In September, trade increased
According to Statistics Estonia, in September 2018, the exports and imports of goods both increased by 11% compared to September 2017. The growth in trade was affected the most by an increase in trade in mineral products (fuel additives, motor spirit).
In September 2018, exports from Estonia amounted to 1.2 billion euros and imports to Estonia to 1.3 billion euros at current prices. The trade deficit was 76 million euros (in September 2017, it was 70 million euros).
In September 2018, the top destination countries of Estonia’s exports were Finland (15% of Estonia’s total exports of goods), Sweden, the USA and Latvia (each 10%). Electrical equipment and base metals and articles of base metal were the main commodities exported to Finland; electrical equipment and wood and articles of wood were the main commodities exported to Sweden; mineral products and electrical equipment were the main commodities exported to the USA, mineral products (electricity, fuel additives) and agricultural products and food preparations (raw milk, beer) were the main commodities exported to Latvia. The biggest increase occurred in exports to the USA (up by 104 million euros), Singapore (up by 33 million euros) and Nigeria (up by 23 million euros). In exports to the USA, the exports of electrical equipment (data communication equipment) increased the most. There was also an increase in the exports of mineral products to Singapore and Nigeria. The biggest decrease occurred in exports to Germany (down by 32 million euros) and Sweden (down by 27 million euros).
In September, the biggest share in the exports of goods was held by mineral products (18% of the total exports of goods), followed by electrical equipment (16%) and wood and articles of wood (10%). The greatest increase was in the exports of mineral products (up by 132 million euros) and wood and articles of wood (up by 12 million euros). The biggest decrease occurred in exports of transport equipment (down by 28 million euros).
The share of goods of Estonian origin in total exports of goods was 70% in September 2018. The exports of goods of Estonian origin increased by 10% and re-exports by 12% compared to September 2017. In the exports of goods of Estonian origin, the greatest increase was in the exports of mineral products (oil, shale oil), electrical equipment (data communication equipment), and wood and articles of wood (wood pellets, birch pulpwood). The share of goods of Estonian origin accounted for 56% of the exports of mineral products.
The main countries of consignment in September 2018 were Finland (14% of Estonia’s total imports of goods), Russia (11%), Lithuania and Sweden (10% each). From Finland, mineral products and base metals and articles of base metal were imported the most. Mineral products were imported the most from Russia and Lithuania, and electrical equipment and transport equipment from Sweden. The biggest increase occurred in imports from Russia (up by 72 million euros), Sweden (up by 27 million euros) and Finland (up by 24 million euros). From Russia and Finland, the imports of mineral products (fuel additives, motor spirit) increased most, and from Sweden, the imports of electrical equipment increased the most.
The main commodities imported to Estonia were mineral products (16% of Estonia’s total imports of goods), electrical equipment (14%) and mechanical appliances (10%). The greatest increase was in the imports of mineral products (up by 110 million euros) and mechanical appliances (up by 17 million euros). The imports of transport equipment (down by 14 million euros) decreased the most.
In September 2018, the foreign trade export volume index increased by 4% and the import volume index by 1% compared to September 2017.
In the third quarter of 2018, exports of goods from Estonia amounted to 3.6 billion euros and imports to Estonia to 4 billion euros. The exports of goods increased in the third quarter by 14% and imports by 13% compared to the same period of the previous year. The trade deficit in the third quarter was 371 million euros (in the third quarter of 2017, it was 354 million euros). In the third quarter, goods were exported to 161 countries and imported from 110 countries. In the 9 months of the current year (January–September), the exports of goods increased by 11% and imports by 9%, compared to the same period of the previous year.
