Poland recorded a PLN 12.5 billion deficit in foreign trade in goods during the first five months of 2026, even though exports grew at a similar rate to imports. The negative balance was caused almost entirely by trade with developing countries. Poland continued to record a substantial surplus with developed economies, including the European Union.
According to Statistics Poland, exports of goods in January–May 2026 amounted to PLN 667.5 billion, an increase of 3.5% year on year, while imports reached PLN 679.9 billion, up 3.4%. Expressed in US dollars, the growth rates were significantly higher due to the weakening of the Polish currency against the dollar. Exports rose by 12.9% to USD 184.8 billion, while imports increased by 12.7% to USD 188.3 billion, resulting in a deficit of USD 3.4 billion. In euro terms, exports reached EUR 157.6 billion, up 3.4%, imports totalled EUR 160.6 billion, up 3.3%, and the deficit amounted to EUR 2.9 billion.
The deficit comes from developing countries, not Europe
Developed countries accounted for 87.3% of Polish exports, including a 75.0% share for the EU, and 66.1% of imports, including 53.2% for the EU. A year earlier, the respective shares were 87.5% and 75.2% for exports, and 65.0% and 53.2% for imports. Poland generated a PLN 133.0 billion surplus in trade with developed countries, including PLN 138.7 billion with the European Union and PLN 107.4 billion with the euro area. Trade with developing countries presented a completely different picture, producing a deficit of as much as PLN 168.5 billion. Poland also recorded a positive balance of PLN 23.0 billion in trade with Central and Eastern European countries — Albania, Belarus, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine — although their combined share of total trade remained limited, accounting for 4.8% of exports and 1.3% of imports.
Germany remains the leading partner, but its share is declining
Germany remains by far Poland’s largest trading partner, although its share is gradually decreasing. Its share of exports fell by 0.8 percentage points to 26.5%, while its share of imports declined by 0.3 percentage points to 19.0%. Poland’s trade surplus with Germany amounted to PLN 47.4 billion, slightly below the PLN 48.6 billion recorded a year earlier. Among Poland’s main trading partners, the United States was the only country to record a decline in Polish exports, down 3.6% year on year, while France was the only country from which imports declined, falling by 0.5%. The ten largest trading partners accounted for 66.1% of total exports and 62.4% of total imports.
Among countries outside the leading group, notable developments included imports from China, which reached PLN 105.8 billion and increased by 8.4% year on year, placing China second among Poland’s sources of imports. Imports from Norway rose by 29.9%, mainly due to energy commodities, while imports from Denmark increased by 20.7%. In trade with Brazil, Poland’s largest partner in the Mercosur group, the balance remained negative at PLN 4.2 billion. Polish exports to Brazil fell by 11.1%, while imports increased by 13.4%.
What Poland sells and buys: machinery dominates both sides of trade
According to the SITC commodity classification, machinery, equipment and transport equipment remained the largest category in both exports and imports, accounting for 37.3% and 37.1% of trade respectively. In exports, the fastest growth was recorded in commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere in the SITC, up 36.9% year on year, and mineral fuels and lubricants, up 15.5%. The only decline occurred in animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes, which fell by 7.9%. In imports, the strongest increases were recorded in commodities not classified elsewhere, up 22.7%, and mineral fuels, up 10.3%. Declines were recorded in miscellaneous manufactured articles, down 7.4%, beverages and tobacco, down 5.1%, and food and live animals, down 1.3%.
| Country group | Exports (PLN billion) | Imports (PLN billion) | Balance (PLN billion) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Developed countries | 582.6 | 449.6 | +133.0 |
| — including the EU | 500.7 | 362.0 | +138.7 |
| — including the euro area | 395.6 | 288.1 | +107.4 |
| Developing countries | 52.9 | 221.4 | -168.5 |
| Central and Eastern Europe | 31.9 | 8.9 | +23.0 |
| TOTAL | 667.5 | 679.9 | -12.5 |
Poland’s foreign trade continues to present a two-sided picture: a strong and growing surplus in trade with the European Union and other developed countries is completely absorbed by the expanding deficit with developing economies — in practice, largely with China, Poland’s second-largest source of imports.
Source: Statistics Poland data. Original analysis based on data published by Statistics Poland.
