Italy's April 2026 exports rise 8.8% year‑on‑year, trade surplus widens

Italy's foreign trade data for April 2026 show exports increasing 8.8% in value and 3.5% in volume compared with a year earlier. On a monthly basis, exports fell 2.2% while imports slipped 0.6%, with declines observed in both the EU and extra‑EU markets.

Export growth was strongest in non‑EU markets, up 12.0% versus 5.9% in the EU. Leading destination countries delivering the biggest export gains were Switzerland (+39.4%), the United States (+12.1%) and China (+36.2%). Key sectors contributing to the rise included base metals (+32.9%), refined petroleum products (+52.0%), chemicals (+10.5%), automobiles (+16.1%) and electrical equipment (+10.4%).

The trade surplus for April reached €4.293 million, up from €2.448 million in the same month of 2025. The energy import deficit widened to €5.169 million, reflecting higher prices for energy and intermediate goods. Over the February‑April quarter, export growth outpaced import growth (3.2% vs 1.4%). Import values rose 5.5% overall, driven by higher purchases of metals and crude oil, and import prices increased 3.3% month‑on‑month and 4.6% year‑on‑year.