A year after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, international trade in goods increased as expected, which was also reflected in the foreign trade in goods of the Republic of Croatia. In the period from January to March 2021, the total export of the Republic of Croatia amounted to 30.2 billion kuna and it was 2.8 billion kuna, or 10.2%, higher than in the same period of 2020. In the same period, the total import of the Republic of Croatia amounted to 47.4 billion kuna, which was an increase of 1.9 billion kuna, or 4.2%, compared to the same period of 2020.
Foreign trade deficit of the Republic of Croatia from January to March 2021 amounted to 17.2 billion kuna, which was 884.0 million kuna, or 4.9%, lower than in the same period of 2020.
In the period from January to March 2021, coverage of import by export was 63.7%, while in the same period of 2020, it amounted to 60.3%.
The most important foreign trade partners in export of the Republic of Croatia are EU Member States. Export to EU Member States in the first three months of 2021 accounted for 68.9% of the total export and increased by 9.7% compared to 2020.
The largest foreign trade partners from the EU in 2021, observing data in kuna, were Italy – increase in export of 24.4% (share in total export of 13.0%), Germany – increase in export of 7.1% (share in total export of 12.8%) and Slovenia – increase in export of 7.4% (share in total export of 10.4%). Among the largest foreign trade partners outside the EU, with which the Republic of Croatia realised trade in goods in the first three months of 2021, were its neighbouring countries Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as Serbia. In the observed period, export to Bosnia and Herzegovina decreased by 0.2% (share in total export of 7.8%), while export to Serbia increased by 13.0% (share in total export of 4.5%). In the period from January to March 2021, export to the USA increased by 74.2%, which accounted for 3.9% of the total export, and mostly refers to medicinal and pharmaceutical products.
The most important foreign trade partners in import of the Republic of Croatia were also EU Member States. Import from EU Member States in the first three months of 2021 accounted for 79.5% of the total import and increased by 2.5% compared to 2020.
Import from Germany increased by 2.7% (share in total import of 15.2%), from Italy by 1.5% (share in total import of 12.6%) and from Slovenia by 0.5% (share in total import of 11.3%).
Import from non-EU Member States from January to March 2021 accounted for 20.5% of total import of the Republic of Croatia and increased by 11.4% compared to the same period of the previous year. From January to March 2021, import from Bosnia and Herzegovina increased by 34.5%, which accounted for 3.6% of the total import, and mostly refers to electricity.
Observing the total export of the Republic of Croatia in the first three months of 2021, the most exported goods were petroleum and petroleum products, worth 2.4 billion kuna, electrical machinery, appliances and devices, worth 2.3 billion kuna, as well as medicinal and pharmaceutical products, worth 2.1 billion kuna.
In the same period of 2021, the most imported goods were road vehicles, worth 3.3 billion kuna, medicinal and pharmaceutical products, worth 3.0 billion kuna, as well as petroleum and petroleum products, worth 2.8 billion kuna.