Press Release 16/03/2023

FOREIGN TRADE STATISTICS (ECOMEX). January 2023

Exports from the Basque Country saw growth of over 20% in January 2023

Basque exports to Russia fell by 79% and imports were also down 42.5%

In January 2023 and compared to the same month of the previous year, foreign exports of goods from the Basque Country (2,720.4 million euros) registered an increase of 21.4%, with a rise of 0.4% in energy products and 23.1% in non-energy products, according to Eustat data.

Imports (2,374.4 million) saw growth of 18.0%. Non-energy imports rose by 11.2%, and energy imports increased by 42.1%.

In January 2023, there was a positive trade balance of 346 million and a coverage rate of 114.6%.

All three provinces of the Basque Country recorded positive growth rates in terms of their exports, with increases of 26.2% in Álava, 15.6% in Bizkaia and 24.1% in Gipuzkoa. Non-energy exports grew by 19.7% in Bizkaia, 25.8% in Álava and 23.8% in Gipuzkoa. Energy exports were down 2.6% in the case of Bizkaia.

In Álava, most exports this month were in “Transport material” (59.3% of the total), with an increase of 19.6% for a total of 550.6 million in exports; “Metals and articles thereof” (with a year-on-year increase of 42.5%) and “Electrical equipment, machinery & devices” (with a rise of 36.0%).

In Gipuzkoa, sales were up in the three main customs duty groups: “Electrical equipment, machinery & devices” (11.3%), “Metals and articles thereof” (10.4%) and “Transport material” (55.7%). Of particular note was the sharp rise registered in this province in “Vegetable products”, which reached 27.6 million euros in exports.

Bizkaia also saw upturns in exports of “Transport material” (26.1%) and “Electrical equipment, machinery & devices” (25.5%), as well as those of “Fats and oils” (61.8%) and “Animal products”, with 29.4 million in exports.

Source/destination countries, January 2023

In January 2023, five countries (Germany, France, the United States, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands) were the Basque Country’s biggest customers, absorbing 52.7% (1,434 million) of the total exported. Three of these belong to the EU-27, which accounts for 66.6%.

Exports to Germany grew by 16.4%, to France by 30.1%, to the United States by 13.5%, to the United Kingdom by 32.2% and to the Netherlands by 7.5%. There was also a rise in exports to Italy (21.4%), Belgium (11.5%) and Portugal (21.8%). Outside Europe, sales to Morocco (125.6%) and Mexico (6.8%) increased, while exports to China (-40.9%) and Russia (-79.4%) decreased significantly.

42.8% of Basque imports came from the EU-27. One of the standout European countries in terms of imports was Germany (292.3 million with a year-on-year increase of 2.1%). There was also a significant rise in imports from Ireland and Portugal, both with a year-on-year increase of 58.5%. In the case of the United Kingdom, there was a drop of 70.7%.

Looking at the rest of the world, we can see that there were also increases in imports from Norway (121.7 million in imports), the United States (132.4% with 237.8 million), Mexico (301.1% with 189.2 million) and China (55.9% with 284.6 million).

In the case of Russia, there was a drop of 42.5%, going from 136.7 million in January 2022 to 78.6 million in the same month of 2023. 70.5 million of these imports were “energy” related, specifically “Refined petroleum oils” (low-sulphur diesel).

Basque energy imports were distributed as follows: 354 million from America (56.3%), with 182 million coming from Mexico, 122 million from the United States and 50 million from Brazil; 190 million from Europe (30.2%), with 112 million coming from Norway, 70 million from Russia, 3 million from Poland and 2 million from the Netherlands; 48 million from Africa (7.7%), entirely from Libya; and almost nothing imported from Asia.

Products traded, January 2023

A more detailed look reveals that in January 2023 the ten main export duty groups accounted for 43.4% of exports, with a combined value of 1,181.5 million euros.

Of particular relevance within this group were the growth rates in groups such as: “Passenger cars with fewer than 10 seats” (34.4% with 308 million in exports), “New rubber tyres” (22.1% and 121 million in exports), “Seamless tubes and hollow profiles made of iron or steel” (146.9% with 64 million in exports).

If we widen the scope to include the 25 most notable customs duty groups, it is worth highlighting the sharp rises in “Unfilleted frozen fish” (28 million in exports), “Biodiesel and mixtures thereof” (24 million) and “Diesel and electric motor units for railway tracks and motorised trams” (36 million).

In the case of imports, the largest customs duty group, “Petroleum oils or oils obtained from bituminous minerals” (18.1% of the total), saw growth of 31.5%, 102.7 million more than in the same month of 2022, making a total of 429.2 million in imports.

This positive trend was also seen in “Petroleum gas and other hydrocarbon gases” (185.5% and 79.4 million more than in the same month of the previous year for a total of 122.2 million), “Refined petroleum oils” (18.2% and 73.7 million in imports), “Soya beans, whether or not broken” (173.4% and 61.8 million), “Electric accumulators and parts thereof” (128.7% with 34.4 million) and “Vessels for the transport of persons or goods” (112.6 million in imports).

ÁLAVA. Exports during January 2023

In Álava, exports grew by 26.2%, due to the sharp rises seen this month in “Passenger cars with fewer than 10 seats” (up 34.6% with a total of 305.1 million in exports), “Seamless tubes and hollow profiles made of iron or steel” (219.8% with 57.1 million in exports), “Goods transport vehicles” (10.9%) and “New rubber tyres” (39.6%).

BIZKAIA. Exports during January 2023

Exports from the province of Bizkaia were up 15.6%. Of the ten main customs duty groups, the largest contributors to the export effort were: “Refined petroleum oils” (with 146.8 million euros in exports, despite a year-on-year decrease of 3.2%), “New rubber tyres” (69.5 million in exports), “Vehicle parts and accessories” (69.5 million) and “Plant or animal fats and oils for industrial technical use” (51.5 million), among others.

GIPUZKOA. Exports during January 2023

Exports from Gipuzkoa rose by 24.1%; of particular note among the main customs duty groups were the increases registered in “Diesel and electric motor units for railway tracks and motorised trams” (with a total of 36.3 million in exports), “Vehicle parts and accessories” (with a rise of 19.6% and 71 million in exports), “Articles of iron or steel” (200.6% and 20.4 million) and “Lifts, Escalators, Transporters, etc.” (with a year-on-year increase of 199.2% and 18.2 million).

For further information:

Eustat - Euskal Estatistika Erakundea / Basque Statistics Institute C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz Press Service: servicioprensa@eustat.eus Tel.: 945 01 75 62