In April 2021, exports and imports of goods recorded nominal year-on-year growth rates of +82.4% and +60.4%, respectively (+28.7% and +13.0% in March 2021, in the same order). It should be noted that these April year-on-year growth rates compare with the month of 2020 in which the COVID-19 pandemic impact was most significantly felt, corresponding to the month with the lowest absolute values and the largest year-on-year decreases of the whole pandemic period. Comparing to April 2019, the variations were +7.0% and -2.6%, in the same order being worth mentioning that imports in that month of 2019 were particularly high as a result of the acquisition of Transport equipment.
Excluding Fuels and lubricants, exports and imports grew by 82.1% and 60.1% respectively (+28.1% and +15.8%, in the same order, in March 2021). Vis-à-vis April 2019, exports increased by 8.4% and imports declined by 0.6%.
The deficit of trade balance in goods increased by EUR 70 million when compared with the same month of 2020 (a decrease of EUR 525 million when compared with April 2019), amounting to EUR 1,255 million in April 2021. Excluding Fuels and lubricants, the trade deficit amounted to EUR 890 million in April 2021.
In the quarter ended in April 2021, exports of goods increased by 31.0% and imports grew by 15.8%, when compared with the quarter ended in April 2020 (+6.1% and -5.0% in the same order, in the 1st quarter of 2021). Comparing to the quarter ended in April 2019, exports increased by 7.5% and imports decreased by 2.8%.
In the accumulated period from January to April 2021, compared to the same period in 2019, exports increased by 3.9% and imports decreased by 6.7%. The emphasis in both flows were the decreases in Transport equipment (-4.8% in exports and -29.1% in imports) and the increases in Capital goods and parts thereof (+13.1% and +4.5%, respectively) and in Industrial supplies (+3.3% and +5.0%, in the same order).
This press release includes a detailed analysis of the 2020 main results, including a comparison between the evolutions of the Portuguese exports and imports and the respective global imports and exports of the main partners of the Portuguese economy (Spain, France, and Germany), benefiting from information recently made available by Eurostat.