Kosovo sells little and buys much: imports near €5 billion in eight months, trade deficit €4.25 billion

Kosovo’s trade gap continues to deepen. During the first eight months of 2026, imports reached 4 billion and 970 million euros, while exports were only 726.5 million euros, pushing the trade deficit to 4.25 billion euros — excluding services — as KosovaPress reports, based on official Kosovo Customs data.

Compared to the first eight months of 2025, when the deficit was around 3.73 billion euros, the gap has grown by about 520 million euros. Meanwhile, against 2024, when the deficit reached 3.43 billion euros, the imbalance has widened by over 800 million euros.

Imports peaked in July at 717 million euros, followed by August with 665.4 million euros. China (674.7 million euros) and Germany (670.2 million euros) lead as the main suppliers of the Kosovar market, while domestic exports go mainly toward North Macedonia (119.3 million euros) and Albania (118.7 million euros).

The trend is not new. For all of 2025, imports hit a record 7.11 billion euros against exports of 943 million euros, according to Kosovo Customs director Agron Llugaliu. Import coverage by exports was about 14% in the first eight months of 2025, from 15.1% in 2024.

The data show that, despite export growth, even larger import growth has deepened the trade imbalance. Kosovo remains an economy that sells little and buys much, and the main challenge remains strengthening production capacities and increasing the competitiveness of domestic products in foreign markets.