Exports of Estonian origin goods down 8% on year
Total exports were down 1 percent, while imports grew by 6 percent from February last year.
In current prices, Estonia exported goods worth nearly €1.5 billion and imported goods worth nearly €1.9 billion.
The trade deficit in February amounted to €426 million, which is €132 million more than in the same month last year.
According to Evelin Puura, leading analyst for foreign trade statistics at Statistics Estonia, goods of Estonian origin accounted for 61 percent of total exports in February this year, a decrease of four percentage points compared with a year earlier.
Exports of goods of Estonian origin declined by 8 percent year on year. "The largest decrease, €62 million, was recorded in exports of mineral products of Estonian origin, including shale oil fuel and refined fuel oils," Puura added.
In February, the main export categories were electrical equipment (15 percent of total exports), agricultural products and foodstuffs, and wood and wood products. Year on year, the biggest decline was in mineral products, including shale oil fuel, which fell by €48 million (29 percent). Mineral products include, for example, electricity, natural gas, peat and various fuels and fuel oils.
Exports of transport equipment, including passenger cars, as well as wood and wood products, including wood pellets, also decreased. At the same time, exports of precious metals, including gold and investment coins, increased the most, rising by €42 million, while exports of electrical equipment, including communication devices, grew by €24 million.
Estonia's main export partners in February were Finland (17 percent of total exports), Latvia and Sweden. The largest exports to Finland and Latvia were mineral products, while electrical equipment dominated exports to Sweden. Compared with a year earlier, exports decreased the most to the Netherlands (by €36 million) and Singapore (by €35 million), mainly due to lower exports of mineral products. Exports of refined fuel oils to the Netherlands and shale oil fuel to Singapore declined.
The biggest increases in exports were to Latvia (up €24 million) and Belgium (up €22 million). More mineral products, including electricity, were exported to Latvia, while exports of precious metals, including gold, increased to Belgium.
In February, the main imported goods were mineral products (14 percent of total imports), electrical equipment and agricultural products and foodstuffs. Compared with February 2025, imports of electrical equipment, including batteries, saw the largest increase, rising by €38 million. The largest decrease was recorded in imports of transport equipment, including railway wagons.
Estonia imported the most goods in February from Latvia (13 percent of total imports), Finland and Germany. The main imports from Latvia and Finland were mineral products, while Germany supplied mostly transport equipment. Imports increased the most from Finland (by €40 million), driven by higher imports of mineral products, including electricity. The largest decrease was from Lithuania (by €18 million), mainly due to reduced imports of mineral products, including motor gasoline.
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Editor: Marcus Turovski, Mirjam Mäekivi
