Exports and imports of goods fell significantly in July
According to Statistics Estonia, Estonia’s exports of goods in July amounted to 1.3 billion and imports to 1.6 billion euros. Compared with July 2022, exports of goods decreased by 26% and imports by 20% at current prices. The trade deficit in July was 385 million euros, which is 42 million euros more than in the same month last year.
Jane Leppmets, analyst at Statistics Estonia, noted that a big factor behind the decline in both exports and imports of goods this July was the higher reference base of 2022, when both electricity and other goods were more expensive than usual. Year on year, export prices fell by 3% and import prices by nearly 5% in July, but exports of goods of Estonian origin decreased by as much as 29% and re-exports by 22%. “Exports dropped to the level of 2021 and the trade deficit is the largest so far this year, thus the decline in exports is substantial. Trade with non-EU countries in particular fell significantly – exports by 42% and imports by 54%,” Leppmets added.
The main commodities exported in July were electrical equipment (14% of Estonia’s total exports), transport equipment (12%), agricultural products and food preparations (11%), and wood and articles of wood (11%). The biggest fall was recorded in the exports of mineral products (down by 341 million euros). The exports of electrical equipment, miscellaneous manufactured articles, and mechanical appliances decreased by 38 million, 19 million, and 18 million euros, respectively. Exports of transport equipment grew the most, by 40 million euros.
Estonia’s top export partner in July was Finland (15% of Estonia’s total exports), followed by Latvia (14%) and Lithuania (9%). The main commodities exported were electrical equipment (incl. static converters) to Finland, mineral products (incl. electricity) to Latvia, and transport equipment (incl. motor cars) to Lithuania. The biggest decline was registered in exports to Latvia, the United States, and Greece. Compared with July last year, there were decreased exports of mineral products (incl. electricity) to Latvia, electrical equipment (incl. communication equipment) to the US, and mineral products (incl. various mineral oils) to Greece. The greatest rise occurred in exports to Turkey, to which more base metals and articles of base metal (incl. iron and steel waste) were exported than last year.
The main commodities imported in July were transport equipment (15% of Estonia’s total imports), electrical equipment (12%), agricultural products and food preparations (12%), and mineral products (12%). The biggest fall was recorded in the imports of mineral products (down by 249 million euros). The imports of base metals and articles of base metal, wood and articles of wood, and mechanical appliances decreased respectively by 89 million, 40 million, and 39 million euros. Imports of transport equipment increased the most, by 53 million euros.
In July, the top partner countries for Estonia’s imports of goods were Finland (15% of Estonia’s total imports), Germany (11%), Latvia (10%), and Lithuania (10%). The main commodities imported were mineral products (incl. electricity) from Finland, transport equipment (incl. motor cars) from Germany, mineral products (incl. natural gas) from Latvia, and mineral products (incl. petroleum oils) from Lithuania. The biggest fall occurred in imports of goods from Russia, Finland, and Lithuania due to decreased imports of mineral products. Compared with July 2022, there were fewer imports of various mineral and petroleum oils from Russia, lower imports of electricity from Finland, and smaller imports of petroleum oils from Lithuania. Imports from the Netherlands increased the most, with more imports of optical, measuring and precision instruments than last year.
| Month | Exports, million euros | Imports, million euros | Balance, million euros | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2023 | Change, % | 2022 | 2023 | Change, % | 2022 | 2023 | |
| KOKKU | 12 194 | 10 723 | -12 | 14 270 | 12 419 | -13 | -2 076 | -1 697 |
| January | 1 636 | 1 497 | -9 | 1 781 | 1 659 | -7 | -145 | -162 |
| February | 1 509 | 1 525 | 1 | 1 778 | 1 641 | -8 | -269 | -115 |
| March | 1 986 | 1 707 | -14 | 2 172 | 1 914 | -12 | -186 | -207 |
| April | 1 599 | 1 505 | -6 | 2 131 | 1 748 | -18 | -532 | -242 |
| May | 1 930 | 1 644 | -15 | 2 226 | 1 966 | -12 | -297 | -322 |
| June | 1 839 | 1 593 | -13 | 2 143 | 1 855 | -13 | -304 | -262 |
| July | 1 696 | 1 252 | -26 | 2 039 | 1 636 | -20 | -343 | -385 |
| 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 | 1 252 | 100 | -26 | TOTAL | 1 636 | 100 | -20 |
| EU-27 | 927 | 74 | -18 | EU-27 | 1 406 | 86 | -8 |
| Euro area 20 | 722 | 58 | -20 | Euro area 20 | 1 069 | 65 | -12 |
| Non-EU | 325 | 26 | -42 | Non-EU | 230 | 14 | -54 |
| 1. Finland | 186 | 15 | -16 | 1. Finland | 249 | 15 | -26 |
| 2. Latvia | 172 | 14 | -38 | 2. Germany | 186 | 11 | -6 |
| 3. Lithuania | 118 | 9 | 11 | 3. Latvia | 167 | 10 | 4 |
| 4. Sweden | 94 | 7 | -21 | 4. Lithuania | 161 | 10 | -28 |
| 5. Germany | 87 | 7 | 0 | 5. Poland | 129 | 8 | 5 |
| 6.Netherlands | 51 | 4 | 7 | 6. Sweden | 122 | 7 | -1 |
| 7. Poland | 49 | 4 | 22 | 7. Netherlands | 99 | 6 | 31 |
| 8. Russia | 40 | 3 | -41 | 8. China | 59 | 4 | -30 |
| 9. Norway | 37 | 3 | -46 | 9. Italy | 57 | 3 | -1 |
| 10.USAs | 35 | 3 | -63 | 10. Czechia | 38 | 2 | 27 |
`
| Commodity section (chapter) by Combined Nomenclature (CN) | Exports | Imports | Balance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Million euros |
Share, % |
Change on previous year, % | Million euros | Share, % | Change on previous year, % | Million euros | |
| TOTAL | 1 252 | 100 | -26 | 1 636 | 100 | -20 | -385 |
| Agricultural products and food preparations (I–IV) | 139 | 11 | -6 | 203 | 12 | 2 | -64 |
| Mineral products (V) | 88 | 7 | -79 | 194 | 12 | -56 | -106 |
| Raw materials and products of chemical industry (VI) | 64 | 5 | -17 | 144 | 9 | -5 | -80 |
| Articles of plastics and rubber (VII) | 39 | 3 | -21 | 82 | 5 | -12 | -43 |
| Wood and articles of wood (IX) | 133 | 11 | -8 | 36 | 2 | -53 | 97 |
| Paper and articles thereof (X) | 29 | 2 | -23 | 27 | 2 | -21 | 2 |
| Textiles and textile articles (XI) | 27 | 2 | -19 | 53 | 3 | -18 | -27 |
| Base metals and articles of base metal (XV) | 122 | 10 | -3 | 144 | 9 | -38 | -22 |
| Machinery and mechanical appliances (84) | 121 | 10 | -13 | 154 | 10 | -20 | -34 |
| Electrical equipment (85) | 178 | 14 | -18 | 203 | 12 | -4 | -25 |
| Transport equipment (XVII) | 148 | 12 | 38 | 245 | 15 | 28 | -97 |
| Optical, measuring, precision instruments (XVIII) | 34 | 3 | -20 | 44 | 3 | 38 | -10 |
| Miscellaneous manufactured articles (XX) | 82 | 6 | -19 | 39 | 2 | -17 | 43 |
| Other | 48 | 4 | 6 | 68 | 4 | -2 | -20 |
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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Statistics Estonia
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