The value of Croatian merchandise exports in the first six months of this year amounted to just over 90 billion kuna, which is 35.6 percent higher compared to the same period in 2021, while imports increased by 51.8 percent, to 152.5 billion kuna, according to the first data from the Croatian Bureau of Statistics published on Tuesday.
Thus, the foreign trade deficit in the first half of this year amounted to 62.4 billion kuna, which is an increase of 28.4 billion kuna compared to the same period last year.
The faster growth of imports compared to exports was also reflected in the import coverage ratio by exports, which for the first six months of this year stands at 59.1 percent, while the coverage ratio last year at the same time was at 66.1 percent.
According to DZS data, goods worth 64.2 billion kuna were exported to EU member states in the first half of this year, which is 42.3 percent more than in the same period a year earlier. At the same time, the value of imported goods from EU member states increased by 44.1 percent, to 112.3 billion kuna.
Statistics for exports to non-EU countries recorded a growth of 21.4 percent, to 25.8 billion kuna, alongside a strong jump in merchandise imports from non-EU countries, which rose by 78.5 percent, to 40.2 billion kuna.
Expressed in euros, Croatian merchandise exports in the first six months of this year amounted to 11.9 billion euros, which is an annual increase of 35.8 percent. At the same time, imports increased by 51.9 percent, to 20.2 billion euros.
Thus, the foreign trade deficit, expressed in euros, amounted to 8.3 billion euros.
In the first half of the year, goods worth 8.5 billion euros were exported to EU member states, which is 42.4 percent more than in the same period of 2021, while the value of imports from these countries increased by 44.2 percent, to 14.9 billion euros.
At the same time, exports to non-EU countries increased by 21.6 percent, to 3.4 billion euros, while the value of imports from non-EU countries jumped by 78.8 percent, to 5.3 billion euros.
Exports in the first five months increased by 35.9 percent, while imports rose by 53 percent
DZS also published other data on merchandise trade for the first five months of this year, showing that exports, expressed in kuna, increased by 35.9 percent, to 73.5 billion kuna, and imports by 53 percent, to 125.5 billion kuna.
Thus, DZS corrected its initial data, according to which the value of Croatian merchandise exports in the first five months of this year amounted to 73.2 billion kuna, or 35.3 percent more compared to the same period in 2021, while imports increased by 47 percent, to 120.6 billion kuna.
According to other data, the foreign trade deficit in the first five months amounted to 52 billion kuna. The import coverage ratio by exports from January to May 2022 was 58.6 percent.
Expressed in euros, exports in the first five months increased by 36.1 percent, to 9.7 billion euros, and imports by 53.3 percent, to 16.6 billion euros.
Thus, the foreign trade deficit amounted to 6.9 billion euros.
