Press release 23/10/2025

FOREIGN TRADE STATISTICS (ECOMEX). August 2025

Exports of goods from the Basque Country were down 29.0% in August 2025

In the cumulative period of the first eight months of 2025, exports decreased by 3%, dragged down by energy products, whose foreign sales fell by 47.1%, while non-energy exports were up 0.5%

In August 2025, exports of goods from the Basque Country recorded a decrease of 29.0% in year-on-year terms, according to Eustat data. They totalled 1,508.7 million euros, compared to 2,123.6 million in the same month of the previous year. Exports of Energy products fell by 77.6% and those of Non-energy products were down 22.5%. This month, there was a negative trade balance in the order of 175 million euros and the coverage rate stood at 89.6%.

Bizkaia was the province that registered the greatest drop (-36.3%), due to the decrease in exports of both Non-energy products (-22.6%) and, above all, Energy products, which reached -78.4%. In Álava, exports as a whole were down 32.7%, and in Gipuzkoa they fell by 16.3%.

Imports of goods to the Basque Country saw a 14.6% decrease, reaching a total of 1,683.7 million euros. Energy imports fell by 31.3%, and non-energy imports were down 7.6%. There were widespread declines across the provinces, with Bizkaia recording a drop of 16.8%, Álava of 14.5% and Gipuzkoa of 7.7%.

Analysis by product (Customs Duty Group)

A more detailed look reveals that the ranking of the 969 export groups was topped by "Vehicle parts and accessories", with 122.7 million traded and a decrease of 31.4% in respect of the same month of the previous year, followed by "Refined petroleum oils" (48.8 million in exports, down 44.7%), "Passenger cars with fewer than 10 seats" (45.5 million and a drop of 26.9%), "Constructions made from iron or steel sheets, bars, sections, tubes and similar" (36.7 million and growth of 3.8%) and, in fifth place, "Electric transformers, static converters and inductors", with 35.7 million and, in this case, an increase of 32.9%. These five groups accounted for 19.2% of total sales in August, with a combined value of 289.5 million euros.

Of particular note, among the 25 largest customs duty groups were the year-on-year increases in exports of "Flat-rolled products of iron or non-alloy steel, of a width of 600 mm or more, hot-rolled, not clad, plated or coated" (144.1%), "Biodiesel and mixtures thereof, not containing or containing less than 70% by weight of petroleum oils or oils obtained from bituminous minerals" (277.3%) and "Soya-bean oil" (171.8%).

Also worth highlighting, but in the opposite direction, are the sharp declines in exports of "New rubber tyres", with 31.7 million in exports and 37.8 million less than the previous year, representing a drop of 54.3%, and "Unrefined copper and copper anodes for electrolytic refining", which fell from 105.8 million in August 2024 to 19.3 million in the same month of 2025, a negative difference of 81.8%.

In Álava, the five main export groups registered year-on-year decreases of over 49%, most notably "New rubber tyres" (-72.3%) and "Vehicle parts and accessories" (-66.6%). Compared to August of the previous year, the customs duty groups included in the vehicle sector saw a decline of 112.8 million, with exports falling from 185.4 million to 72.6 million.

In Bizkaia, of particular note among the top ten groups was the decrease in exports of "Refined petroleum oils" (46.4 million in exports, 38.9 million less than the previous year, representing a drop of 45.7%), and "Unrefined copper and copper anodes for electrolytic refining" (19.3 million in exports, down 81.8%).

There were significant upturns in exports of "Flat-rolled products of iron or non-alloy steel, of a width of 600 mm or more, hot-rolled, not clad, plated or coated" (17.9 million in exports and 10.6 million more than the previous year, an increase of 143.7%), "Biodiesel and mixtures thereof, not containing or containing less than 70% by weight of petroleum oils or oils obtained from bituminous minerals" (17.9 million in exports, up 277.3%), "Passenger cars with fewer than 10 seats" (up 116.8%) and "Soya-bean oil" (up 171.8%).

Gipuzkoa saw a decrease in sales of "Vehicle parts and accessories" (8.0 million euros less than in August 2024, -13%) and "Iron or non-alloy steel sections" (6.4 million, down 21.6%). In contrast, there were considerable increases in sales of "Constructions made from iron or steel sheets, bars, sections, tubes and similar" (102.8%), with 27.5 million in exports, and "Electric transformers, static converters and inductors" (280.4%), with 21.1 million in exports.

