Trade Balance in Hungary

The trade balance records the value of goods traded between Hungary and the rest of the world over a period, measured as the difference between exports and imports. It reflects the country's external trade activity.

Hungary's Central Statistical Office (KSH) derives it as the difference between the value of exports and imports recorded in external trade statistics, usually in euros. A positive balance is a surplus, a negative one a deficit.

The external balance is a component of GDP and a gauge of the competitiveness of a very open economy with a large manufacturing and automotive base. A wide deficit, particularly on energy, can pressure the forint (HUF).

The figures are not final: each release tends to revise earlier periods and the data come with a lag. A first estimate is usually followed by a revised figure, and the balance is sensitive to imported energy prices.