Finland sees €981m trade deficit in August

The trade balance showed a deficit of EUR 981 million in August 2026, according to the international trade in goods statistics released by Finnish Customs on Thursday.

In January-August 2026, the trade balance had accumulated a deficit of EUR 2.7 billion.

The value of Finnish exports of goods increased by 22.1 per cent year-on-year in August to EUR 6.3 billion. Export volume increased by 9.5 per cent and export prices rose by 11.5 per cent year-on-year.

The value of imports increased by 22.0 per cent in August to EUR 7.3 billion. Import prices increased by 13.5 per cent and import volume by 6.9 per cent compared to August 2025.

In January-August, the total value of exports increased by 11.5 percent, and the volume of exports grew by 3.3 percent. The value of imports grew by 16.6 percent and the volume of imports by 7.6 percent compared to January-August of the previous year.

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, crude oil and refined petroleum products, ores and metal scrap as well as for food and beverages.

The terms of trade declined in August compared to the corresponding month of 2025 as import prices rose more than export prices. The point figure in August was 98.9, while it was 100.6 in August 2025. The terms of trade declined also from July 2026.

The value of exports of capital goods grew by 11.9 per cent in August. The value of exports of industrial supplies grew by 22.2 per cent year-on-year. The value of exports of fuels and lubricants decreased by 6.4 per cent. The value of exports of consumer goods increased by 210.9 per cent. The value of exports of transport equipment and parts increased by 3.2 percent. The value of exports of food and beverages increased by 4.8 percent.

The volume of exports to EU member states decreased by 5.3 per cent but exports to other countries increased by 30.6 per cent in August.

The volume of imports from EU member states decreased by 3.4 per cent but increased from other countries by 20.0 per cent. In January–August, the volume of exports to EU countries decreased by 2.6 percent but grew to non-EU countries by 10.8 percent. The volume of imports from EU countries increased by 4.1 percent and from non-EU countries by 11.9 percent in January-August.