Malta saw a slight decrease in its trade deficit from -€2.8 billion to -€2.7 billion, according to a report from Eurostat comparing 2017 figures to 2018.

Total exports for Malta in 2018 increased overall by 15.6% to €2.3 billion, with intra-EU and extra-EU exports increasing by 26.6% and 2.5% respectively.

Total imports for Malta in 2018 also saw an overall increase up to €5 billion, or a 4.9% change from the 2017 figure.

Intra-EU imports to Malta saw a 23.2% increase to €3.6 billion, whilst extra-EU imports saw a decrease to €1.4 billion (-24.3% decrease).

These shifts in trade with intra-EU and extra-EU nations left the total balances at -€2.2 billion and -€0.5 billion respectively.

The European Union recorded a €3.2 bn deficit in trade in goods with the rest of the world in November 2018, compared with a surplus of €4.9 bn in November 2017.