Analytics, Baltic Export, EU – Baltic States, Foreign trade

During the first nine months of 2017, Latvian exports grew by 11% against the same period in 2016.

Countries reporting faster export growth than Latvia included Lithuania (+17%), Finland (+16%) Croatia (+15%), Bulgaria, Greece and Slovenia (+14%), as well as the Netherlands (+13%).

Just like in Latvia, Portugal’s exports rose by 11% year-on-year, and Poland recorded 10% export growth.

In the remaining 16 countries reporting growth, exports increased from 1% to 9%, with Estonia reporting 8% export growth for January-September.

Exports dropped in two member states – by 30% in Malta and by 4% in Luxembourg.

During the first nine months of this year, imports grew in 25 EU member states and dropped in the UK and Ireland (-2% in both countries) and Malta (-17%).

The steepest annual import growth in the nine-month period was recorded in Latvia and Lithuania (+17% in both countries), Bulgaria and Greece (+16%), Slovenia (+15%), as well as Portugal and Finland (+13% in both countries).

In the remaining 18 countries reporting import growth, the increase was in the range between 3% and 12%. Estonian imports grew 10%.