Catalan exports up by 4.5% in May, setting a new record for this month

Barcelona (ACN).- This May, Catalan exports increased by 4.5% on the same period in 2014, reaching €5,301.7 million and setting a new record as the 'best May' since 2000 (when comparable data started to be collected), according to figures published on Thursday by the Spanish Ministry for the Economy and Competitiveness. Imports also rose, by 2.7% to €6,331.2 million. The chemical industry accounted for €1,433.9 million, increasing by 7.1%, followed by the car industry, represented €882.5 million and a 6% growth. In contrast, exports in capital goods fell by 7.1% (€892.8 million). In the whole of Spain, exports increased by 1.9%, totalling €21,025 million (a new record for a month of May since the beginning of the historical series in 1971). Catalan Minister for Business and Employment, Felip Puig, assessed very positively the data on Catalan exports. "They are very good and show the effort to reach new markets that Catalan companies are making", mostly thanks to "innovation", he said.

Puig stressed that Catalan exports grew "four times more" than in the rest of Spain and that Catalan companies are committed to innovation, which allows them to sell abroad without competing only on low prices. "The Catalan industry continues to open new markets, thus contributing to the recovery of the economy", he concluded. In May, Catalan exports accounted for 25.2% of all Spanish exports, while Catalan imports made up 27.9% of the Spanish total. In this Autonomous Community, the trade deficit stood at €1,029.5 million, which means 5.2% lower in comparison to the same period in 2014.

In all four Catalan Provinces, an increase in exports was registered

Out of the four Catalan provinces, Girona – in north-eastern Catalonia – leads the increase in exports, with an 8.3% rise (representing €412.5 million in international sales). The Province of Barcelona – where two-thirds of Catalans live – follows with a 4.7 % increase, totalling €4,204.8 million. Finally, in Lleida (western Catalonia) exports went up by 2.6% (€142.2 million) and Tarragona (southern Catalonia) saw a slim 0.4 % increase, attaining €542.2 million from sales abroad.

Imports went up in Barcelona and Girona but fell in Lleida and Tarragona

In terms of imports, Barcelona is the Province which recorded the highest volume, with a 5.3% rise (€5,230.7 million), followed by Girona (+3.4%, €182 million), while imports fell in Lleida by 1.9 % (to €65.2 million) and in Tarragona by 10.3 % (totalling €853.3 million).      

From January to May, Catalan exports increased by 5.6%

As for the cumulative period of January to May, Catalan exports increased by 5.6% on the same period in 2014, reaching €26,237.7 million and representing 25.5% of total Spanish exports. Similarly, imports increased by 4.2% (27.6% of total), up to €31,054.8 million. The trade deficit stood at €4,817.1 million, which means 2.7% less than the same period in 2014.

During the first five months of the year, the leading sector for exports was the car industry – 17.1% of total exports, registering a 14.3% increase (up to €4,478.9 million), followed at some distance by the chemical industry (26.5% of total), with a 3.3% increase (totalling €6,951.2 million). Capital goods' exports – 16.7% of the total – fell by 1.6%, down to €4,381.2 million.

In the whole of Spain, sales abroad set a new record

In the whole of Spain, sales abroad rose by 1.9% in May compared to the same month last year, reaching €21,025 million. As for imports, they totalled €22,682.6 million, which means 1.3% more than in May 2014. The trade balance registered a deficit of €1,657.3 million, representing a 5.6% decrease over May 2014 figures.

Taking into account data from January to May, exports of goods grew by 4.3%, up to €102,916 million, which also represents a new record for a January-May period since the beginning of the historical series (1971). Moreover, imports increased by 3%, reaching €112,350.7 million, 2.3 percentage points lower than the increase recorded during the same period last year. Finally, the trade deficit totalled €9,434.4 million, a 9.3% decrease over the same period in 2014.