Exports of goods up by 17% and imports by 13% in March
According to Statistics Estonia, in March 2025, Estonia’s exports of goods grew by 17% and imports by 13%. Exports of goods amounted to nearly €1.7 billion and imports to more than €1.9 billion at current prices. The trade deficit was €237 million, which is €12 million less than in March last year.
Jane Leppmets, foreign trade analyst at Statistics Estonia, said that both exports and imports of goods increased in March, as in the first two months of the year. “Exports of goods grew in all commodity sections. The rise in exports was influenced by an even larger increase in re-exports, which rose by 27% year on year. This was mainly due to an increase in the re-exports of transport equipment,” Leppmets noted.
The share of goods of Estonian origin in total exports fell by three percentage points year on year, accounting for 65% in March this year. Exports of goods of Estonian origin increased by 12% in March compared with the same month in 2024.
The top destination country of Estonia’s exports in March was Finland
The main commodities exported in March were electrical equipment (13% of Estonia's total exports), wood and articles of wood (12%), and agricultural products and food preparations (12%). Compared with March 2024, the biggest increase occurred in the exports of transport equipment (up by €37 million, or 27%), mineral products (up by €34 million, or 28%), and base metals and articles of base metal (up by €27 million, or 26%).
Estonia’s top export partners in March were Finland (16% of Estonia's total exports), Latvia (9%), Sweden (8%), and Lithuania (8%). The main commodities exported were mineral products to Finland, transport equipment to Latvia and Lithuania, and wood and articles of wood to Sweden. Compared with March last year, the greatest increase occurred in exports to Finland (up by €49 million), where more mineral products were exported. This was followed by higher exports to Latvia (up by €34 million) and Lithuania (up by €26 million), with more transport equipment shipped there than in the previous March. The largest decrease, by €16 million, was seen in exports to the United States, due to fewer dispatches of mineral products.
Imports of transport equipment grew the most in March
The main commodities imported in March were transport equipment (14% of Estonia’s total imports), agricultural products and food preparations (12%), and electrical equipment (12%). The biggest year-on-year increases were seen in imports of transport equipment (up by €60 million, or 29%) and mineral products (by €43 million, or 26%).
Estonia’s top import partner in March was Latvia (13% of total imports), followed by Germany (11%) and Finland (10%). The main commodities imported were mineral products from Latvia and Finland, and transport equipment from Germany. In comparison with March last year, the biggest rise occurred in imports of goods from Latvia (up by €56 million), Sweden (by €37 million), and the Netherlands (by €34 million). There were greater imports of mineral products from Latvia, transport equipment from Sweden, and raw materials and products of chemical industry from the Netherlands. The biggest fall, by €34 million, occurred in imports of goods from Lithuania, as there were fewer arrivals of mineral products.
Trade increased by 14% in the first quarter
In the first quarter, both exports and imports of goods were up by 14%. Exports of goods amounted to nearly €4.7 billion and imports to more than €5.5 billion at current prices. The trade deficit was €860 million, which is €107 million higher than in the first quarter of 2024. The main commodities exported were electrical equipment, agricultural products and food preparations, and wood and articles of wood. The main commodities imported were transport equipment, agricultural products and food preparations, and electrical equipment. Estonia’s top export partners were Finland, Latvia, and Sweden, whereas Latvia, Germany, and Finland were the main import partners.
