Catalan high-technology exports shoot up 21% in first quarter

• This segment hit €1.873 billion, the highest volume on record since 2008
• Sales abroad by Catalan companies grew 13.6% in the first quarter

Catalan exports posted growth of 17.0% in March compared to the same month in 2016, hitting €6.663 billion, for the best month in recorded history. In cumulative terms, sales abroad by Catalan companies in the first quarter of the year were up 13.6% to €17.648 billion, which is also an all-time record for exports in a single quarter. These figures are from the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness.

These results keep Catalonia at the top of the ranking in Spain in terms of exports, making up 25.3% of all sales abroad from the nation in the first quarter of 2017. The growth of Catalan sales abroad in March outpaced that of the European Union (12.9%) and the euro zone (12.4%), as well as countries like Italy (14.5%), Germany (10.8%) and France (9.5%).

In this regard, it is worth noting that Catalan high-technology exports posted growth of 20.9% year on year in the first quarter, for a total of €1.873 billion. This is the highest volume on record since 2008, according to figures published by the Statistical Institute of Catalonia (Idescat). Regarding the destination of exports, sales to countries in the European Union in particular have increased (28%), but so have those to the rest of the world (14%).

Furthermore, according to Idescat, the sale of mid-high technology industrial products was up 9.3% in the first quarter of this year, to €8.241 billion, while mid-low technology products were up 33.5% year on year to €2.521 billion and low-technology products (€4.266 billion) were up 9.8% from the levels seen in the first quarter of last year.

[06/20/2017]