(Finance) – In January 2025 Istat estimated a wider economic growth for imports (+3.2%) compared to exports (+0.6%). The moderate increase on monthly export base is the synthesis of an increase for the EU area (+1.8%) and a slight reduction for the non-EU area (-0.6%). In the quarter of November 2024-January 2025, compared to the previous one, both exports and imports grow by 2.2%.
In January 2025, exports increased by a 2.5% annual basis in monetary terms, while it is reduced by 2.6% in volume. The growth of value exports is more intense for i Extra-EU markets (+3.3%) compared to those EU (+1.9%). The import records a trend increase of 8.8%in value, determined by the increase in purchases by both areas, more marked for the non-EU area (+18%) than the EU (+2.2%); In volume, imports increase by 4.1%.
Among the sectors The more they contribute to the tendential growth of exports are reported: pharmaceutical, chemical-medical and botanical items (+33.6%), food products, drinks and tobacco (+7.4%) and basic metals and metal products, excluding machines and systems (+6.4%). The exports of motor vehicles (-15.8%), coke and refined oil products (-16.7%), clothing items, also in leather and fur (-9.2%), machinery and devices not classified elsewhere (-3.1%), and leather items, excluding clothing, and the like (-8.9%) are reduced.
On an annual basis, the countries that provide the major contributions to the increase in national export are: Switzerland (+13.6%), the United States (+6.2%), United Kingdom (+12.1%), Czechia (+30.8%), OPEC countries (+10.5%), Spain (+4.8%) and France (+2.6%). On the other hand, China (-24.1%) provides the wider negative contribution.
The commercial balance In January 2025 it is equal to -264 million euros (it was +2,495 million in the same month of 2024). The energy deficit (-4.693 million) is higher than a year earlier (-4.233 million). The surcast in the interchange of non -energy products is reduced from 6,728 million January 2024 to 4,428 million January 2025.
In January 2025 i import prices increase by 0.4% on a monthly basis and 1.4% on an annual basis (it was +0.1% in December 2024).