Press Release 19/02/2024

FOREIGN TRADE STATISTICS (ECOMEX). December 2023

Basque exports increased by 0.3% in 2023 and exceeded 32,600 million euros

The trade balance for the year as a whole was positive, reaching 5,848 million euros, with a coverage rate of 121.8%

In 2023, exports from the Basque Country recorded an increase of 0.3% compared to the previous year, which represented a rise of 106.5 million euros, according to EUSTAT data. Non-energy products were up 3.4%, but energy products were down 31.2%.

Imports, on the other hand, registered a downturn of 8.9%, after falling by 2,615 million euros between 2022 and 2023. Both non-energy products and energy products imported recorded decreases of 4.1% and 20.5% respectively.

With exports amounting to 32,645 million euros and imports totalling 26,797 million, foreign trade of goods in the Basque Country had a positive balance of 5,848.4 million euros in 2023 and maintained a positive coverage rate of 121.8%.

Exports 2023

As mentioned above, the total amount of exports for this period stood at 32,645 million euros: the greatest contribution to this figure was made by Bizkaia, with 12,388 million (38% of the total), followed by Álava (10,210 million) and Gipuzkoa (10,047 million).

Exports from Álava posted a year-on-year increase of 868 million, representing a rise of 9.3% in relative terms. Gipuzkoa saw a more moderate increase (up 1.4%, with 142 million more), whereas in Bizkaia there was a negative trend, with exports down 903.5 million euros, which translates into a decrease of 6.8%.

Products exported in 2023

In terms of the type of product exported, exports of “Non-energy products” presented a positive trend with an increase of 995 million euros; however, this was not the case for “Energy products”, which fell by 31.2% compared to 2022 (down 888.4 million).

The ten most exported products (customs duty groups) accounted for 41.5% of exports, reaching a total of 13,558.6 million euros, and seven of these presented positive growth rates compared to 2022. The standout products included “Passenger cars with fewer than 10 seats”, which was once again the Basque Country’s largest export category (accounting for 3,195.3 million euros, up 21.2%), and “Goods transport vehicles” (2,129.5 million euros, up 24.2%). “Vehicle parts and accessories”, “New rubber tyres”, “Seamless tubes and hollow profiles made of iron or steel” and “Diesel and electric motor units for railway tracks and motorised trams”, up 6.3%, 17.5%, 5.1% and 6.1% respectively, completed the list of the largest groups with the best performance in this period.

Beyond this ranking, attention should be drawn to the considerable growth recorded in “Turbo-reactors, turbo-propellers and other gas turbines, and their parts and components” (42.0%) and “Railway or tramway vehicle parts” (28.6%).

In contrast, it is worth highlighting the significant decrease in “Refined petroleum oils” (down 37.6%, with 984.5 million euros less than in 2022). This is not only due to the decline in prices compared to 2022, given that there was also a significant drop of 30.2% in the number of tonnes exported, which went from 3,201,869 tonnes in 2022 to 2,233,529 tonnes for the cumulative total for 2023.

Destination countries 2023

The ranking of countries to which Basque Country exports were sent was topped by Germany, with 15.8% of the total. Germany was followed by France (14.9%), the United States (8.4%), the United Kingdom (6.3%) and Italy (5.6%). Between them, these five countries accounted for 51% of exports, totalling 16,629.7 million euros.

In 2023, exports to Germany amounted to 5,143 million euros, and were primarily concentrated in customs duty groups related to the vehicle sector (55.3% of the total): “Passenger cars with fewer than 10 seats” (1,264.6 million), “Goods transport vehicles” (888.0 million), “Vehicle parts and accessories” (438.4 million) and “New rubber tyres” (255.0 million), for a total of 611 different products.

