Netherlands drives biggest import increase as Italy records steepest drop – NSO

Malta’s international trade flows continued to shift markedly in the first ten months of 2025, with official data showing significant changes in both import and export partners.

According to the National Statistics Office’s latest International Trade in Goods release, the largest increase in imports between January and October 2025 was registered from the Netherlands, which rose by €148.7 million. In contrast, Italy recorded the sharpest reduction in imports, falling by €202.5 million over the same period.

The data reflects broader trends in Malta’s sourcing patterns. The European Union remains Malta’s dominant import region, accounting for 61.5 per cent of all inbound goods, but individual country movements show notable rebalancing. While imports from the Netherlands strengthened, declines from Italy and other major suppliers contributed to an overall drop in total imports for the period.

On the export side, Turkey experienced the highest increase, with Malta’s exports to the country growing by €66.1 million during the first ten months of 2025. Meanwhile, the United States saw the largest decrease, with shipments dropping by €115.6 million.

Exports remained more geographically diversified than imports, although the EU still accounted for 36.7 per cent of total outbound goods. The contrasting performances of Turkey and the United States underscore shifting demand for key Maltese export categories, especially in industrial supplies and machinery.

Overall, Malta recorded a narrower trade deficit for January–October 2025, driven by reductions in both imports and exports. But the directional data suggests evolving economic ties, with trade movements increasingly influenced by changes in specific sectors, cost structures, and global supply chain dynamics.

These shifts come against a backdrop of notable movements in Malta’s major non-EU markets, particularly the United States. Malta’s trade relationship with the US cooled considerably in 2025, with exports for January–September falling to €116.6 million, down from €233.7 million in the same period of 2024 – a drop of roughly 50 per cent.

This decline follows an exceptional rebound in 2024, when exports to the US jumped by €146 million, reaching a record €272 million for the full year. The latest data therefore indicates a normalisation after an unusually strong year, rather than a sustained contraction. On a longer view, exports to the US in 2025 still remain 24 per cent higher than in 2023, underscoring the country’s continued relevance as one of Malta’s key non-EU trading partners.

Such fluctuations largely reflect the volatile composition of Malta’s export mix, which is strongly influenced by re-exports of fuel, pharmaceuticals and specialised manufactured goods – sectors highly sensitive to shifts in global demand and supply chain cycles.