Catalan exports fall 7% in January

Catalan exports fell 6.7% in January compared with the same month last year, reaching €7.39 billion. 

By region, Girona led the decline with an 18.2% drop, followed by Lleida at -13.7%. Tarragona (-9.6%) and Barcelona (-4.6%) also saw decreases, though less severe. 

Despite the setback, Catalonia remained Spain's largest exporter – accounting for 25.6% of total exports. Key sectors include chemical products, capital goods, and food. 

Catalan imports also fell in January, dropping 8.3% year-on-year to €9.153 billion, pushing the trade balance into a deficit of around €1.76 billion.

Spain's total exports went down 2.9% from last year. Imports took a bigger hit with a decrease of 8.4%, resulting in a trade deficit of €4.01 billion.

By sector, capital goods, food, beverages, tobacco and chemical products led Spain's foreign sales.

Regarding markets, the European Union accounted for 63.6% of Spanish exports, with France, Germany, and Italy as the main trading partners.