Press Release 20/01/2026

FOREIGN TRADE STATISTICS (ECOMEX). November 2025

Exports of goods from the Basque Country were down 2.3% in November 2025

In the cumulative period of the first eleven months of 2025, exports fell by 4.1%, dragged down by energy products (-38.0%)

In November 2025, exports of goods from the Basque Country recorded a decrease of 2.3% in year-on-year terms, according to Eustat data. They totalled 2,461.8 million euros, compared to 2,518.9 million in the same month of the previous year. Exports of energy products increased by 28.5%, and those of non-energy products fell by 3.0%.

This month, there was a positive trade balance in the order of 257.7 million euros and the coverage rate stood at 111.7%.

Álava was the province that recorded the most negative trend (-13.9%). In Gipuzkoa, exports rose by 6.7%, and in Bizkaia they were up 1.1%.

Imports of goods to the Basque Country saw a drop of 3.4%, reaching a total of 2,204.1 million euros. Energy imports fell by 33.0%, while non-energy imports rose by 6.7%. Imports were up 24.8% in Álava and 2.5% in Gipuzkoa, while in Bizkaia imports were down 18.9%.

Analysis by product (Customs Duty Group)

A more detailed look reveals that the ranking of the 969 export groups was topped by "Passenger cars with fewer than 10 seats", with 274.4 million traded and a decrease of 16.5% in respect of the same month of the previous year, followed by "Vehicle parts and accessories" (142.7 million and a drop of 19.9%), "Goods transport vehicles" (136.0 million in exports, down 5.5%), "Refined petroleum oils" (68.9 million, up 75.9%) and, in fifth place, "Iron or non-alloy steel sections", with 59.5 million and, in this case, a rise of 25.3%. These five groups accounted for 27.7% of total sales in November, with a combined value of 681.5 million euros.

Of particular note among the 25 largest customs duty groups were the year-on-year increases in exports of "Turbo-reactors, turbo-propellers and other gas turbines, and their parts and components" (39.4%), "Vehicles for transporting 10 or more people, including the driver" (42.0%) and "Machine tools (nailing, stapling, assembling, sawing, planing, grinding, drilling, etc.) for working wood, plastics or similar hard materials", which went from 0.7 to 21.0 million.

Also worth highlighting, but in the opposite direction, is the decline in exports of "New rubber tyres", with 38.7 million in exports, i.e. 42.0 million less than the previous year, representing a drop of 52.0%.

In Alava, standing out among the top ten groups was the downturn in exports of "Passenger cars with fewer than 10 seats", with 254.1 million in exports and 55.5 million less than the previous year, a decrease of 17.9%. Also of note were the drops in exports of "Vehicle parts and accessories" (-43.9%) and "New rubber tyres" (-71.9%).

On the other hand, there was an increase in sales of "Other tubes and hollow profiles made of iron or steel" (139.7%) and "Nickel tubes, pipes and tube or pipe fittings (for example, couplings, elbows, sleeves)" (946.7%).

Compared to November of the previous year, the customs duty groups included in the vehicle sector saw a decline of 119.0 million, with exports falling from 544.3 million to 425.3 million, a decrease of 21.9%.

In Bizkaia, of particular note among the top ten groups were the rises in exports of "Refined petroleum oils" (66.5 million in exports, 29.3 million more than the previous year, representing an increase of 78.7%), "Turbo-reactors, turbo-propellers and other gas turbines, and their parts and components" (48.4 million in exports, up 40.2 %) and "Aluminium sheets and strips of a thickness exceeding 0.2 mm" (22.5 million in exports, up 50.3 %).

By contrast, there was a decrease in sales of "Vehicle parts and accessories" (52.1 million in exports, 15.2 million less than the previous year, a drop of 22.6%) and "New rubber tyres" (-14.3%).

In Gipuzkoa, there were considerable increases in exports of "Vehicles for transporting 10 or more people, including the driver" (41.9%), with 36.8 million in exports, "Railway or tramway vehicle parts" (46.1%), with 25.9 million in exports, and "Machine tools (nailing, stapling, assembling, sawing, planing, grinding, drilling, etc.) for working wood, plastics or similar hard materials" (21.0 million in exports and 20.2 million more than the previous year). On the other hand, there was a downturn in sales of "Railway or tramway coaches for passengers, luggage, mail, etc." (6.0 million euros less than in November 2024, a decrease of 19.3%) and "Vehicle parts and accessories" (69.1 million in exports, down 4.7%).

