NEW DELHI, October 15: India’s combined merchandise and services exports for April–September 2026–27 are estimated at $476.20 billion, up 13.84% from the corresponding period a year earlier, according to Commerce Ministry data released Thursday.
Goods and services show different patterns
Merchandise exports for the six months were $259.89 billion, an increase of 18.51%. Combined imports were estimated at $551.13 billion, leaving an overall trade deficit of $74.93 billion.
For September alone, goods exports were $44.40 billion and goods imports $74.61 billion. Estimated services exports were $36.35 billion, compared with $36.67 billion in September 2025.
Electronics among growth drivers
Electronic-goods exports reached $5.31 billion in September, up 70.44% annually. The ministry also identified petroleum products, chemicals, engineering goods and cotton-related products among the month’s export-growth drivers.
The release cautions that the latest available RBI services data are for August. September services figures are estimates, and some comparison-period data have been revised.
Why the distinction matters
A combined export headline includes both physical goods and services. It should not be read as a measure of factory shipments alone. Equally, a rise in exports does not automatically produce a smaller deficit if imports also grow.
For readers comparing this release with earlier reports, the reporting period and revision notes are essential. Six-month growth cannot be treated as the growth rate for September alone.
The next services-data update will help assess how closely the initial estimate matches the subsequently reported outcome.
Sources and image credit
Official source (checked October 15, 2026).
File photo: container handling at Jawaharlal Nehru Port, November 29, 2017; not an October 2026 shipment. Photo: Ccmarathe / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized for display; image adaptations retain the same licence. Photo source · Image reuse terms
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