Balance of trade
In the first ten months of 2019, the value of exported goods from Iceland amounted to ISK 546,300 million fob and the value of imported goods amounted to ISK 642,400 million fob (ISK 686,300 million cif). Thus, there was a trade deficit, calculated on fob value, of ISK 96,100 million as compared with a trade deficit of ISK 147,600 million in the first ten months of 2018, at current rates of exchange1. Excluding ships and aircraft, the deficit of balance of trade in goods was ISK 105,300 million in the first ten months of 2019, but ISK 133,000 million in the first ten months of 2018.
Exports
The total value of exports of goods in the first ten months of 2019 was ISK 51,100 million higher (10.3%) than in the same period the year before, at current rates of exchange. Exported manufacturing products contributed 47.3% of total exported goods and their value was 2.1% lower than in the same period the year before. Marine products contributed 40.9% of the total exports and their value was 12.8% higher than in the same period the year before1. The largest increase was due to the exports of marine products, mainly fresh fish and frozen fish fillets. On the other hand there was a decrease in the import of aluminium.
Imports
The total value of imports of goods in the first ten months of 2019 was ISK 418 million lower (0.1%) than in the same period the year before, at current rates of exchange. The imports of transport equipment and fuels decreased while the imports of industrial supplies, capital goods and food and beverages increased.
| The value of exports and imports in January-October 2018 and 2019 | |||
| Million ISK at current exchange rate | Change on prev. year at current exchange rates % January-October | ||
| January-October | |||
| 2018 | 2019 | ||
| Exports fob, total | 495,225.7 | 546,304.9 | 10.3 |
| Marine products | 198,222.2 | 223,622.2 | 12.8 |
| Agricultural products | 15,685.2 | 23,993.8 | 53.0 |
| Manufacturing products | 263,931.8 | 258,415.5 | -2.1 |
| Other products | 17,386.5 | 40,273.3 | 131.6 |
| Imports fob, total | 642,779.7 | 642,362.2 | -0.1 |
| Food and beverages | 52,963.1 | 61,113.5 | 15.4 |
| Industrial supplies n.e.s. | 177,247.2 | 185,856.6 | 4.9 |
| Fuels and lubricants | 96,650.3 | 80,899.5 | -16.3 |
| Capital goods (except for transport) | 131,208.9 | 141,937.8 | 8.2 |
| Transport equipment | 100,362.3 | 87,337.6 | -13.0 |
| Consumer goods n.e.s. | 81,385.7 | 84,882.6 | 4.3 |
| Goods n.e.s. | 2,962.2 | 334.7 | -88.7 |
| Balance of trade | -147,554.0 | -96,057.3 | |
1Statistics Iceland does no longer publish trade in goods at constant exchange rates. The breakdown of trade in goods by currencies is available on Statistics Iceland’s website.
Monthly figures of external trade for current year are revised together with the release of figures for new months. Annual figures are published in the first half of the year after the end of the reference year. The figures are considered as final at that point in time.