France imports volume (SA-WDA)
France imports volume (SA-WDA) stood at 213,704 in Q2 2026, according to INSEE – Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques (BDM). It is one of the indicators in the Quarterly GDP and value added table (Value · Quarterly), with a complete series running from Q1 1949 to Q2 2026. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Quarterly GDP and value added table
| Indicator | Q2-2026 | Q1-2026 | Q4-2025 | Q3-2025 | Q2-2025 | Q1-2025 | Q4-2024 | Q3-2024 | Q2-2024 | Q1-2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Levels | |||||||||||
| Imports - Total - Volumes chained at previous year prices - SA-WDA series | 213,704 | 211,355 | 212,556 | 213,721 | 211,663 | 209,450 | 208,009 | 205,827 | 205,110 | 204,108 | |
| Total external balance - Values at current prices - SA-WDA series | -3,467 | -5,010 | 2,465 | -3,241 | -8,145 | -5,805 | -563 | -3,308 | -3,125 | -3,315 |
Understanding france imports volume (SA-WDA)
Foreign-produced merchandise and cross-border services acquired by domestic residents are quantified in this volume series. The metric captures tangible products, raw materials, and intangible services entering the territory, while excluding transit trade that merely crosses borders without clearing customs. Unlike value figures, this chained-volume representation eliminates the influence of price fluctuations to isolate physical trade movements. It differs from export measures by focusing strictly on inbound flows rather than outbound shipments, serving as a primary gauge of domestic appetite for foreign output.
Seasonal adjustments and working-day corrections remove calendar artifacts, allowing sequential comparisons across periods. Early releases undergo standard revisions as late customs declarations and updated enterprise surveys arrive. Analysts prefer quarter-on-quarter changes to track immediate shifts in trade dynamics, though annual comparisons help smooth residual volatility. A common pitfall involves treating this series as a direct proxy for consumer import demand, given that a substantial share of inbound shipments consists of intermediate manufacturing inputs destined for re-export.
Frequently asked questions
- What categories of products are included in this metric?
- All inbound physical goods, energy commodities, and cross-border services purchased by domestic entities from non-residents are covered.
- Why use chained prices rather than nominal values for this series?
- Chaining removes price inflation and international price shifts, revealing the true physical volume of incoming shipments.
- How does this series interact with overall national output calculations?
- Import volumes are subtracted in the standard expenditure approach to gross domestic product because they represent domestic spending on foreign rather than domestic production.