Exports have returned to an upward trend in February, after many consecutive months of decline, affected by the favorable conjuncture of oil prices and energy exports as a result of rainfall.

The automotive support industry is also showing positive performance. Meanwhile, the largest group and main employer, that of textiles and footwear, has continued its downward trend. Food, beverages, and tobacco also had negative performance, affected by the floods, which damaged production in greenhouses.

According to INSTAT, in February, exports of goods reached the value of Lek 30.9 billion, increasing by 2.8%, compared to the same period a year earlier and by 15.8%, compared to January 2026.

During February 2026, the growth of exports by 2.8% was positively influenced by the groups: “Minerals, fuels, electricity” with +6.3 percentage points and “Machinery, equipment and spare parts” with +0.7 percentage points. The groups were negatively influenced by: “Food, beverages, tobacco” with -2.1 percentage points, “Textiles and footwear” with -1.1 percentage points, “Construction materials and metals” with -0.9 percentage points, etc.

For the two-month period, the trend continues to remain negative, as a result of the decline in sales abroad in January. According to INSTAT, for the period January-February 2026, exports were Lek 57.7 billion, with a contraction of 0.7% on an annual basis. Even for the two-month period, the main positive impact was provided by minerals, fuel and energy, and machinery and spare parts, while the most negative effect was from textiles, footwear, and food.

“Food, beverages and tobacco”, one of the best-performing groups in recent years and one of the two sectors that recorded growth in 2025, has started 2026 negatively. After contracting by 2% in January, food sales abroad fell by 14.4% in February. The negative performance of this group was mainly influenced by the floods in January, which affected greenhouse production. For the two-month period, this group exported Lek 7.4 billion, with a contraction of 8.6%.

Automotive supporting industry has the most positive performance this year. This group, where the automotive industry holds the main weight, has recovered since the end of last year when companies reported that orders increased.

In February 2026, the countries with which Albania had the largest increase in exports, compared to February 2025, are: Kosova (37.1%), Germany (34.7%), etc. While the countries with which exports had the largest decrease are: Italy (5.1%), Spain (42.3%), etc. In February 2026, the countries with which Albania had the largest increase in imports, compared to February 2025, are: China (53.9%), Kosova (36.5%), etc. While the countries with which imports had the largest decrease are Italy (5.5%), Turkey (20.7%), etc. Trade exchanges with EU countries account for 56.3% of all trade. In February 2026, exports to EU countries accounted for 70.3% of total exports, and imports from EU countries accounted for 49.9% of total imports.