In August 2025, imports of "Other preparations and products of the chemical and allied industries" grew by 33.5%, while those of "Crude oils" fell by 29.8%

An analysis of imports by customs duty group reveals that the most significant group, "Petroleum oils or oils obtained from bituminous minerals", representing 16.3% of the total, registered a decrease of 29.8%. There was also a steep decline in imports of "Petroleum gas and other hydrocarbon gases" (-53.6%), which fell from 72.3 to 33.6 million, and "Refined petroleum oils" (-19.2%). By contrast, there was considerable growth in imports of "Other preparations and products of the chemical and allied industries" (33.5%), which rose from 35.6 to 47.6 million, "Mixtures of odoriferous substances used in the food and beverage industries" (37.6 %, from 29.6 to 40.7 million), "Sunflower-seed oil" (240.0%, from 4.9 to 16.7 million) and "Internal combustion engines, diesel or semi-diesel" (162.2%, from 4.1 to 10.8 million).

Source/destination countries, August 2025

This month, the top positions in the export ranking were occupied by:

- France: received products from the Basque Country worth 228.5 million euros, with a coverage rate of 189.8%.

- Germany: 196.9 million euros’ worth of goods were exported to this country, with a coverage rate of 94.2%.

- Italy: exports amounted to 103.2 million euros, with a coverage rate of 155.8%.

- United Kingdom: where 94.5 million euros’ worth of Basque exports were sent, achieving a coverage rate of 216.5%.

- United States: sales to this country reached 84.7 million, with a coverage rate of 51.1%.

These five countries absorbed 46.9% of total exports; three of them belong to the EU27, which accounted for 63.4% of exports.

This month, imports primarily came from, in order: Germany (209 million), the United States (165.8 million), China (140.7 million), France (120.4 million) and Mexico (116.7 million).

In the cumulative period of the first eight months of 2025, exports fell by 3.0%, a decrease of 620.2 million euros compared to the same period of 2024

For the first eight months as a whole, and for exports from the Basque Country, a drop of 3.0% was registered in respect of the same period of the previous year, which represented a decrease of 620.2 million euros. The total amount of exports in this period was 19,880 million euros.

Bizkaia exports were the largest in the Basque Country, with a total of 7,041.1 million euros, Gipuzkoa accounted for 6,753.4 million and Álava 6,085.3 million. Exports from Bizkaia registered a decrease of 13.4%, while those from Álava and Gipuzkoa were up 5.5% and 2.4%, respectively, compared to the previous year.

In terms of the type of product, in the Basque Country as whole, exports of "Non-energy products" were the most numerous, with 19,084.3 million euros, 0.5% more than in the first eight months of 2024. This mild growth was uneven; non-energy exports from Bizkaia fell by 5.8%, while those from Álava and Gipuzkoa were up 5.4% and 2.4% on the previous year, respectively. By contrast, exports of "Energy products" saw a downturn of 47.1% in the year-on-year comparison.

The leading export group was "Passenger cars with fewer than 10 seats", with 2,083.8 million traded and a rise of 36.3%. Among the 25 main customs duty groups, the greatest increases in exports were seen in "Railway or tramway vehicle parts" (339.2 million in exports and a difference of 86.9%), followed by "Railway or tramway coaches for passengers, luggage, mail, etc." (281.6 million in exports, up 96.9%) and "Soya-bean oil", with 155.6 million in exports and 95.2 million more than in the same period of the previous year.

In contrast, three of the main groups posted decreases: "Refined petroleum oils" (-35.1% and 365.2 million less), "New rubber tyres" (-31.4% and 225 million less) and "Vehicle parts and accessories" (-14.2% and 220.5 million less).

The export ranking for the first eight months of 2025 placed Germany as the leading recipient of Basque exports, with 15.0% of total exports, amounting to 2,972.8 million euros. Just behind Germany was France, with 2,929.7 million (14.7% of the total). They were followed by the United Kingdom (1,297.7 million and 6.5%), the United States (1,191.5 million and 6.0%) and Italy (1,189.5 million and 6.0%). Between them, these five countries accounted for 48.2% of Basque exports.

Cumulative imports for the Basque Country as a whole totalled approximately 17,694.5 million euros. The year-on-year comparison of this figure revealed that it was 363.5 million euros and 2% down on the equivalent for the same period of the previous year. This decrease was due to the fact that Bizkaia (9,478.3 million) saw a 10.6% drop in purchases (1,128.7 million). Meanwhile, imports rose in Álava, up 605.6 million for a total of 4,500.4 million, as well as in Gipuzkoa (up 159.5 million), with a total of 3,715.8 million.

Imports of "Non-energy products" were up 6.3%, but those of "Energy products" were down 24.3%.

Foreign trade of goods in the Basque Country from January to July 2025 had a positive balance of 2,185.2 million euros and the coverage rate reached 112.3%.

For further information:

Eustat - Euskal Estatistika Erakundea/Basque Statistics Institute
C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz
Press Service: servicioprensa@eustat.eus Tel.: 945 01 75 62