| Month | Exports, million euros | Imports, million euros | Balance, million euros | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 2018 | change, % | 2017 | 2018 | change, % | 2017 | 2018 | |
| I–III quarter TOTAL | 9,536 | 10,594 | 11 | 11,001 | 12,030 | 9 | -1,465 | -1,435 |
| I quarter | 3,096 | 3,280 | 6 | 3,750 | 3,816 | 2 | -654 | -536 |
| January | 941 | 1,030 | 9 | 1,352 | 1,252 | -7 | -412 | -222 |
| February | 974 | 1,113 | 14 | 1,075 | 1,203 | 12 | -101 | -89 |
| March | 1,182 | 1,137 | -4 | 1,323 | 1,361 | 3 | -141 | -224 |
| II quarter | 3,268 | 3,691 | 13 | 3,725 | 4,219 | 13 | -457 | -529 |
| April | 1,029 | 1,189 | 16 | 1,214 | 1,361 | 12 | -186 | -171 |
| May | 1,151 | 1,235 | 7 | 1,305 | 1,444 | 11 | -154 | -209 |
| June | 1,089 | 1,266 | 16 | 1,206 | 1,415 | 17 | -117 | -149 |
| III quarter | 3,172 | 3,623 | 14 | 3,526 | 3,995 | 13 | -354 | -371 |
| July | 942 | 1,195 | 27 | 1,130 | 1,324 | 17 | -188 | -130 |
| August | 1,109 | 1,188 | 7 | 1,205 | 1,353 | 12 | -96 | -165 |
| September | 1,121 | 1,241 | 11 | 1,191 | 1,318 | 11 | -70 | -76 |
| 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 | 1,241 | 100 | 11 | TOTAL | 1,318 | 100 | 11 |
| EU-28 | 817 | 66 | 0 | EU-28 | 1,036 | 79 | 4 |
| Euro area 19 | 574 | 46 | 4 | Euro area 19 | 724 | 55 | 1 |
| Non-EU | 425 | 34 | 39 | Non-EU | 282 | 21 | 41 |
| 1. Finland | 188 | 15 | 1 | 1. Finland | 181 | 14 | 15 |
| 2. Sweden | 130 | 10 | -17 | 2. Russia | 143 | 11 | - |
| 3. USA | 127 | 10 | - | 3. Lithuania | 135 | 10 | 10 |
| 4. Latvia | 122 | 10 | 22 | 4. Sweden | 130 | 10 | 26 |
| 5. Germany | 76 | 6 | -30 | 5. Germany | 121 | 9 | -8 |
| 6. Russia | 69 | 6 | -11 | 6. Latvia | 107 | 8 | -1 |
| 7. Lithuania | 66 | 5 | 5 | 7. Poland | 82 | 6 | -7 |
| 8. Netherlands | 44 | 4 | 91 | 8. Netherlands | 53 | 4 | -21 |
| 9. Norway | 44 | 4 | -8 | 9. China | 48 | 4 | -6 |
| 10. Singapore | 33 | 3 | - | 10. United Kingdom | 44 | 3 | 23 |
| Commodity section (chapter) by Combined Nomenclature (CN) | Exports | Imports | Balance, million euros | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| million euros | share, % | change on same period of previous year, % | million euros | share, % | change on same period of previous year, % | ||
| TOTAL | 1,241 | 100 | 11 | 1,318 | 100 | 11 | -76 |
| Agricultural products and food preparations (I–IV) | 90 | 7 | -6 | 117 | 9 | -6 | -28 |
| Mineral products (V) | 222 | 18 | - | 213 | 16 | - | 9 |
| Raw materials and products of chemical industry (VI) | 60 | 5 | 4 | 110 | 8 | 11 | -50 |
| Articles of plastics and rubber (VII) | 38 | 3 | 1 | 73 | 6 | 0 | -35 |
| Wood and articles of wood (IX) | 130 | 10 | 10 | 46 | 3 | 10 | 84 |
| Paper and articles thereof (X) | 28 | 2 | -6 | 21 | 2 | -7 | 7 |
| Textiles and textile articles (XI) | 35 | 3 | -5 | 61 | 5 | 0 | -26 |
| Base metals and articles of base metal (XV) | 104 | 8 | 5 | 124 | 9 | 8 | -21 |
| Mechanical appliances (84) | 96 | 8 | 0 | 136 | 10 | 14 | -40 |
| Electrical equipment (85) | 201 | 16 | 5 | 179 | 14 | -4 | 22 |
| Transport equipment (XVII) | 67 | 6 | -30 | 119 | 9 | -10 | -52 |
| Optical, measuring, precision instruments (XVIII) | 30 | 2 | -12 | 27 | 2 | -3 | 2 |
| Miscellaneous manufactured articles (XX) | 99 | 8 | -5 | 34 | 3 | -2 | 65 |
| Other | 44 | 4 | 16 | 58 | 4 | 13 | -14 |
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 October 2018, and on the customs declaration data of the Estonian Tax and Customs Board, which were sent to Statistics Estonia on 22 October 2018. Statistics Estonia published the monthly summary of foreign trade in 13 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.