Catalan exports increase by 4.2% in July

Country sold goods abroad to the value of 6 billion euros during seventh month of year, bucking downward trend seen in May

The Port of Barcelona on June 16 2017 (by Josep Ramon Torné)
The Port of Barcelona on June 16 2017 (by Josep Ramon Torné) / ACN

ACN | Barcelona

September 21, 2018 11:51 AM

Catalan exports increased by 4.2% in July compared to the same period last year reaching 6.3 billion euros, making it the best July on record.  

After a slight drop of 1.17% in trade abroad in May, these latest figures from the Ministry  of Economy show that the sector is on the rise again.

Imports

The total worth of imports into Catalonia was set at 8 billion euros in July, 16.8% more than the same period last year.

Foreign investment

These positive results come a day after the government published the figures for foreign investment in the country, which fell by 40% during the first half of the year.

The total expenditure from abroad was set at 992.6 million euros. This is the lowest it has been for this period since 2014, when in the first six months of the year the country received 512.9 million euros from overseas investors.

Record figures

In terms of trade abroad, however, Catalan exports reached an all time high in the first half of 2018, with overseas sales worth €36.6bn.

According to data published by the Spanish industry ministry in August, exports grew by 2.9% between January and June 2018 compared to the same period in 2017. In June, sales abroad increased by 0.9%, continuing an upward trend that began in April 2017 and only broken in May 2018, when there was the aforementioned drop.

In comparison to Spain as a whole, Catalan exports make up 26% of the total.