In October, trade increased
In October 2017, exports from Estonia amounted to 1.1 billion euros and imports to Estonia to 1.3 billion euros. The trade deficit was 159 million euros (in October 2016, it was 141 million euros).
In October, the top destination countries of Estonia’s exports were Finland (17% of Estonia’s total exports), Sweden (12%) and Latvia (9%). Electrical equipment and base metals and articles of base metal were the main commodities exported to Finland; electrical equipment and miscellaneous manufactured articles (prefabricated wood buildings, pillows, blankets) were the main commodities exported to Sweden; agricultural products and food preparations (cheese, beer) and transport equipment (motor cars) were the main commodities exported to Latvia. The biggest increase occurred in exports to Finland (up by 30 million euros), Singapore (up by 20 million euros) and the United States (up by 18 million euros). In exports to Finland, the exports of base metals and articles of base metal, mechanical appliances, and agricultural products and food preparations increased the most, to Singapore, the exports of mineral products (shale oil), and to the United States, the exports of mineral products (motor spirits) increased the most. The biggest decrease occurred in exports to Sweden (down by 31 million euros).
The biggest share in exports was held by electrical equipment, followed by wood and articles of wood and agricultural products and food preparations. The greatest increase was in the exports of base metals and articles of base metal (up by 34 million euros), mechanical appliances (up by 28 million euros), and wood and articles of wood (up by 25 million euros). The exports of electrical equipment decreased (down by 22 million euros).
The share of goods of Estonian origin in total exports was 73% in October. The exports of goods of Estonian origin and their re-exports both grew 11%. 74% of the goods of Estonian origin were exported to the European Union in October 2017. Compared to October 2016, the share of European Union in these exports decreased by 4 percentage points.
The main countries of consignment in October 2017 were Finland (13% of Estonia’s total imports), Germany (11%), Lithuania (10%) and Latvia (10%). Electrical equipment and base metals and articles of base metal were the main commodities imported from Finland; transport equipment and electrical equipment from Germany; mineral products and agricultural products and food preparations from Lithuania and Latvia. The biggest increase occurred in imports from Latvia (up by 29 million euros), Lithuania (up by 23 million euros) and Finland (21 million euros). Imports from the Netherlands decreased the most.
The main commodities imported to Estonia were electrical equipment, transport equipment, agricultural products and food preparations, mineral products and mechanical appliances. The biggest increase was in the imports of mineral products (up by 50 million euros), raw materials and products of the chemical industry (up by 24 million euros), and base metals and articles of base metal (up by 21 million euros), and the biggest fall occurred in the imports of electrical equipment (down by 10 million euros).
| 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 | 1 136 | 100 | 11 | TOTAL | 1 295 | 100 | 11 |
| EU-28 | 798 | 70 | 4 | EU-28 | 1 086 | 84 | 11 |
| Euro area 19 | 555 | 49 | 13 | Euro area 19 | 794 | 61 | 12 |
| Non-EU | 338 | 30 | 31 | Non-EU | 209 | 16 | 11 |
| 1. Finland | 197 | 17 | 18 | 1. Finland | 163 | 13 | 15 |
| 2. Sweden | 139 | 12 | -18 | 2. Germany | 143 | 11 | 15 |
| 3. Latvia | 103 | 9 | 12 | 3. Lithuania | 130 | 10 | 21 |
| 4. Russia | 86 | 8 | 24 | 4. Latvia | 127 | 10 | 29 |
| 5. Germany | 79 | 7 | 13 | 5. Sweden | 113 | 9 | 16 |
| 6. Lithuania | 67 | 6 | 6 | 6. Poland | 87 | 7 | 10 |
| 7. Norway | 51 | 4 | 23 | 7. Netherlands | 84 | 6 | -31 |
| 8. USA | 39 | 3 | 84 | 8. Russia | 81 | 6 | 29 |
| 9. Denmark | 37 | 3 | 15 | 9. China | 43 | 3 | -1 |
| 10. Netherlands | 29 | 3 | -11 | 10. Italy | 35 | 3 | 17 |
| Commodity section (chapter) by Combined Nomenclature (CN) | Exports | Imports | Balance, million euros | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| million euros | share, % | change compared to same period of previous year, % | million euros | share,% | change compared to same period of previous year, % | ||
| TOTAL | 1 136 | 100 | 11 | 1 295 | 100 | 11 | -159 |
| Agricultural products and food preparations (I–IV) | 117 | 10 | 13 | 135 | 10 | 7 | -19 |
| Mineral products (V) | 85 | 7 | 5 | 130 | 10 | 62 | -45 |
| Raw materials and products of chemical industry (VI) | 68 | 6 | 30 | 117 | 9 | 25 | -49 |
| Articles of plastics and rubber (VII) | 41 | 4 | 23 | 75 | 6 | 19 | -34 |
| Wood and articles of wood (IX) | 132 | 12 | 23 | 47 | 4 | 32 | 85 |
| Paper and articles thereof (X) | 30 | 3 | -4 | 25 | 2 | 6 | 5 |
| Textiles and textile articles (XI) | 35 | 3 | -3 | 60 | 5 | 4 | -25 |
| Base metals and articles of base metal (XV) | 102 | 9 | 51 | 118 | 9 | 21 | -17 |
| Mechanical appliances (84) | 101 | 9 | 39 | 123 | 10 | 18 | -22 |
| Electrical equipment (85) | 186 | 16 | -10 | 199 | 15 | -5 | -13 |
| Transport equipment (XVII) | 71 | 6 | 15 | 141 | 11 | -6 | -70 |
| Optical, measuring, precision instruments (XVIII) | 35 | 3 | -12 | 32 | 2 | 8 | 4 |
| Miscellaneous manufactured articles (XX) | 99 | 9 | 9 | 40 | 3 | 22 | 59 |
| Other | 36 | 3 | -16 | 54 | 4 | -16 | -18 |
The statistics are based on the questionnaires “Intrastat” and “Exports (sale of fish and crustaceans in foreign waters and ports)”, the due dates of which were, respectively, 14 and 15 November 2017, and on the customs declaration data of the Estonian Tax and Customs Board, which were sent to Statistics Estonia on 20 November 2017. Statistics Estonia published the monthly summary of foreign trade in 14 working days. In the case of the statistical activity “Foreign trade”, the main representative of public interest is the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, commissioned by whom Statistics Estonia collects and analyses the data necessary for conducting the statistical activity.