New Delhi, August 14, 2026: India’s merchandise exports rose 19.63 per cent year-on-year to $44.24 billion in July 2026, marking a strong recovery in outbound trade despite geopolitical tensions and disruptions affecting global supply chains.
The July performance was supported by strong shipments of petroleum products, electronics and engineering goods. Petroleum exports increased nearly 68 per cent to $6.92 billion, while electronics exports climbed 57.4 per cent to $5.92 billion. Engineering goods shipments grew about 17.7 per cent to $12.24 billion.
India’s exports to West Asia also recovered, rising 8.6 per cent to $5.7 billion during the month. The United States remained the country’s largest export market, with shipments to the US increasing by nearly 13 per cent to $9.02 billion. Exports to China also recorded a sharp rise.
However, the strong export performance was accompanied by a rise in imports. Merchandise imports increased 17.52 per cent to $76.22 billion, pushing the goods trade deficit to a six-month high of $31.98 billion. Higher crude oil prices and increased imports of electronics, gold, fertilisers and coal contributed to the wider deficit.
The July numbers underline the resilience of India’s export sector, while also highlighting the need to strengthen domestic manufacturing, logistics efficiency and supply-chain resilience to sustain growth in global trade.
