Balance of trade
In the first nine months of 2019, the value of exported goods from Iceland amounted to ISK 482,000 million fob and the value of imported goods amounted to ISK 577,700 million fob (ISK 628,400 million cif). Thus, there was a trade deficit, calculated on fob value, of ISK 95,700 million as compared with a trade deficit of ISK 135,400 million in the first nine months of 2018, at current rates of exchange1. Excluding ships and aircraft, the deficit of balance of trade in goods was ISK 107,500 million in the first nine months of 2019, but ISK 120,900 million in the first nine months of 2018.
Exports
The total value of exports of goods in the first nine months of 2019 was ISK 47,800 million higher (11%) than in the same period the year before, at current rates of exchange. Exported manufacturing products contributed 47.7% of total exported goods and their value was 1.5% lower than in the same period the year before. Marine products contributed 39.8% of the total exports and their value was 11.9% higher than in the same period the year before1. The largest increase was due to the exports of ships and aircrafts and marine products, mainly fresh fish and frozen fish fillets.
Imports
The total value of imports of goods in the first nine months of 2019 was ISK 8,000 million higher (1.4%) than in the same period the year before, at current rates of exchange. The imports of industrial supplies and capital goods increased while the imports of transport equipment and fuels and lubricants decreased.
| The value of exports and imports in January-September 2018 and 2019 | |||
| Million ISK at current exchange rate | Change on prev. year at current exchange rates % January-September | ||
| January-September | |||
| 2018 | 2019 | ||
| Exports fob, total | 434,264.4 | 482,035.5 | 11.0 |
| Marine products | 171,632.5 | 192,023.1 | 11.9 |
| Agricultural products | 13,799.5 | 20,178.0 | 46.2 |
| Manufacturing products | 233,754.6 | 230,138.2 | -1.5 |
| Other products | 15,077.8 | 39,696.2 | 163.3 |
| Imports fob, total | 569,702.6 | 577,689.9 | 1.4 |
| Food and beverages | 45,148.1 | 54,015.2 | 19.6 |
| Industrial supplies n.e.s. | 156,181.9 | 169,784.7 | 8.7 |
| Fuels and lubricants | 85,080.8 | 73,367.3 | -13.8 |
| Capital goods (except for transport) | 117,872.4 | 128,845.1 | 9.3 |
| Transport equipment | 91,947.4 | 76,800.1 | -16.5 |
| Consumer goods n.e.s. | 70,531.0 | 74,572.1 | 5.7 |
| Goods n.e.s. | 2,940.9 | 305.3 | -89.6 |
| Balance of trade | -135,438.2 | -95,654.4 | |
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.