Albania, between a "booming" China and a "fading" Italy/ Exports increase in May. Meanwhile, the trade deficit narrows
In May 2025, Albanian exports returned to a positive trend, reaching 35 billion lek, with a modest increase of 1.2% compared to May of last year and 6% compared to April of the same year. This increase was mainly supported by the “Minerals, fuels and electricity” groups, which contributed positively with 6.2 percentage points to the increase, as well as by the exports of food products and clothing. However, a negative impact on the total was had by the “Construction materials and metals” group, which took 5.8 percentage points off exports. For the entire five-month period January-May, exports reached 168 billion lek, with an annual increase of 2.1%.
On the other hand, imports for May reached 78 billion lek, decreasing by 2.1% compared to last May, but marking an increase of 2.6% compared to the previous month. This annual decrease was mainly influenced by the contraction of imports of “minerals and energy” as well as “construction materials and metals”. In contrast, imports of food products, chemicals and textiles increased. In the period January-May, imports decreased to 355 billion lek, with an annual decrease of 2.4%.
Overall, the trade deficit for the five-month period narrowed by over 6%, reflecting more savings in imported goods than a significant increase in those sold abroad. However, it remains high in value at 187 billion lekë, which shows that Albania continues to be a country that imports much more than it exports.
In the breakdown by country, the strongest growth in exports in May was recorded towards Kosovo with 51.5%, Turkey with 53.2% and Spain, while exports to Italy, Greece and Germany contracted. Regarding imports, in addition to the growth from China with 25.1%, an increase was also recorded from Greece and Germany, while Italy and Turkey recorded a decrease. Trade exchanges with European Union countries account for 57% of the total volume, with Italy holding 27% of the market, but the influence of China and the countries of the region is constantly increasing. This picture shows a slow but steady movement towards the diversification of trading partners and a decrease in dependence on European imports, especially for industrial and construction goods.
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