The Catalan trade deficit exceeds 7,700 million due to the increase in imports
Catalan purchases abroad climbed to 59,500 million euros in the first half
BarcelonaCatalonia imports much more than it exports, and the trend has worsened in recent months. According to foreign trade data published this Tuesday by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, the Principality imported products and services worth 59,501 million euros between January and June, a 2.3% increase year-on-year; and sold outside the State's borders for about 51,795 million euros, a 1.3% increase compared to a year earlier. This differential leaves the country's trade balance at a negative 7,705 million euros, a deterioration of close to 700 million euros compared to the first half of 2025, when the deficit stood at 7,062 million. This represents an increase of 9.1%.
Looking at the data for June alone, the export gap is even more pronounced: according to the ministerial report, exports in the sixth month of the year grew by 2.9%, to 9,287 million euros; far from imports, which soared by more than 10%, reaching a record level of 10,678 million. Thus, the country's trade deficit soared to 1,390 million euros, more than double that of the same month in 2025, when it was just under 675 million euros.
The trend is replicated in the State: according to the ministry's foreign trade report, Spain imported goods worth approximately 233,914 million euros, 5.2% more than in the first half of 2025; and registered exports of just over 201,000 million, an increase of 2%. As in the Catalan case, the unequal growth of trade flows has sunk the balance, which shows a negative differential of 32,780 million euros, a jump of more than 7,600 million compared to the first six months of 2025, when a negative balance of 25,112 million euros was reported.
Regarding the month of June, Spain registered exports worth 35,545 million euros, 5.3% more than in the same month last year; while imports also reached historic highs, with 43,232 million euros (+15.7%). Thus, the Spanish trade deficit in the sixth month of the year grew to 7,687 million euros.
Chemistry saves the deficit
The podium of Catalan products that have concentrated the most commercial activity during the first six months of the year has been the expected one: chemical products, capital goods, and the agri-food sector. However, only chemistry has managed to avoid the trade deficit that has marked the economy as a whole.
According to ministry data, the Principality exported chemical products worth 14,680 million euros between January and June, a decrease of 6.1% year-on-year; while it imported around 12,244 million euros from companies in the sector, 4.2% less than in 2025. Thus, Catalan chemistry registered a trade surplus of 2,463 million euros. This is not the case for capital goods, with a negative balance of 2,790 million, nor for food, which imports about 446 million euros more than it exports.
The Spanish sectoral distribution was slightly different, with capital goods as the leading exporting sector: this segment registered around 39,134 million euros in sales abroad, 4.2% more year-on-year; while it bought from outside the State for more than 55,255 million, 7.9% more. Unlike the Catalan case, chemical products do not manage to maintain a positive trade balance for Spain as a whole, with a deficit of more than 4,242 million euros. The agri-food sector does achieve this, with around 38,606 million euros in exports and 29,250 million euros in imports, a positive differential of 9,356 million euros.