🇪🇺 Baltic trade in 2025: imports outpace exports
Regional snapshot (2025 vs 2024)
In 2025, the Baltic economies showed a clear import-led tilt. Across all three countries, imports grew faster than exports, reflecting a combination of domestic consumption, infrastructure investment, and energy- and equipment-related imports.
Estonia led the region in export growth, but expansion was largely driven by re-exports.
Latvia recorded moderate trade growth, with imports rising almost twice as fast as exports.
Lithuania saw the sharpest deterioration in its trade balance, as exports stagnated while imports continued to expand.
Overall, trade deficits widened across the region, with Lithuania experiencing the most pronounced increase.
🇪🇪 Estonia
Key signal: export growth increasingly reflects re-export and logistics activity rather than domestic production.
2025 data:
Exports: €18.6 bn (+7% YoY)
Imports: €22.4 bn (+8%)
Trade balance: –€3.8 bn
Re-exports: +14%
Exports of Estonian origin: +4%, share 63% (–2 pp)
Main export partners:
Finland (15%), Latvia (11%), Sweden (9%), Lithuania (9%)
Key export sectors:
Electrical equipment (15%), agriculture & food (13%), wood products (11%)
🇱🇻 Latvia
Key signal: Latvia continues to function as a regional trade and logistics connector, with neighbouring Baltic states dominating both export and import flows.
2025 data (current prices):
Trade turnover: €42.7 bn (+5.4% YoY)
Exports: €19.5 bn (+3.7%)
Imports: €23.2 bn (+6.9%)
December 2025 note:
Export share in total trade rose to 45% (from 44.4%), suggesting short-term stabilisation rather than a structural reversal.
Main partners (exports):
Lithuania (19.7%), Estonia (12.3%), Germany (5.5%)
Main partners (imports):
Lithuania (20.1%), Germany (12.5%), Poland (11.0%), Estonia (10.5%)
🇱🇹 Lithuania
Key signal: the largest trade deficit in the Baltic region, driven by flat export growth and continued import expansion.
2025 data:
Exports: €36.9 bn (+0.2% YoY)
Imports: €43.4 bn (+4.9%)
Trade balance: –€6.5 bn (deficit widened by almost €2 bn)
Main export partners:
Latvia (12.4%), Poland (10.2%), Germany (9.0%)
Main import partners:
Poland (13.9%), Germany (12.9%), Latvia (8.5%)
Despite weak export dynamics, Lithuania retains one of the highest shares of domestic-origin exports in the region.
Bottom line
The 2025 data point to a structural import bias across the Baltic economies and growing intra-regional trade interdependence, with Latvia and Lithuania playing central roles in each other’s trade flows, while Estonia strengthens its position within regional supply chains.Baltic Focus © 2026
Image: photos/photo_195@10-02-2026_22-40-49.jpg