Trade balance posts €880m deficit in May

The trade balance showed a deficit of EUR 880 million in May 2026, according to the international trade in goods statistics released by Finnish Customs on Thursday.

In January-May 2026, the trade balance had accumulated a deficit of EUR 3.0 billion.

The aggregated trade surplus decreased for industrial machinery and equipment, chemical forest industry products and metals.

Trade in chemical industry products showed a surplus compared to previous year.

The aggregated trade deficit increased for electrical machinery and equipment, transport equipment, crude oil and refined petroleum products, ores and metal scrap as well as for food and beverages.

According to the statistics, the value of Finnish exports of goods increased by 7.6 per cent year-on-year in May.

The value of Finnish exports was EUR 6.4 billion. Export volume decreased by 3.3 per cent and export prices rose by 11.6 per cent year-on-year.

The value of imports increased by 22.4 per cent to EUR 7.3 billion. Import prices increased by 13.2 per cent and import volume by 9.3 per cent compared to May 2025.

In January-May, the total value of exports increased by 9.0 percent, and the volume of exports grew by 2.1 percent. The value of imports grew by 14.9 percent and the volume of imports by 7.7 percent compared to January-May of the previous year.

The terms of trade declined in May compared to the corresponding month of 2025 as import prices rose more than export prices.

The point figure in May was 98.8, while it was 100.2 in May 2025. The terms of trade improved from April 2026.

The value of exports of capital goods grew by 6.8 per cent in May. The value of exports of industrial supplies grew by 2.7 per cent year-on-year.

The value of exports of fuels and lubricants increased by 18.2 per cent. The value of exports of consumer goods increased by 74.9 per cent and the value of exports of transport equipment and parts grew by 1.0 percent. The value of exports of food and beverages increased by 7.6 percent.

The volume of exports to EU member states decreased by 10.5 per cent but exports to other countries increased by 7.9 per cent in May.

The volume of imports from EU member states increased by 3.9 per cent and from other countries by 16.1 per cent.

In January–May, the volume of exports to EU countries decreased by 2.8 percent but grew to non-EU countries by 9.7 percent. The volume of imports from EU countries increased by 5.5 percent and from non-EU countries by 10.5 percent in January-May.

Earlier this month, the customs in its preliminary statistics said that the trade balance was in deficit of EUR 910 million in May 2026.