Albania's foreign trade deficit widens 6.7% y/y in Jan-May 2014

By bne IntelliNews July 1, 2014

Albania's foreign trade deficit widened by 6.7% y/y to ALL 101.6bn (EUR 724.5bn) in January-May 2014, the statistics institute INSTAT informed. In our calculations, the gap accounted for 7.3% of the projected full-year GDP, up from 7.1% of GDP a year earlier.

The higher deficit came as imports increased by 8.7% y/y. At the same time, exports advanced by 10.6% y/y but in absolute term this was unable to offset higher imports.

The growth in imports was driven by an increase in all groups, with the single exception of the food category, which saw an annual decline of 3.8%. In nominal terms, the main contribution came from textile and footwear, up 22.6% y/y, the group of construction materials, up by 18.2% y/y, as well as imports of minerals, fuels, electricity, which advanced by 9.3% y/y in the period. Machinery and equipment, which was the country's largest import group, registered a 6.5% y/y increase in Jan-May.

The growth in exports was mainly driven by the group of textile and footwear, which increased by 29.2% on the year. This was the country's second largest export sector with a 33.4% share in total. The largest was the minerals, fuels and electricity (a 36.1% share), which however dropped 3.7% y/y. Among other sectors, exports of chemicals and plastics as well as of wood and paper witnessed a double-digit growth in the period. However, in nominal terms these two sectors had a relatively small (4.7%) share in total exports.

In May alone, the country's trade deficit increased by 4.5% y/y to ALL 22.9bn. Exports grew by 8.7% y/y to ALL 25.2bn and imports rose by 6.7% y/y to ALL 48.1bn.

Foreign trade in Jan-May 2014, ALL mn 
  Import % y/y Export % y/y
Total 209,027 8.7 107,409 10.6
Food, beverages, tobacco 35,008 -3.8 5,886 18.9
Minerals, fuels, electricity 36,798 9.3 38,739 -3.5
Chemical and plastics 27,339 -0.1 1,354 24.6
Leather 5,649 33.2 1,302 -7.1
Wood and paper 8,386 16.0 3,715 47.1
Textile and footwear 25,349 22.6 35,886 29.1
Construct. materials and metals 26,580 18.2 15,198 6.0
Machinery, equipment, spare parts 36,979 6.5 3,497 7.8
Others 6,938 24.3 1,832 12.9
Source: INSTAT         

Related Articles

EIB surpasses investment milestone in the Western Balkans by investing €1.2bn in 2023

EIB Global, the financial arm of the European Investment Bank (EIB) for activities beyond the EU, set a new record by investing €1.2bn in the Western Balkans in 2023, the EIB said on February 9. ... ... more

Albanian banks’ profits reach ALL28bn in 2023

Albanian banks reported profits of ALL28.5bn (€271.7bn) in 2023, according to data from the Albanian Association of Banks. All banks in the country reported a profit for the year.  The most ... more

bne IntelliNews Southeast Europe Outlook 2024

This Southeast Europe Outlook 2024 has been prepared by bne IntelliNews as part of a series of annual reviews providing updates on the geopolitical, macroeconomic and commercial state of ... more

Dismiss