With a total of 4,876 million euros, France held second place in the ranking of countries by export destination for 2023. As in the case of Germany, standing out among the 836 types of products received were those related to the vehicle sector (21.4% of the total): “Vehicle parts and accessories” (361.1 million), “New rubber tyres” (324.7 million), “Goods transport vehicles” (178.3 million) and “Passenger cars with fewer than 10 seats” (177.1 million). The Basque Country also exported large amounts of “Refined petroleum oils” to France, worth 352.6 million euros, which accounted for 7.2% of Basque exports to this country.

The United States came in third place with 2,738 million euros, with purchases centred on fuel (24.9% of the total), including “Refined petroleum oils” (489.9 million) and “Biodiesel and mixtures thereof” (191.1 million); the vehicle sector (15.1%), including “Goods transport vehicles” (310.3 million), “Passenger cars with fewer than 10 seats” (64.0 million) and “Vehicle parts and accessories” (39.0 million); “Seamless tubes and hollow profiles made of iron or steel” (277.7 million); “Turbo-reactors, turbo-propellers and other gas turbines, and their parts and components” (106.1 million); and “Firearms for hunting; starting pistols, signal pistols and line-throwing guns” (69.3 million), for a total of 644 different products.

In 2023, the United Kingdom accounted for 6.3% (2,042 million euros) of total exports from the Basque Country. 23.7% corresponded to the vehicle sector: “Goods transport vehicles” (143.6 million), “Passenger cars with fewer than 10 seats” (138.6 million), “New rubber tyres” (103.5 million) and “Vehicle parts and accessories” (98.8 million). The top positions in this particular ranking of exports to England were taken by “Iron or non-alloy steel sections” (167.8 million) and “Turbo-reactors, turbo-propellers and other gas turbines, and their parts and components” (163.1 million), totalling 722 different products.

Exports to Italy amounted to 1,831 million euros and, as in the case of the previous countries, this month’s transactions were dominated by the vehicle sector (22.5% of the total): “Passenger cars with fewer than 10 seats” (142.7 million), “New rubber tyres” (139.7 million), “Vehicle parts and accessories” (67.2 million) and “Vehicles for transporting 10 or more people, including the driver” (62.5 million). A further 89.7 million corresponded to exports of “Diesel and electric motor units for railway tracks and motorised trams”, out of a total of 594 products.

64.8% of Basque exports to Russia were concentrated in three products, “Machines for washing, filling, sealing and labelling containers and packing machinery” (23.7 million), “Machining centres for working metal” (10.9 million) and “Vehicle parts and accessories” (8.9 million), out of a total of 67.1 million euros, which were shared among 66 different products.

Imports 2023

Cumulative imports for the Basque Country as a whole amounted to 26,797 million euros. In year-on-year terms, this figure is 2,615 million euros less than that registered in 2022. Bizkaia imported goods worth 15,619.8 million euros, which is 13.1% (2,351.4 million euros) less than the equivalent figure for the same period last year. Gipuzkoa’s imports amounted to 5,231.3 million euros, representing a drop of 8.5% (487.4 million euros). Lastly, Álava was the only province to see a rise in imports (3.9%), with 223.9 million euros more than the previous year. Some 5,945.4 million euros’ worth of goods were imported during this period.

Imports of “Energy products” were 20.5% lower than in the same period of the previous year, while those of “Non-energy products” were down 4.1%.

Products imported in 2023

The ten products (customs duty groups) occupying the top positions in the Basque import ranking accounted for 39.3% of the total, reaching a total of 10,524 million euros, but only four of these presented positive growth rates in respect of 2022. Standing out among the top ten products were “Petroleum oils or oils obtained from bituminous minerals”, with 4,740.5 million in imports, which was a decrease of 1,771.2 million compared to 2022. In second place this year was “Refined petroleum oils” (1,209.5 million), with an increase of 82.1% in relation to 2022. “Vehicle parts and accessories” (971.1 million) came in third place, followed by “Petroleum gas and other hydrocarbon gases” (748.1 million), down 41.4% on 2022. Of particular note among the top 25 customs duty groups was the sharp rise in “Electric accumulators and parts thereof” (41.5% and 451.5 million) and “Glass containers for transport or packaging” (427.3% and 181.5 million in imports).

