In January, trade grew by more than a third
According to Statistics Estonia, in January 2022, Estonia’s exports of goods increased by 35% and imports by 36% compared to January 2021. Trade growth was significantly boosted by the increased exports and imports and higher prices of mineral fuels and electricity.
In January, Estonia’s exports of goods amounted to 1.6 billion euros and imports to nearly 1.8 billion euros at current prices. The trade deficit was 178 million euros and grew by 62 million euros compared to January 2021.
Evelin Puura, leading analyst at Statistics Estonia, said that, in January, trade was influenced by the low reference base of January 2021 and also by the rising prices of raw materials. “The rise in prices had the biggest impact on trade in mineral fuels and electricity. In January this year, mineral fuels and electricity accounted for 19% of exports and 20% of imports,” added Puura.
The main commodities exported were mineral fuels and electricity, electrical equipment, and wood and articles of wood. Compared to January 2021, the biggest increase occurred in the exports of mineral fuels (incl. processed mineral oils, natural gas) and electricity which grew by 128 million euros. The exports of wood and articles of wood (incl. wood pellets, coniferous wood strips, plywood) grew by 64 million euros, and the exports of agricultural products and food preparations (incl. feed barley) by 45 million euros.
The main partner country for Estonia’s exports of goods was Finland, followed by Latvia and Sweden. The main commodities exported were natural gas and parts for engines and loaders to Finland, electricity and motor cars to Latvia, and communication equipment, prefabricated wooden buildings and wood pellets to Sweden. The biggest increase occurred in exports to Latvia, Finland and Lithuania. More electricity was exported to Latvia and to Finland, and there were larger dispatches of transport equipment to Lithuania.
Re-exports from Estonia increased by 49% and exports of domestic goods by 29%. Goods of Estonian origin accounted for 70% of the total exports of goods. In the case of goods of Estonian origin, the biggest rise occurred in the exports of feed barley, processed fuels and scrap metal.
The main commodities imported to Estonia were mineral fuels and electricity, base metals and articles of base metal, electrical equipment, and raw materials and products of chemical industry. The imports of mineral fuels (incl. oils imported for processing and natural gas) and electricity increased the most (up by 113 million euros), followed by imports of base metals and articles of base metal (up by 77 million euros) and raw materials and products of chemical industry (up by 42 million euros).
The top partner countries for Estonia’s imports of goods were Finland, Russia and Latvia. The biggest rise was recorded in imports from Finland, Russia and Lithuania. There were greater imports of electricity and diesel fuel from Finland, greater imports of nitrogen fertiliser and mineral fuels for processing from Russia, and increased imports of diesel fuel and aviation fuel from Lithuania.
| Month | Exports, million euros | Imports, million euros | Balance, million euros | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2022 | Change, % | 2021 | 2022 | Change, % | 2021 | 2022 | |
| January | 1,190 | 1,600 | 35 | 1,306 | 1,779 | 36 | -116 | -178 |
| Country of destination, group of countries | Exports, million euros | Share, % | Change on previous year, % | Country of consignment, group of countries | Imports, million euros | Share, % | Change on previous year, % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOTAL | 1,600 | 100 | 35 | TOTAL | 1,779 | 100 | 36 |
| EU-27 | 1,162 | 73 | 41 | EU-27 | 1,267 | 71 | 33 |
| Euro area 19 | 864 | 54 | 46 | Euro area 19 | 970 | 56 | 34 |
| Non-EU | 439 | 27 | 20 | Non-EU | 511 | 29 | 44 |
| 1. Finland | 227 | 14 | 41 | 1. Finland | 270 | 15 | 69 |
| 2. Latvia | 185 | 12 | 90 | 2. Russia | 222 | 12 | 104 |
| 3. Sweden | 145 | 9 | 21 | 3. Latvia | 165 | 9 | 21 |
| 4. Germany | 118 | 7 | 43 | 4. Lithuania | 164 | 9 | 27 |
| 5. Netherlands | 116 | 7 | 17 | 5. Germany | 148 | 8 | 17 |
| 6. USA | 111 | 7 | 13 | 6. Sweden | 121 | 7 | 28 |
| 7. Lithuania | 99 | 6 | 58 | 7. Poland | 103 | 6 | 30 |
| 8. Denmark | 64 | 4 | 36 | 8. China | 75 | 4 | 43 |
| 9. Russia | 55 | 3 | 3 | 9. Netherlands | 73 | 4 | 33 |
| 10. Poland | 51 | 3 | 31 | 10. Belgium | 40 | 2 | 98 |
| Commodity section (chapter) by Combined Nomenclature (CN) | Exports | Imports | Balance, million euros | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Million euros | Share, % | Change on previous year, % | Million euros | Share, % | Change on previous year, % | ||
| TOTAL | 1,600 | 100 | 35 | 1,779 | 100 | 36 | -178 |
| Agricultural products and food preparations (I–IV) | 132 | 8 | 51 | 140 | 8 | 25 | -8 |
| Mineral products (V) | 307 | 19 | 72 | 351 | 20 | 48 | -44 |
| Raw materials and products of chemical industry (VI) | 97 | 6 | 52 | 172 | 10 | 33 | -75 |
| Articles of plastics and rubber (VII) | 42 | 3 | 23 | 88 | 5 | 38 | -46 |
| Wood and articles of wood (IX) | 198 | 12 | 48 | 77 | 4 | 50 | 121 |
| Paper and articles thereof (X) | 33 | 2 | 30 | 25 | 1 | 41 | 8 |
| Textiles and textile articles (XI) | 35 | 2 | 16 | 61 | 4 | 27 | -26 |
| Base metals and articles of base metal (XV) | 138 | 9 | 44 | 198 | 11 | 64 | -60 |
| Machinery and mechanical appliances (84) | 117 | 7 | 17 | 161 | 9 | 31 | -44 |
| Electrical equipment (85) | 202 | 13 | 10 | 184 | 10 | 24 | 18 |
| Transport equipment (XVII) | 95 | 6 | 19 | 167 | 9 | 25 | -72 |
| Optical, measuring, precision instruments (XVIII) | 36 | 2 | 7 | 36 | 2 | 42 | 0 |
| Miscellaneous manufactured articles (XX) | 110 | 7 | 13 | 43 | 2 | 25 | 67 |
| Other | 59 | 4 | 23 | 76 | 4 | 24 | -18 |
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. Visualised data of Estonia’s foreign trade can be viewed in Statistics Estonia’s application.
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.
For further information:
Kadri Kütt
Media Relations Manager
Marketing and Dissemination Department
Statistics Estonia
Tel +372 625 9181