A total of 2022 theexport Italian records and 19.9% growthSynthesis of similar increases in the EU (+19.7%) and extra-EU (+20.2%) markets and mainly driven by the increase in sales of pharmaceutical, chemical-medicinal and botanical items (+42.8%) ), refined petroleum products (+80.0%), base metals and metal products excluding machinery and equipment (+17.6%), machinery and equipment nec (+10.3%), food, beverages and tobacco (+16 .7%) and chemical substances and products (+20.1%).
It’s the comment fromactual for December 2022 foreign trade data showing how, seeThe countries that are the largest contributors to the increase in national exports on an annual basis are the United States (+22.5%), France (+14.6%), Switzerland (+24.3%), Turkey ( +38.4%) and Germany (+7.0%). Exports to Russia confirmed their sharp decline (-27.7%).
There Import growth is 36.5%, mainly explained by larger purchases of energy products. “On average in 2022, import prices recorded growth of 18.5%, the highest since 2005, ie since the index time series became available. Excluding energy, prices increase by an average of 10.3% per year (+4.7% in 2021),” adds Istat.
2022 deficit over 31 billion euros
In 2022, the trade deficit is -31,011 million (up from +40,334 million in 2021), the energy deficit is -111,278 million (it was -48,356 million in the previous year). The trade surplus in non-energy products (80,267 million) is high, but smaller than in 2021 (88,690 million).
“The deterioration in the trade balance during the year, but turning positive in the last two months, leads to an overall trade deficit for 2022 of more than -31 billion euros, compared to a surplus of over 40 billion in 2021,” comments Istat .
The estimate of the trade balance in December 2022, adds the Institute of Statistics, is +1,067 million euros (in December 2021 it was -1,475 million). The energy deficit (-8,931 million) is larger than a year earlier (-7,180 million), while the surplus in trade in non-energy products (9,998 million) is high and increasing sharply compared to December 2021 (5,705 million).