Led by electronics exports rising by 16.78%, India’s overseas shipments grow 4.33% in April–December 2025, even as higher imports widen the trade deficit.
Electronics exports remained one of the strongest drivers of India’s trade performance during April–December 2025, posting year-on-year (YoY) growth of 16.78%. The sharp rise reinforced the sector’s position as a key contributor to non-petroleum exports, even as overall trade showed mixed trends in December.
According to an update by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, cumulative exports of merchandise and services during April–December 2025 were estimated at $634.26 billion.
This marked a 4.33% increase from $607.93 billion in the same period of 2024. Imports during the nine-month period rose faster, increasing 4.95% to $730.84 billion. As a result, the overall trade deficit widened to $96.58 billion.
In December 2025, India’s total exports were estimated at $74.01 billion. This represented a marginal decline of 1.01% from December 2024. Total imports for the month stood at $80.94 billion, up 6.17%. The combined trade deficit for December widened sharply to $6.92 billion from $1.46 billion a year earlier.
Merchandise exports in December rose to $38.51 billion from $37.80 billion last year. Merchandise imports increased to $63.55 billion, up from $58.43 billion. For April–December 2025, merchandise exports totalled $330.29 billion, up from $322.41 billion a year earlier. Merchandise imports rose to $578.61 billion, pushing the merchandise trade deficit to $248.32 billion.
Non-petroleum and non-gems and jewellery exports showed steady momentum at the same time. In December, these exports stood at $32.02 billion, up from $30.96 billion a year earlier. Corresponding imports rose to $42.72 billion.
For April–December, non-petroleum and non-gems exports increased to $266.94 billion, while imports climbed to $371.93 billion.
Meanwhile, services trade continued to cushion the overall trade balance. Services exports in December were estimated at $35.50 billion, slightly lower than $36.97 billion in December 2024. Services imports declined to $17.38 billion.
Over April–December, services exports grew to $303.97 billion, while imports stood at $152.23 billion. This resulted in a services trade surplus of $151.74 billion.
