Catalan exports up 14.5% YoY in first two quarters to over €53.2bn

Catalan exports over the first six months of the year grew by 14.5% compared to the same period the year prior according to figures made public by Spain's industry, commerce, and tourism ministry on Thursday. 

Catalonia's €53.217bn in sales abroad account for 26.6% of Spain's exports in the first two quarters of 2023. 

The biggest exporters include, once again, Catalonia's chemical products sector, with over €16.228bn in sales, followed by the automobile sector (€8.641bn), and equipment goods (€8.237bn). 

Barcelona area companies account for almost 80% of Catalonia's sales abroad, followed by Tarragona (10%), Girona (7.7%), and Lleida (2.5%). 

As for imports, there were €57.70 billion worth of goods, a 4.2% year-on-year increase. 

Catalan business minister Roger Torrent celebrated these figures, calling Catalan industry one of the economy's "greatest strengths" as exports "heighten" their competitiveness. 

Record-high Spanish exports

Overall in Spain, exports amounted to a record-high €199.9 billion, a 4.7% year-on-year increase. 

Exports "are one of the motors of the economy," Spanish industry, commerce, and tourism minister Héctor Gómez said. 

Behind Catalonia, which makes up over a quarter of the country's sales abroad, is the Madrid region where 14% of Spain's exports come from. 

Across Spain, equipment goods account for 18.9% of all exports, with chemical products not far behind at 18.1%, followed by food products, beverages, and tobacco at 17.5%.