Croatia’s Exports Rise in 2025, but Trade Deficit Remains Wide

Croatia’s goods exports reached €25.1 billion in 2025, an increase of 4.4 percent compared with the previous year, while imports rose 3.3 percent to €44.3 billion, according to preliminary figures released Friday by the Croatian State Office of Statistics. 

The figures point to continued growth in foreign trade, but also underscore a persistent imbalance. Croatia recorded a trade deficit of €19.2 billion last year, with exports covering 56.7 percent of imports, a ratio that remains broadly unchanged from recent years.

Trade with the European Union continued to dominate. Exports to EU member states rose 5.6 percent in 2025 to €16.6 billion, while exports to non-EU countries increased more modestly, up 2.2 percent to €8.5 billion. On the import side, goods brought in from the EU edged up 1.3 percent to €34.1 billion, while imports from non-EU countries jumped 10.5 percent, reaching €10.1 billion.

The statistical office also released provisional data for the first eleven months of 2025, offering a slightly revised picture of earlier estimates. During that period, total exports amounted to €23.1 billion, up 5.2 percent year on year, while imports rose 3.8 percent to €41 billion. The resulting trade deficit stood at €17.9 billion, with export coverage of imports at 56.4 percent.

Among Croatia’s principal trading partners, Germany remained the most significant. Exports to Germany climbed 11.6 percent in the first eleven months of the year, reaching €2.97 billion, while imports from Europe’s largest economy increased 5.5 percent to nearly €6 billion.

Trade with Slovenia also strengthened. Croatian exports to its northern neighbor rose 12.1 percent to €2.7 billion, while imports from Slovenia grew 4.9 percent, totaling €4.9 billion.

By contrast, trade with Italy showed a more mixed pattern. Exports increased 4.8 percent to nearly €2.7 billion, while imports from Italy declined 7.9 percent, falling to €4.9 billion.

Economists say the data reflect steady export growth driven by demand within the European Union, while the enduring trade gap highlights Croatia’s continued reliance on imported goods, particularly from larger industrial economies.