Catalan high-technology exports up 5.6% in first quarter

• Catalonia exported high-technology industrial products valued at €1.89 billion
• Noteworthy among these high-technology products is the increase in pharmaceuticals (+6.9%)

According to data published recently by the Statistical Institute of Catalonia (Idescat), Catalonia exported high-technology industrial products valued at nearly €1.89 billion over the course of the first quarter of 2019, up 5.6% from the same period last year.

In this regard, the high-technology products posted the highest growth in exports, while low and mid-low technology exports were up 3.9% and 2.3% respectively. As a whole, industrial exports totalled €17.15 billion, down slightly (-1.4%).

Regarding these high-technology products, sales abroad increased above all for pharmaceutical products, up 6.9% year-on-year. By geographic area, sales outside the European Union were up 9.1%. Sales of mid-high technology industrial products, however, which make up nearly half of all Catalan exports of industrial products, totalled €8.28 billion, in this case down 6.4% year-on-year.

Sales of mid-low products, with a total of €2.54 billion, were up 2.3%. Exports to the EU posted notably growth (3.4%) despite dropping slightly outside of the Union (-0.1%). Metal products are the only ones in this group that saw sales abroad drop, down 1.8%.

Finally, exports of low-technology products, valued at €4.44 billion, were up 3.9% compared to the first quarter of the previous year. By geographic area, this segment of exports to the European Union was up 2.9% and sales to the rest of the world, up 5.8%.

Regarding imports, Catalonia bought industrial products for a value of €21.26 billion, up 5.1% year-on-year. All technology levels were up for imports: high (+5.7%), mid-high (+5.0%), mid-low (7.8%), and low (+3.2%). Industrial products purchased from within the European Union increased for the high-technology segment (27.1%) and mid-high segment (3.5%) but decreased for the other segments over the same period.

[06/20/2019]