The Ministry of Commerce & Industry has reported that India’s combined exports of goods and services during the five-month period from April to August in the 2026-27 financial year reached 399.27 billion US dollars. This represents a rise of over 15 percent compared to the same five months in the previous year. The growth has been driven by stronger sales of electronics, chemicals, engineering products and petroleum goods.
Key Numbers and Breakdown
During April to August 2026-27, merchandise exports alone totalled 215.91 billion US dollars, up 17.85 percent from 183.21 billion US dollars in the same period last year. Services exports grew more modestly to 183.36 billion US dollars, an increase of 12.95 percent.
When petroleum and gems and jewellery are excluded, non-petroleum exports reached 180.61 billion US dollars, recording growth of 14.39 percent.
In August 2026 specifically, India exported goods and services worth 82.68 billion US dollars, a jump of 25.41 percent from August 2025. Within merchandise alone, August exports stood at 43.81 billion US dollars compared to 34.74 billion US dollars a year earlier.
Certain product categories showed particularly strong momentum. Electronic goods exports nearly doubled, climbing to 5.55 billion US dollars in August 2026 from 2.93 billion US dollars in August 2025. Petroleum product exports grew 63.27 percent to reach 6.81 billion US dollars. Engineering goods exports rose 24.86 percent to 12.32 billion US dollars. Iron ore saw the highest growth rate at 126.3 percent year-on-year.
On the import side, India brought in merchandise and services valued at 459.65 billion US dollars during April-August 2026-27, an increase of 18.01 percent. The trade deficit during this period widened to 60.38 billion US dollars from 43.94 billion US dollars in the prior year period.
What this means for you
India’s export sector is expanding faster than its imports are growing, suggesting improved competitiveness in global markets. However, the widening trade deficit indicates that India continues to rely significantly on imported goods, particularly raw materials and intermediate products. For consumers, this could have mixed effects on prices and product availability depending on supply chain adjustments and currency movements. Exporters in electronics, chemicals and engineering sectors are experiencing robust demand conditions that may support business expansion and job creation in these industries.