Arab Finance: Egypt's trade deficit widened by 48.8% year-on-year (YoY) in March 2026, reaching $4.6 billion, compared to $3.1 billion in the same month of 2025, according to the latest foreign trade bulletin released by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS).

The increase came as exports declined while imports recorded strong growth during the month.

Egypt's exports fell by 2.5% to $4.6 billion in March 2026, down from $4.8 billion a year earlier. The decline was driven by lower exports of several key commodities, including fertilizers, which dropped by 23.3%, pasta and various food preparations by 10.1%, potatoes by 31.9%, and crude oil by 23.1%.

However, exports of some products posted growth during the month. Petroleum product exports increased by 68.4%, while ready-made garments rose by 4.7%, fresh fruit exports grew by 30.3%, and exports of plastics in their primary forms increased by 6.9%.

Meanwhile, imports rose by 17.8% to $9.3 billion in March 2026, compared to $7.9 billion in the corresponding month of the previous year.

The increase was mainly driven by higher imports of petroleum products, which rose by 16.7%, and natural gas, up 16.6%. Imports of crude oil surged by 90.4%, while wheat imports increased by 41.9%.

At the same time, imports of several goods declined compared to March 2025. Imports of raw materials of iron or steel fell by 31.5%, while corn imports decreased by 6.3%. Imports of organic and inorganic chemicals dropped by 21.1%, and medicines and pharmaceutical preparations declined by 24.5%.