Stats: Slovakia Posts Trade Balance Deficit in July 2026

Bratislava, 8 September (TASR) - Slovakia's exports increased by 6.6 percent year-on-year (y-o-y) to €9.1 billion in July 2026, while imports rose by 9.4 percent to €9.1 billion, with both exports and imports posting the second-largest increase this year, according to preliminary data published by the Statistics Office on Tuesday. The faster growth in imports, however, pushed the trade balance into negative territory. Slovakia thus showed a trade balance deficit of €840,600 at the end of July, compare to a surplus of €216.5 million seen in the same month last year. In July 2026, machinery and transport equipment remained the most-frequently traded category, making up almost 60 percent of overall exports and 48 percent of overall imports. Almost 79 percent of Slovakia's exports went to other EU countries in July, and imports from them made up some 66 percent of the country's total imports. Exports to other EU countries grew by more than 7 percent y-o-y, with imports from them rising by nearly 13 percent. Exports to non-EU countries rose for the first time this year, going up by almost 7 percent. Imports from these countries were 4 percent higher than in July 2025. Slovakia had a positive trade balance with other EU-member countries, with surplus amounting to €1.2 billion in July, while it posted a deficit of over €1.2 billion with non-EU countries. In the first seven months of this year, meanwhile, exports rose by 3.4 percent y-o-y to €66.6 billion, while imports increased by 3.2 percent to €65 billion. Slovakia thus has a positive trade balance with a surplus reaching €1.7 billion seven months into 2026, while it showed a surplus of €1.5 billion for the same period of last year. ko