 July (TASR) - Slovakia's exports increased by 2.3 percent year-on-year (y-o-y) to €9.6 billion in May 2026, while imports rose by 1.7 percent to €9.1 billion, with the y-o-y growth rate of exports exceeding that of imports for the third consecutive month, according to preliminary data published by the Statistics Office on Wednesday. Slovakia thus posted a trade balance surplus of €580.6 million in May, up €58.8 million from the same period in 2025 and the highest since June 2023. Concerning the structure of exports, eight of the ten categories recorded annual increases, with the main contributor being a more than 68-percent increase in the category of mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials, which includes energy commodities. Conversely, the most traded category, i.e. machinery and transport equipment (including cars), dropped by more than 2 percent y-o-y. On the import side, half of the ten categories saw increases, with the most significant impact coming from the category of chemicals and related products, which rose by nearly 17 percent y-o-y. In May 2026, machinery and transport equipment remained the most-frequently traded category, making up more than 60 percent of overall exports and nearly 48 percent of overall imports. Almost 79 percent of Slovakia's exports went to other EU countries in May, and imports from them made up some 67 percent of the country's total imports. Exports to other EU countries grew by more than 4 percent y-o-y, with imports from them rising by more than 5 percent. Exports to non-EU countries declined by more than 4 percent, while imports from them were 5 percent lower than in May 2025. Foreign trade with other EU-member countries recorded a surplus of almost €1.5 billion in May, while it posted a deficit of some €900 million with non-EU countries. In the first five months of this year, meanwhile, exports rose by 1.8 percent y-o-y to €47.4 billion, while imports increased by 0.9 percent to €46.1 billion. Overall, foreign trade posted a surplus of €1.3 billion, while for the same period in 2025 the surplus stood at €875.9 million. According to revised figures for the first four months of this year, Slovakia's exports increased by 1.7 percent y-o-y to €37.8 billion, while imports rose by 0.7 percent to €37.1 billion. Foreign trade posted a surplus of €712.6 million, compared to a surplus of €354.2 million for the same period in 2025. jrg