Egypt's total exports also increased by 3.58 percent to record $4.54 billion in May 2026, up from $4.37 billion in the same month of 2025, due to a rise in the value of some goods.
The government has been pushing for improved industrial development and expanding manufactured exports under its long-term economic strategy, aiming to raise annual exports to $100 billion by 2030, growing by 15 to 20 percent annually.
The value of fresh fruits increased by 40.3 percent, followed by crude oil, which rose by 56.4 percent, plastics in their primary form by 29.1 percent, and fertilizers by 9.4 percent.
Other products, such as iron bars, rods, and wires, saw a decrease in value of 50.2 percent in May 2026 year-on-year, followed by pasta and various food preparations at 12.6 percent, carpets and kilim products at 12.4 percent, and ready-made clothes at 10.4 percent.
The CAPMAS figures come around three months after the outbreak of the US-Israeli war on Iran. The conflict led to higher global inflation, tighter financial conditions, supply chain disruptions, and increased import costs.
Additionally, the Egyptian pound weakened against the US dollar but has recently started to recover, trading at EGP 49.85 at last week's closing rates.
It's worth noting that the country's trade deficit widened by 24.6 percent to $47.8 billion during the first nine months (July-March) of FY2025/2026, which ended at the end of June 2026.
In April 2026, Egypt's trade deficit widened by 20.2 percent to $4.8 billion, up from $4 billion in April 2025.
Meanwhile, imports surged to $8.52 billion in May 2026, a 1.72 percent increase from May 2025's $8.37 billion.
This was also due to an increase in the value of some products, such as natural gas at a rate of 96.8 percent, followed by raw wheat at 33.5 percent, petroleum products at 18.2 percent, and raw materials of iron or steel at 3.3 percent.
The value of some commodities, like medication and pharmaceutical products, fell by 39.1 percent in May 2026, as did organic and inorganic chemical products, which fell by 24.9 percent in value, followed by plastics in their primary form at 15.6 percent, and corn at 4 percent.
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