Catalan exports beat record for ninth year in a row

Last year was a new record for Catalan exports for the ninth successive year, with sales abroad accounting for some 73.8 billion euros, according to figures published by the state industry ministry on Thursday.

The rise in exports was a 3.1% increase over the previous year, with sales from Catalonia making up some 25.5% of the total for Spain as a whole, which all together came to some 290 billion euros, or 1.8% more than in 2018.

The biggest growth in exports was in the northern province of Girona, where sales went up 10.3% (€5.7 bn), followed by Tarragona with 3.4% (€8.7 bn), and then Barcelona with 2.4% (€57.1 bn), and finally Lleida with 1.9% (€2.1 bn).

The continued upward trend in exports has generated some optimism among Catalan businesses, with a recent survey by the Idscat statistics office and the Chamber of Commerce showing that most exporters expect sales to continue to rise in 2020.