Catalan high-tech exports grow by 19.4%

Catalan exports of high-technology products totalled €8 billion in the second trimester of 2016, which represents a 19.4% increase in comparison to the same period last year. According to a report published this Wednesday by the Catalan Institute of Statistics (Idescat), computer-related, electronic and optical products lead the exports ranking and registered a 31.6% increase in comparison to the second trimester of 2015. The export of pharmaceutical products also grew considerably (+15.7%). Most of the high-technology exports were destined for the EU, growing by 27.8% in the second trimester of 2016 in comparison to the same period last year. Sales to the rest of the world registered a 12.2% increase in the second trimester of 2016 compared to the same period last year.

Sales of middle-high level industrial products also grew by 3.4% in the second trimester of 2016 and totalled €8 billion. This trend was driven by an increase in sales of electrical materials and equipment: vehicles and machinery grew by 11.3%, while on the other hand, sales of chemical products dropped by 9.1%.

Products in the middle-low level were the only group which saw a decrease in exports. They were worth €2.1 billion euros in the second trimester of 2016 and dropped by 0.8% in comparison to the same period last year. However, this decrease was only registered in those markets outside the EU-28, whereas in terms of the countries inside the EU-28 the level of exports grew by 7.8% compared to the second trimester of 2015.

Exports of low technology content totalled €4.2 billion in the second trimester of 2016 and grew by 8.8% in comparison to the same period last year.

Middle-technology products also lead imports
Regarding imports, middle-technology products registered a 12.5% increase in comparison to the second trimester last year, mainly driven by the acquisition of vehicles and electrical machinery (+17.3%). High-technology imports grew by 5.2% and low-technology ones increased by 4.9%.

The highest growth in industrial technology-related products imports were from outside the EU-28, increasing by 17.0% in comparison to the second trimester of 2015.