Croatian goods exports in the first eleven months of 2015, expressed in kuna, increased by 11.5 percent compared to the same period of the previous year, while imports grew by 7.1 percent.
This is shown by the preliminary data published on Monday by the Croatian Bureau of Statistics. According to this data, the growth rate of exports has slightly decreased compared to the first data from the CBS published last month, according to which exports in the eleven months increased by almost 12 percent. The growth rate of imports has increased compared to the first data, as it was 6.6 percent.
According to the latest data from the CBS, from January to the end of November 2015, Croatia exported goods worth 80.4 billion kuna and imported goods worth 129.5 billion kuna. Thus, the trade exchange deficit for the first eleven months amounted to 49.1 billion kuna, which is 0.6 percent higher compared to the same period of the previous year.
The coverage of imports by exports for the eleven-month period last year was 62.1 percent.
Expressed in euros, Croatian goods exports in the first eleven months of last year amounted to 10.56 billion euros, which is 11.7 percent higher than in the same period of 2014, while imports simultaneously increased by 7.3 percent to 17 billion euros. The deficit amounted to 6.4 billion euros and was 0.3 percent lower than last year.
The most important market for Croatian products remains the European Union, which accounts for 66.4 percent of goods exports. In the first eleven months of last year, goods worth 7.02 billion euros were exported to EU member states, which is 16.4 percent more compared to exports from the first eleven months of 2014, while imports from these countries simultaneously increased by 10 percent to 13.2 billion euros.
Exports to CEFTA countries in the same period fell by 1 percent to 1.89 billion euros, while imports increased by 12 percent to 933.9 million euros.
Individually, the most significant foreign trade partner of Croatia is Germany, with a total trade exchange value exceeding 3.8 billion euros, while the most significant export markets are Italy and Slovenia.
In Italy, goods worth 1.4 billion euros were exported in the first eleven months of 2015, which is 7.2 percent more year-on-year, while imports of goods from that country fell by 1.1 percent to 2.2 billion euros.
Exports to Slovenia increased by 19.3 percent to 1.29 billion euros, while imports from that country increased by 6.3 percent to 1.8 billion euros.
By export value, Germany follows, to which goods worth 1.19 billion euros were exported from Croatia by the end of last November, or 12.2 percent more, with a simultaneous increase in imports by 9.5 percent to 2.6 billion euros.
Among the activities with significant shares in total goods exports, the highest percentage growth is recorded in shipbuilding, by 145.4 percent to 409.2 million euros.
The export of food products also achieved growth, by 16.4 percent to 841.27 million euros.
Significant growth rates in exports are recorded in the production of motor vehicles, trailers, and semi-trailers, by 38.8 percent to 321.59 million euros, then in the pharmaceutical industry, by 33 percent to 506.3 million euros, and in the production of leather and related products by 27.4 percent to 361.2 million euros, while exports of agriculture, forestry, and fishing also significantly increased – by 22.4 percent to 487 million euros.
At the same time, a more pronounced decline in exports was recorded in the production of refined petroleum products, by 14.7 percent to 758.5 million euros, as well as in metal production, by 23.9 percent to 275.9 million euros.
