Foreign trade and import prices - January 2024

Starting from the release of data referring to January 2024, Istat disseminates unit value and volume indices for foreign trade as well as import price indices with the new reference base year 2021=100.

In January 2024 seasonally-adjusted data, compared to December 2023, declined for both exports (-3.2%) and imports (-7.3%). Exports decreased by -2.4% for EU countries and by -4.0% for non-EU countries. Imports dropped by -6.3% for EU countries and -8.6% for non-EU countries.

Over the last quarter, seasonally-adjusted data, compared to the previous one, decreased for both exports (-1.6%) and imports (-4.0%).

In January 2024, compared with the same month of the previous year, exports decreased by -0.2% and imports dropped by -13.5%. Outgoing flows were stationary for EU countries and decreased by -0.4% for non-EU countries. Incoming flows decreased by -8.7% for EU area and dropped by -19.3% for non-EU area.

In January 2024, trade balance registered a surplus of +2,655 million Euros (-376 million Euros deficit for EU countries and +3,031 million Euros surplus for non-EU countries). Excluding energy, trade balance surplus was equal to +6,888 million Euros.

In January 2024, import prices decrease by 0.9% on monthly basis (-0.5% for the euro zone, -1.3% for the non-euro zone). Over the last three months, compared to the previous three months, import prices decrease by 0.2% (-0.2% for the euro zone, -0.1% for the non-euro zone).

Import prices, compared to the same month a year ago, decrease by 7.0% (-3.2% for the euro zone, -10.2% for the non-euro zone).