Balance of trade
In the first five months of 2016, the value of exported goods from Iceland amounted to ISK 226,600 million fob and the value of imported goods amounted to ISK 275,800 million fob (ISK 293,400 million cif). Thus there was a trade deficit, calculated on fob value, of ISK 49,200 million as compared with a trade surplus of ISK 6,000 million in the first five months of 2015, at current rates of exchange.1
Exports
The total value of exports of goods the first five months of 2016 was ISK 50,000 million lower, or 18.1%, than in the same period the year before at current rates of exchange. Exported manufacturing products contributed to 50.1% of total exported goods and their value was 25.6% lower than in the same period the year before, mainly due to decreases in aluminium price. Marine products contributed 43.4% of the total exports and their value was 12.6% lower than in the same period the year before.
Imports
The total value of imports of goods in the first five months of 2016 was ISK 5,100 million lower, or 1.9%, than in the same period the year before, at current rates of exchange, mainly because of fuels and industrial supplies. However, the imports of capital goods and transport equipment increased.
Along with this publication Statistics Iceland publishes a new table with data for 2015. The table contains external trade by commodities and countries.
| The value of exports and imports January-May 2015 and 2016 | |||
| Million ISK at current exchange rate | Change on prev. | ||
| January- | January- | year at current | |
| May | May | exch. rates, % | |
| 2015 | 2016 | Jan.-May | |
| Exports fob, total | 276,637.8 | 226,605.1 | -18.1 |
| Marine products | 112,435.8 | 98,270.3 | -12.6 |
| Agricultural products | 5,621.8 | 7,066.8 | 25.7 |
| Manufacturing products | 152,554.9 | 113,576.1 | -25.6 |
| Other products | 6,025.3 | 7,692.0 | 27.7 |
| Imports fob, total | 270,670.0 | 275,783.8 | 1.9 |
| Food and beverages | 26,067.4 | 23,339.9 | -10.5 |
| Industrial supplies n.e.s. | 79,672.0 | 71,061.1 | -10.8 |
| Fuels and lubricants | 31,523.7 | 21,944.1 | -30.4 |
| Capital goods (except for transport) | 51,596.5 | 61,583.1 | 19.4 |
| Transport equipment | 49,217.6 | 60,297.3 | 22.5 |
| Consumer goods n.e.s. | 31,993.0 | 37,322.4 | 16.7 |
| Goods n.e.s. | 599.8 | 235.9 | -60.7 |
| Balance of trade | 5,967.8 | -49,178.6 | · |
¹ Statistics 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 of time.