Month | Exports, million euros | Imports, million euros | Balance, million euros | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2025 | Change, % | 2024 | 2025 | Change, % | 2024 | 2025 | |
1st quarter | 4,115 | 4,682 | 14 | 4,868 | 5,542 | 14 | -753 | -860 |
January | 1,338 | 1,509 | 13 | 1,583 | 1,847 | 17 | -246 | -338 |
February | 1,322 | 1,476 | 12 | 1,581 | 1,762 | 11 | -259 | -286 |
March | 1,456 | 1,696 | 17 | 1,704 | 1,933 | 13 | -249 | -237 |
| Country of destination, group of countries | Exports, million euros | Share, % | Change on same month of previous year, % | Country of consignment, group of countries | Imports, million euros | Share, % | Change on same month of previous year, % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOTAL | 1,696 | 100 | 17 | TOTAL | 1,933 | 100 | 13 |
| EU-27 | 1,215 | 72 | 20 | EU-27 | 1,618 | 84 | 14 |
| Euro area 20 | 882 | 52 | 20 | Euro area 20 | 1,209 | 63 | 13 |
| Non-EU | 481 | 28 | 9 | Non-EU | 315 | 16 | 13 |
| 1. Finland | 268 | 16 | 22 | 1. Latvia | 253 | 13 | 28 |
| 2. Latvia | 156 | 9 | 28 | 2. Germany | 212 | 11 | -6 |
| 3. Sweden | 142 | 8 | 1 | 3. Finland | 190 | 10 | 8 |
| 4. Lithuania | 140 | 8 | 23 | 4. Lithuania | 176 | 9 | -16 |
| 5. Germany | 126 | 7 | 17 | 5. Sweden | 165 | 9 | 29 |
| 6. Poland | 70 | 4 | 33 | 6. Poland | 140 | 7 | 4 |
| 7. USA | 66 | 4 | -19 | 7. Netherlands | 139 | 7 | 33 |
| 8. Denmark | 65 | 4 | 21 | 8. China | 69 | 4 | 18 |
| 9. Netherlands | 59 | 3 | 24 | 9. Italy | 53 | 3 | 19 |
| 10. Norway | 58 | 3 | 34 | 10. Czechia | 52 | 3 | 51 |
| Commodity section (chapter) by Combined Nomenclature (CN) | Exports | Imports | Balance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Million euros | Share, % | Change on same month of previous year, % | Million euros | Share, % | Change on same month of previous year, % | Million euros | |
| TOTAL | 1,696 | 100 | 17 | 1,933 | 100 | 13 | -237 |
| Agricultural products and food preparations (I–IV) | 199 | 12 | 8 | 232 | 12 | 2 | -33 |
| Mineral products (V) | 157 | 9 | 28 | 204 | 11 | 26 | -47 |
| Raw materials and products of chemical industry (VI) | 86 | 5 | 17 | 190 | 10 | 15 | -104 |
| Articles of plastics and rubber (VII) | 45 | 3 | 1 | 96 | 5 | 17 | -50 |
| Wood and articles of wood (IX) | 203 | 12 | 8 | 69 | 4 | 36 | 134 |
| Paper and articles thereof (X) | 33 | 2 | 8 | 31 | 2 | 21 | 2 |
| Textiles and textile articles (XI) | 37 | 2 | 12 | 65 | 3 | 12 | -28 |
| Base metals and articles of base metal (XV) | 133 | 8 | 26 | 145 | 7 | -2 | -13 |
| Machinery and mechanical appliances (84) | 130 | 8 | 4 | 180 | 9 | 10 | -50 |
| Electrical equipment (85) | 228 | 13 | 6 | 226 | 12 | -1 | 3 |
| Transport equipment (XVII) | 173 | 10 | 27 | 266 | 14 | 29 | -93 |
| Optical, measuring, precision instruments (XVIII) | 61 | 4 | 23 | 46 | 2 | 12 | 15 |
| Miscellaneous manufactured articles (XX) | 119 | 7 | 21 | 49 | 2 | 23 | 69 |
| Other | 92 | 5 | 86 | 134 | 7 | 24 | -42 |
Starting from 2025, Statistics Estonia prepares EU imports statistics using detailed data and estimates from other Member States concerning their exports to Estonia. The data are validated by Statistics Estonia and combined with administrative data. 2025 data based on the new methodology were first published on 12 March 2025. Read more about the changes here (in Estonian).
Statistics Estonia performs the statistical activity “Foreign trade” for the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications with the aim to determine how exporting and importing enterprises are performing in Estonia.
See also the foreign trade section on our website. Statistics Estonia’s foreign trade application provides visualised foreign trade data for Estonia.
More detailed data have been published in the statistical database. Due to rounding, the sum of rows in some tables may differ from the sum total of the column.
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Heidi Kukk
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Statistics Estonia
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