Egypt’s trade deficit widens to $4.9 bln in December – CAPMAS

Egypt’s trade deficit widened in December as imports outpaced exports, data from the state statistics agency CAPMAS showed on Thursday.

According to CAPMAS’s monthly foreign trade bulletin, the trade deficit rose 12.2 per cent year-on-year to $4.9 billion in December 2025, compared with $4.4 billion in the same month a year earlier.

Exports 

Exports increased 6.8 per cent to $4.6 billion in December from $4.3 billion a year earlier, supported by higher shipments of several key goods.

Exports of ready-made garments rose 19.3 per cent, while fresh fruit exports climbed 23.8 per cent. Shipments of pasta and other food preparations increased 14.9 per cent, and exports of pharmaceuticals and medicinal products edged up 0.2 per cent, CAPMAS data read.

However, the rise in exports was partly offset by declines in some key commodities. Exports of petroleum products fell 11.2 per cent while fertilisers edged down 35.5 per cent, and plastics in primary forms dropped 19 per cent. Exports of iron bars, rods, angles, and wires also plunged 56.5 per cent year-on-year.

Imports 

Imports rose 9.6 per cent to $9.5 billion in December, compared with $8.7 billion in the same month of 2024.

The increase was driven by higher purchases of several commodities, including natural gas, which surged 54.4 per cent, petroleum products, up 15.6 per cent, and raw materials of iron and steel, which rose 1.5 per cent. Imports of wheat also jumped 50 per cent, the data showed.

By contrast, imports of passenger cars fell 26.8 per cent, while purchases of organic and inorganic chemicals declined 18.7 per cent. Imports of refined oils slipped 4.6 per cent, and yarns made from vegetable or synthetic fibres dropped 6.8 per cent year-on-year.