Source countries 2023

Looking at imports by country, at the top of the list was Germany, with 3,970.8 million (14.8% of the total), followed by France (2,143.0 million and 8.0%), China (2,104.2 million and 7.9%), the United States (1,804.7 million and 6.7%), Italy (1,326.5 million and 5.0%), Brazil (1,326.1 million) and the Netherlands (1,210.9 million).

Imports from Germany primarily consisted of “Vehicle parts and accessories” (521.7 million) and “Internal combustion engines, diesel or semi-diesel” (451.2 million); the latter figure rises to 657.9 million if we include all types of electric motors and generators.

The most imported product from France was “Remelting scrap ingots of iron or steel”, with 321.7 million (15% of the total), while the remainder was distributed among 945 types of products.

Imports from China were primarily concentrated in “Electric accumulators and parts thereof” (363.0 million), “Vessels for the transport of persons or goods” (112.6 million) and “Taps, valves and similar appliances for pipes” (71.5 million). These three products accounted for 26% of Basque imports from this country.

The majority of Basque imports from the United States were energy products (53.8%): “Petroleum gas and other hydrocarbon gases” (385.4 million), “Petroleum oils or oils obtained from bituminous minerals” (358.5 million) and “Refined petroleum oils” (227.3 million). Alongside these products were “Soya beans, whether or not broken” (282.1 million), a group that has placed highly in the import ranking for this country in recent years.

In 2023, imports from Italy primarily consisted of “Refined petroleum oils” (57.2 million) and a number of products of primary metal processing into bars, profiles or tubes, which accounted for a third of all imports from this country.

Basque imports from Brazil were concentrated in “Petroleum oils or oils obtained from bituminous minerals” (1,008.8 million) and “Soya beans, whether or not broken” (191.7 million).

2023 was characterised by purchases of refined petroleum products from the Netherlands, with 247.3 million euros in imports of “Refined petroleum oils” and 44.2 million in imports of “Oils and products derived from the distillation of coal tars at high temperatures (Benzol, Toluol, Xylol, Naphthalene, Phenol, etc.)”. The purchases of another energy product were also of note, namely “Biodiesel and mixtures thereof” (62.2 million).

Three products, fundamentally, were imported from Russia: “Petroleum gas and other hydrocarbon gases” (137.1 million), “Refined petroleum oils” (70.5 million) and “Unwrought aluminium” (46.3 million).

In 2023, the list of the top 10 (78.9%) for our imports of “Mineral fuels, mineral oils and products of their distillation” into the Basque Country was topped by Brazil (1,008.8 million), the United States (982.7 million), Mexico (934.6 million), Iraq (528.6 million) and Norway (429.5 million), followed by Kazakhstan (394.8 million), the Netherlands (324.9 million), Nigeria (298.8 million), Libya (276.1 million) and Russia (207.6 million).

Technological level 2023

In 2023, 2.8% of exports from the Basque Country had a “High Technological Level”, 49.4% a “Medium-High Technological Level”, 34.7% a “Medium-Low Technological Level”, 9.3% a “Low Technological Level” and only 3.8% of Basque exports had no technological value.

In 2023, 3.5% of imports from the Basque Country had a “High Technological Level”, 31.3% a “Medium-High Technological Level”, 27.0% a “Medium-Low Technological Level”, 10.2% a “Low Technological Level” and a remarkable 27.9% of Basque imports had no technological value.

Exports increased by 1.8% in December 2023 in the Basque Country and imports fell by 29.5%, registering a positive trade balance of 643.5 million euros.

In December 2023 and compared to the same month of the previous year, exports of goods from the Basque Country (2,380 million euros) recorded a nominal increase of 1.8%.

