The final sprint of the year has allowed one of the engines of the Valencian economy, foreign trade, to saved from closing the year with a trade balance in the red and a deficit between what the Valencian Community sells outside Spain and what it buys from other countries. Yes indeed, The final balance stands at just 244.8 million euros after imports were above imports for most of the year.
At the end of 2024 the surplus was much higher, with a positive 1,478.5 million, which 2025 has eaten up more than 1,200 million euros of that positive balance. And this despite the fact that it had also decreased significantly compared to the previous year and had also suffered the direct effect of damage that paralyzed transport and supply chains in the province of Valencia.
If compared with Spain as a whole, which has a negative trade balance, the regional situation is better despite the clear loss of ground in one of the distinctive signs of the Valencian economy.
After a year in which exports have been for many months below the records of the same month of 2024, finally the sales of Valencian products grew by 1.5% in 2025, up to 37,541.4 million, according to the monthly report of the Territorial Directorate of Foreign Trade. Imports continued to increase at a much higher rate, with 37,296.6 million euros and an increase of 5.1%.
The situation is especially striking in the province of Valenciawhich if analyzed individually closed 2025 with a trade deficit of 3,820 million euros. Although it was already negative in 2024, the deficit has increased by 25%. A situation that has a clear culprit, the automotive industrywhich after six years of falling exports continues without hitting rock bottom due to the situation of Ford and the sector.
Exports from the automobile sector plummeted another 12.6% last year and the worst thing is that It is not only attributable to Ford Almussafes. Foreign sales of car components plummeted by 31% in just one year, which clearly shows the difficulties of the Valencian auxiliary industry.
Goodbye to the car surplus
The cars and their parts were one of the sectors in which the region registered more exports than importssomething that has gone wrong and last year purchases exceeded what was sold by 230 million. And the horizon for this year does not seem more promising.
The great support of the external engine continues to be the agrifood. Con 9.6 billion euros and an increase of 8.5% It represents more than one in every four euros that the Valencian Community sells to the rest of the world. Citrus fruits are growing and continue to be essential in volume, but the rise in meat stands out, which soars by 41%.
The other sector that shows positive results is capital goods, with an increase of 6.8%which is consolidated in export weight ahead of the automobile. Another of the traditional industrial muscles, the tile remains stagnant with a slight decline of 0.8%although it continues to contribute more than 3,000 million euros of surplus to the external balance.
Trump Effect
Regarding geographic markets, the tariff war raised by Trump has had an impact: las Valencian exports to the largest economy in the world have fallen by 9.7% in 2025 while the United States imports decrease by 5.8%.
On the other hand, sales of Valencian products to China grow more than 39%although its amount, 684 million euros, is almost a tenth of imports for more than 6.5 billion that come from the Asian giant.
