The Secretary of State for Commerce, Xiana Méndez, said that "the data is positive because exports continue to grow at a sustained pace in a difficult context due to commercial tensions and the slowdown in world trade."
Likewise, it has highlighted the decrease in the trade deficit in October and the growth for the second consecutive month of automobile exports, and has lamented the tariff measures imposed by the US administration, in effect since October 18, "which are beginning to be noticed in exports to the United States of dairy products, oils and fats, and beverages. "
Imports increased 1.5% to 270,484 million euros, also a historical maximum. As a result, the trade deficit of the first ten months of the year reached 28,022 million, practically identical to that registered in the same period of 2018, with the coverage rate at 89.6% (0.2% in the period January- October 2018).
The growth of Spanish exports between January and October (1.6%) was higher than Germany (1%) and the United Kingdom (-0.5%), and lower than the euro zone as a whole (2.2%) , France (3.7%), Italy (2.7%) and EU (2.4%).
Exports to the EU (65.9% of the total) grew 1.8% year-on-year. Exports to the euro zone rose 1.3% and those destined for the rest of the EU 3.6%.
Exports to third destinations (34.1% of the total) grew 1.3%, with increases in exports to North America (9.4%), Asia excluding the Middle East (6.7%) and Africa (1 , 6%). For Méndez, "the good behavior of exports to markets such as the United States, Japan and China is very relevant, and has indicated that one of the objectives of the Biennial Internationalization Plan is being met, which is to bet on diversifying our exports to third markets outside the EU. "
The subsectors that behaved best were medicines, meat products, aircraft and fruits and vegetables.
The Autonomous Communities with the highest growth in their exports were Aragón (13.3%), Navarra (12.3%) and Principality of Asturias (10.3%). The greatest decreases occurred in the Balearic Islands (-11.2%), Castilla y León (-5.6%) and Galicia (-5.6%).
October data
Exports in October reached 26,861 million euros, an increase of 1.7% compared to the same month of 2018. This increase is similar to that registered in the euro zone (1.6%) and in the EU (1 ,5%).
Exports to the EU (66.1% of the total) rose 3.1% year-on-year. Those directed to the euro zone grew 2.9% and those destined for the rest of the EU increased 3.9%. The increases in exports to Germany (7.7%), Portugal (5.2%), United Kingdom (5.1%), Italy (2.9%) and France (1.2%) stand out.
Stresses the growth, for the second consecutive month, of car exports, although the recovery is still insufficient to compensate for the fall of the first part of the year.
Imports decreased to 29,438 million euros (2.7%). As a result, a deficit of 2,576 million euros was registered, 32.8% lower than in the same month of 2018.