Imports (1,737 million) registered a downturn of 29.5%. Non-energy imports fell by 20.2% and energy imports were down 48.9%, which, in terms of tonnes imported, was a decrease of 42.6%.

There was a positive trade balance in the order of 643.5 million euros, with a coverage rate of 137.0%.

This month, exports from Álava saw an increase of 11.5%, while in Bizkaia they fell by 0.4% and in Gipuzkoa they were down 2.4%. In the case of Bizkaia, energy exports grew by 8.2% compared to the same month of the previous year.

In Álava, most exports were in “Transport material”, with 348.1 million in exports (55.5% of the total), and “Metals and articles thereof”, with 95.7 million (15.3% of the total).

In Gipuzkoa, three customs duty groups accounted for almost 80% of international trade (79.7%), although they performed differently in the year-on-year comparison: “Electrical equipment, machinery and devices” (up 0.8%), “Transport material” (up 54.5%) and “Metals and articles thereof” (down 20.3%).

Bizkaia saw an upturn in exports of “Transport material” (51.4%) and “Mineral and energy products” (7.4% with 274.7 million in exports), which, for the latter, meant 18.8 million and 42,812 tonnes more than in the same month of the previous year.

Products traded in December 2023

A more detailed look at the four-digit products reveals that in December 2023 the ten main customs duty groups accounted for 43.9% of exports, with a combined value of 1,045.9 million euros.

Within the top 25 customs duty groups, noteworthy increases were recorded in six of them: “Passenger cars with fewer than 10 seats” (43.1% and 203.5 million in exports), “Goods transport vehicles” (81.1% and 129.2 million), “Diesel and electric motor units for railway tracks and motorised trams” (145.5% and 79.2 million), “Petroleum oils or oils obtained from bituminous minerals” (637.2% and 24.0 million), “Fishing vessels and factory ships for processing marine products” (20.3 million in exports) and “Railway or tramway coaches for passengers, luggage, mail, etc.” (17.6 million).

In the case of imports, and with regard to the top 25 customs duty groups, the most significant increases were recorded in “Semiconductor devices, whether or not photosensitive, and mounted piezoelectric crystals and parts thereof” (224.7% with 17.2 million) and “Turbo-reactors, turbo-propellers and other gas turbines, and their parts and components” (109.0% and 15.6 million).

By contrast, there was a decline in imports of “Petroleum oils or oils obtained from bituminous minerals” (-47.5% with 269.8 million less than in December 2022) and “Petroleum gas and other hydrocarbon gases” (-77.4% and 104.8 million less).

ÁLAVA. Exports during December 2023

In Álava, exports grew by 11.5% compared to the same month of the previous year.

This increase was primarily seen in “Passenger cars with fewer than 10 seats” (171.6 million), with a rise of 22.7%, “Goods transport vehicles”, with 128.6 million (up 80,4%), and “New rubber tyres” (36.0% and 41.2 million), among other customs duty groups.

BIZKAIA. Exports during December 2023

Exports from the province of Bizkaia were down 0.4%. “New rubber tyres” (-22.0%), “Refined petroleum oils” (-4.3%) and “Electric transformers, static converters and inductors” (-30.3%) were among the largest customs duty groups responsible for this small drop.

On the other hand, sales were up in “Petroleum oils or oils obtained from bituminous minerals” (637.2% with 24 million in exports), “Fishing vessels and factory ships for processing marine products” (20.3 million in exports) and “Goods not specifically covered by the customs tariff” (38.9% and 58.7 million).

GIPUZKOA. Exports during December 2023

Exports from Gipuzkoa fell by 2.4% this month, despite the notable increases seen in customs duty groups such as “Diesel and electric motor units for railway tracks and motorised trams” (145.5% with 79.2 million in exports) and “Railway or tramway coaches for passengers, luggage, mail, etc.” (17.6 million). Significant growth was also recorded in “Vehicle parts and accessories” (28.8%) and “Machine tools for drilling, boring, milling or threading metal other than lathes” (77.0%).

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