Business
Exports surge 52% in September, led by Kosovo and Greece
According to INSTAT, exports reached 31.2 billion lek, while the trade deficit narrowed to 47.3 billion lek.
By ANN Newsroom · Newsroom
October 19, 2026, 10:00 · Updated 12:20 · 1 min read
In brief
- Exports rose 14.8% year on year and 52.1% compared with August.
- Imports reached 78.6 billion lek, up 4.8%.
- Exports to Kosovo rose 22.5%, and those to Greece 13.9%.
Albania exported goods worth 31.2 billion lek in September, according to INSTAT data. The figure is 14.8% higher than in the same month last year and 52.1% higher than in August.
Imports reached 78.6 billion lek, an annual increase of 4.8%. As a result, the trade deficit narrowed to 47.3 billion lek, 0.9% less than in September 2025 and 13.9% less than a month earlier. However, imports remain significantly higher than exports.
What drove the growth
The biggest contribution to export growth came from minerals, fuels and electricity, with 12.8 percentage points, followed by construction materials and metals with 3.4 points, and machinery and spare parts with 1.8 points. In the opposite direction, textiles and footwear dragged growth down by 5.5 percentage points.
By partner country, exports to Kosovo rose 22.5% and those to Greece 13.9%, while they fell to Italy (-4%) and Switzerland (-3.8%). On the import side, purchases from Turkey (+6.8%) and Greece (+3.8%) increased, while those from Italy (-14.1%) and China (-7%) declined.
The European Union remains the main partner: in September it accounted for 54.6% of Albania's foreign trade, 68.7% of exports and 48.9% of imports.
