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).

Main foreign trade partners of Estonia, October 2017

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

Exports and imports by commodity section, October 2017

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.