France's trade deficit narrowed to €7.1 billion in November 2024, down from a revised €7.5 billion in October, slightly better than the anticipated €7 billion shortfall.
France's trade deficit falls to €7.1B in November
This marked the smallest trade gap in four months, driven by a 2.9% month-on-month increase in exports to €50.1 billion. Key contributors to export growth included higher sales of natural hydrocarbons, other extractive industry products, electricity, waste (+52.1%), and transport equipment (+7.2%). Export gains were seen across most regions except the Americas (-4.4%), with notable increases in the European Union (+2%), Africa (+5.5%), the Middle East (+11.8%), and Asia (+8.1%).
Imports rise 1.8% to €57.2B, driven by transport equipment and agri-food
Meanwhile, imports rose at a slower rate of 1.8% to €57.2 billion, with significant growth in purchases of transport equipment (+7.9%) and agri-food products (+2.6%). Import growth was recorded across all major regions: the European Union (+0.7%), Africa (+5.5%), the Americas (+1.9%), the Middle East (+8.5%), and Asia (+4.8%).
