Catalan exports exceed 100,000 million for the first time

Catalonia registered a record in foreign sales in 2023. For the first time, Catalan exports exceeded 100,000 million euros, reaching 100,683 million. This is the highest figure in the historical series, which began in 1993, and represents an increase of 6.1% compared to 2022, a year that was already a record for Catalonia.

This year-on-year increase was higher than that of global foreign trade as a whole, which stood at 0.8%, and contrasts with the decreases registered both in the state total and in the Eurozone, where exports fell by 1.4% and 3.4%, respectively. The figures demonstrate the "capacity for resilience, dynamism and adaptability of the Catalan business fabric, which has been able to overcome a 2023 with global uncertainties and difficulties", according to the Minister of Business and Labor, Roger Torrent.

Thus, Catalan exports led the set of state exports, and represented 26.2% of the total. In addition, 2023 also registered the best figure for regular exporting companies in Catalonia, which stood at 17,757. This figure reflects an increase of 1.6% of these companies, which are considered regular exporters after selling abroad for four consecutive years.

Exports registered notable growth in the United Kingdom, Turkey, Vietnam, Australia and Morocco

By sector, the growth of Catalonia's foreign sales in the automotive sector stands out, with an increase of 39.1%. Also growing but with more modest figures, capital goods rose by 5.5%; food, by 4.3%, and chemical products, by 3.8%.

Among the destinations of Catalan exports, France, Germany, and Poland stand out within the EU. Beyond the common market, Catalan foreign sales experienced notable growth in the United Kingdom, with 13.2% more; Turkey, with 36%; Vietnam, 21.3%; Australia, 12.9%, and Morocco, with 9.3%. In addition, exports grew in all four Catalan provinces: 6.6% in Barcelona, 4.9% in Tarragona; 4.4% in Girona, and 0.8% in Lleida.