Saturday, 8 August 2026
Slovakia’s foreign trade gathered momentum in June 2026, with exports and imports recording their strongest year-on-year growth rates so far this year. Higher shipments of vehicles and machinery pushed exports above the €10 billion mark for the first time this year, while the country maintained a positive trade balance for the fifth consecutive month.
According to preliminary figures released by the Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic, exports increased by 8.2% year-on-year to €10.1 billion in June, while imports rose by 9.5% to €9.7 billion. Although the monthly trade surplus narrowed to €372.9 million compared with the same period last year, Slovakia continued to export more goods than it imported.
The automotive industry remained the backbone of the country’s external trade. Machinery and transport equipment, which includes motor vehicles, generated the largest contribution to export growth and continued to dominate Slovakia’s trade structure. The same category also accounted for the largest increase in imports, highlighting sustained activity across the manufacturing supply chain.
Automotive products and machinery represented more than three-fifths of Slovakia’s total exports during the month and almost half of all imports, underlining the country’s continued dependence on industrial production and vehicle manufacturing.
Trade with European Union member states remained the principal source of growth. Nearly four-fifths of Slovak exports were destined for EU markets, where shipments increased by almost 11% compared with June 2025. Imports from EU countries also expanded by more than 11%, while exports to markets outside the European Union remained broadly unchanged and imports from non-EU countries continued to grow moderately.
The country’s trade position reflected this regional pattern. Slovakia generated a substantial surplus in trade with EU member states, while trade with non-EU economies remained in deficit.
The positive trend has continued throughout the first half of 2026. Between January and June, Slovak exports increased by 2.8% to €57.5 billion, while imports rose by 2.2% to €55.8 billion. The resulting trade surplus improved to €1.7 billion, exceeding the surplus recorded during the same period last year.
The latest figures indicate that Slovakia’s export-oriented economy continues to benefit from resilient demand within the European market, with the automotive and machinery industries remaining the primary drivers of external trade despite a more challenging global economic environment.