Imports of "Flat-rolled products of iron or non-alloy steel, of a width of 599 mm or more, hot-rolled, not clad, plated or coated" grew by 80.7%, while those of "Petroleum oils or oils obtained from bituminous minerals" fell by 27.1%

An analysis of imports by customs duty group reveals that "Flat-rolled products of iron or non-alloy steel, of a width of 599 mm or more, hot-rolled, not clad, plated or coated" registered a significant increase, with imports rising from 21.9 to 39.6 million. There was also a sharp upturn in imports of "Polarimeters, refractometers, spectrometers, gas or smoke analysis apparatus and other instruments and apparatus for physical or chemical analysis", with 165.4 million, "Parts of machinery or lifting machinery and transporters, levellers, mechanical shovels, excavators, drills, etc." (238.7%) and "Constructions made from iron or steel sheets, bars, sections, tubes and similar" (526.7%). In contrast, the most significant group, "Petroleum oils or oils obtained from bituminous minerals", representing 12.4% of the total, registered a decrease in imports (-27.1%), which fell from 376.1 to 274.4 million. Imports of "Refined petroleum oils" were also down (-26.8%), going from 154.2 million to 112.8 million.

Source/destination countries, November 2025

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

- Germany: received products from the Basque Country worth 361.3 million euros, with a coverage rate of 97.5%.

- France: 359.0 million euros’ worth of goods were exported to this country, with a coverage rate of 219.4%.

- United Kingdom: exports amounted to 169.0 million euros, with a coverage rate of 505.7%.

- Italy: where 155.8 million euros’ worth of exports were sent, achieving a coverage rate of 136.5%.

- United States: sales to this country reached 119.0 million, with a coverage rate of 100.3%.

These five countries absorbed 47.3% of total exports; three of them belong to the EU27, which accounted for 63.6% of exports.

This month, imports primarily came from, in order: Germany (370.6 million), Japan (180.4 million), France (163.6 million), China (137.1 million) and Mexico (130.0 million).

In the cumulative period of the first eleven months of 2025, exports fell by 4.1%, a decrease of 1,173.8 million euros compared to the same period of 2024

For the first eleven months as a whole, and for exports from the Basque Country, a drop of 4.1% was registered in respect of the same period of the previous year, which represented a decrease of 1,173.8 million euros. The total amount of exports in this period was 27,550.1 million euros.

Bizkaia exports were the largest in the Basque Country, with a total of 9,872.5 million euros, Gipuzkoa accounted for 9,423.6 million and Álava 8,254.1 million. Exports from Bizkaia registered a decrease of 11.0%, and those from Álava fell by 1.9%. Exports from Gipuzkoa were up 2.3% on 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 26,376.3 million euros, 1.7% less than in the first eleven months of 2024. This decrease was uneven; non-energy exports from Bizkaia fell by 5.4% and those from Álava dropped by 1.9%, while those from Gipuzkoa were up 2.3% on the previous year. Exports of "Energy products" saw a downturn of 38.0% in the year-on-year comparison.

The leading export group was "Passenger cars with fewer than 10 seats", with 2,822.1 million traded and a rise of 12.7%. Among the main customs duty groups, the greatest increases in exports were seen in "Railway or tramway vehicle parts" (458.6 million in exports, up 84.0%) and "Railway or tramway coaches for passengers, luggage, mail, etc." (390.5 million in exports, an increase of 82.8%). In contrast, three of the main groups posted decreases: "New rubber tyres" (-36.0% and 347.3 million less), "Refined petroleum oils" (-18.7% and 238.2 million less) and "Vehicle parts and accessories" (-15.4% and 331.3 million less).

The export ranking for the first eleven months of 2025 placed Germany as the leading recipient of Basque exports, with 15.0% of total exports, amounting to 4,128.6 million euros. Just behind Germany was France, with 4,079.6 million (14.8% of the total). They were followed by the United Kingdom (1,809.8 million and 6.6%), Italy (1,676.9 million and 6.1%) and the United States (1,581.8 million and 5.7%). Between them, these five countries accounted for 48.2% of Basque exports.

Cumulative imports for the Basque Country as a whole totalled approximately 24,556.9 million euros. The year-on-year comparison of this figure revealed that it was 558.0 million euros and 2.2% down on the equivalent for the same period of the previous year. This decrease was due to the fact that Bizkaia (13,049.4 million) saw a 9.9% drop in purchases (-1,436.0 million). Meanwhile, imports rose in Álava, up 660.4 million for a total of 6,325.4 million, as well as in Gipuzkoa (up 217.6 million), with a total of 5,182.1 million.

Imports of "Non-energy products" were up 5.0%, but those of "Energy products" were down 22.4%.

The largest import group, "Petroleum oils or oils obtained from bituminous minerals", registered a drop of 27.2%, i.e. 1,251.4 million less than the same period of the previous year, for a total of 3,355.5 million. Imports of these oils were followed by "Refined petroleum oils", with 1,498.5 million euros (-5.8%). Between them, they accounted for 19.8% of the total.

Foreign trade of goods in the Basque Country from January to November 2025 had a positive balance of 2,993.3 million euros and the coverage rate reached 112.2%.