Telecommunications, computer and information services had the biggest trade surplus in the second quarter
According to Statistics Estonia and Eesti Pank, in the second quarter of 2024, Estonia’s exports and imports of services both grew by 3%. Exports of services totalled 3.1 billion euros and imports of services 2.3 billion euros at current prices. The balance of foreign trade in services was in surplus by 802 million euros, which is 39 million euros more than in the second quarter last year.
Jane Leppmets, analyst at Statistics Estonia, said that foreign trade in services continued slow but steady growth, and exports exceeded imports for most types of services. “The greatest surplus was registered in telecommunications, computer and information services, where exports were 312 million euros higher than imports. There was also a large surplus in trade in other business services, with exports exceeding imports by 201 million euros,” added Leppmets.
In the second quarter, the top services exported were other business services (incl. other business support services, advertising and management services) for 868 million euros. This was followed by exports of telecommunications, computer and information services (incl. computer programming and consultancy) for 751 million euros, and exports of transport services (incl. road freight transport) for 671 million euros. Compared with the second quarter of 2023, the biggest increase occurred in exports of telecommunications, computer and information services (up by 94 million euros), while the largest decrease was observed in exports of other business services (down by 75 million euros).
The main partner countries for Estonia’s exports of services in the second quarter were Finland (17% of total exports), the United States (8%), and Germany (8%). The main services supplied to Finland were travel services. Telecommunications, computer and information services were the most exported service to the United States, and transport services were the biggest export item to Germany. The biggest rise was recorded in exports of services to the United States (up by 79 million euros, or 44%), and Germany (up by 65 million euros, or 35%). The greatest decrease occurred in exports of services to Latvia, which fell by 48 million euros, or 24%.
The top services imported in the second quarter were other business services (incl. other business support services, advertising and management services) for 667 million euros. This was followed by imports of transport services (incl. road and sea freight transport) for 664 million euros, and telecommunications, computer and information services (incl. computer programming and consultancy) for 439 million euros. Year on year, the biggest rise occurred in imports of transport services (up by 48 million euros), while imports of other business services decreased the most (down by 31 million euros).
The top partner countries for Estonia’s imports of services were Finland (8% of total imports), Germany (8%), Lithuania (7%) and Latvia (7%). Transport services were the main type of service purchased from these countries. The biggest increase was recorded in imports of services from Latvia (up by 20 million euros, or 15%) and the United States (up by 20 million euros, or 29%). The largest decrease was seen in imports of services from Ireland (down by 24 million euros, or 20%) and Russia (down by 16 million euros, or 59%).
| Country of destination, group of countries | Exports, million euros | Share, % | Change on same quarter of previous year, % | Country of consignment, group of countries | Imports, million euros | Share, % | Change on same quarter of previous year, % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOTAL | 3,082 | 100 | 3 | TOTAL | 2,280 | 100 | 3 |
| EU-27 | 2,085 | 68 | 4 | EU-27 | 1,624 | 71 | 2 |
| Euro area 20 | 1,645 | 53 | 7 | Euro area 20 | 1,275 | 56 | 0 |
| Non-EU | 997 | 32 | 1 | Non-EU | 656 | 29 | 5 |
| 1. Finland | 510 | 17 | 4 | 1. Finland | 183 | 8 | 1 |
| 2. USA | 259 | 8 | 44 | 2. Germany | 182 | 8 | -1 |
| 3. Germany | 253 | 8 | 35 | 3. Lithuania | 161 | 7 | -5 |
| 4. Sweden | 208 | 7 | -5 | 4. Latvia | 152 | 7 | 15 |
| 5. United Kingdom | 184 | 6 | 6 | 5. United Kingdom | 128 | 6 | 12 |
| 6. Latvia | 151 | 5 | -24 | 6. Sweden | 119 | 5 | 4 |
| 7. Lithuania | 144 | 5 | -5 | 7. Poland | 104 | 5 | 14 |
| 8. Netherlands | 103 | 3 | 4 | 8. Ireland | 98 | 4 | -20 |
| 9. France | 91 | 3 | 32 | 9. Netherlands | 92 | 4 | -4 |
| 10. Ireland | 74 | 2 | 9 | 10. USA | 90 | 4 | 29 |
| Type of service (according to EBOPS 2010) | Exports of services | Imports of services | Balance, million euros | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Million euros | Share,% | Change on same quarter of previous year, % | Million euros | Share, % | Change on same quarter of previous year, % | ||
| TOTAL | 3,082 | 100 | 3 | 2,280 | 100 | 3 | 802 |
| Manufacturing services on physical inputs owned by others (SA) | 94 | 3 | 12 | 32 | 1 | 12 | 62 |
| Maintenance and repair services n.i.e. (SB) | 68 | 2 | 16 | 30 | 1 | -20 | 38 |
| Transport (SC) | 671 | 22 | 8 | 644 | 29 | 8 | 27 |
| Travel (SD) | 426 | 14 | 9 | 341 | 15 | 7 | 85 |
| Construction (SE) | 79 | 3 | -16 | 23 | 1 | 5 | 56 |
| Insurance and pension services (SF) | 4 | 0 | -12 | 15 | 1 | 34 | -10 |
| Financial services (excl. insurance and pension services) (SG) | 44 | 1 | -14 | 41 | 2 | -10 | 4 |
| Charges for the use of intellectual property n.i.e. (SH) | 21 | 1 | -33 | 18 | 1 | -22 | 3 |
| Telecommunications, computer and information services (SI) | 751 | 24 | 14 | 439 | 19 | 7 | 312 |
| Other business services (SJ) | 868 | 28 | -8 | 667 | 29 | -4 | 201 |
| Personal, cultural and recreational services (SK) | 35 | 1 | 6 | 25 | 1 | 25 | 11 |
| Government goods and services (SL) | 21 | 1 | 93 | 7 | 0 | -4 | 13 |
Statistics Estonia collects and analyses the data on foreign trade in services in cooperation with Eesti Pank, as commissioned by 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.
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.
When using Statistics Estonia’s data and graphs, please indicate the source.
For further information:
Heidi Kukk
Media Relations Manager
Marketing and Dissemination Department
Statistics Estonia
Tel +372 625 9181
press [at] stat.ee