CAIRO - 6 April 2026: Egypt’s trade deficit expanded by 15 percent in January 2026, reaching $4.8 billion, compared with $4.2 billion in the same month of 2025, according to data released by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS).
The agency said Egypt’s exports fell by 20.3 percent to $3.6 billion in January 2026, down from $4.5 billion a year earlier. The decline was mainly attributed to lower exports of several commodities, including pasta and assorted food preparations, which slipped by 0.4 percent, fertilizers by 47.1 percent, primary plastics by 21.3 percent, and dry legumes by 47.8 percent.
On the other hand, exports of several products recorded growth, led by fresh fruit, which rose by 35.1 percent, petroleum products by 17.5 percent, ready-made garments by 7.3 percent, and iron bars, rods, angles, and wires by 5.6 percent.
Meanwhile, imports declined by 3.2 percent to $8.4 billion in January 2026, compared with $8.7 billion in January 2025. The drop was largely driven by lower imports of petroleum products, down 26.5 percent, iron and steel raw materials by 10.2 percent, wheat by 11 percent, and primary plastics by 16.4 percent.
At the same time, imports of some goods increased, most notably natural gas, which rose by 3.6 percent, corn by 39.4 percent, passenger cars by 40.9 percent, and soybeans by 6.1 percent.
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