The Spanish foreign trade sector continued to grow in March, with exports increasing by 8.5% year-on-year, reaching €34.12 billion, the second highest value in the series for the third month of the year, as shown by the trade data declared by Customs and collected in the Monthly Foreign Trade Report of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Business, prepared by the Secretary of State for Trade.
In the complex international context, Spanish merchandise exports in March were stronger than those recorded by the euro zone (8.0%) and the EU-27 (7.5%). Among the major EU economies, exports from Germany (4.3%), France (2.8%) and Italy (5.8%) also grew. Outside the EU, exports from the UK increased by 13.8% year-on-year, from the US by 6.5% year-on-year, from China by 13.5% year-on-year, and from Japan by 4% year-on-year.
Meanwhile, imports registered €39.6 billion, the second highest value in the series for the month of March, rising by 18.3%.
By sector, the surpluses in food, beverages and tobacco (€1.7 billion), non-chemical semi-manufactures (€745.4 million), other goods (€452.6 million), and the automobile sector (€97.6 million) stood out.
The trade surplus with the EU reached €1.54 billion, uninterrupted since January 2017.
The destination markets with which the largest surpluses were achieved in March were France (€1.63 billion), Portugal (€1.33 billion) and the UK (just under €1.17 billion).
Sectors and target markets
In March, the sectors with the highest positive contributions to the annual rate of change of exports (8.5%) were: chemicals (3.0 percentage points), capital goods (1.6 points), food, beverages and tobacco (1.6 points), and non-chemical semi-manufactures (0.8 points).
By destination market, exports to the EU27 accounted for 61.6% of the total, rising by 6.2%. Record figures for the month were reached in 9 EU destinations, including Poland, the Czech Republic, Sweden and Romania.
Exports to non-EU destinations accounted for 38.4% of the total, rising by 12.3% compared to the same month of the previous year. Record highs for the month were achieved in markets of relevance for Spain such as the UK, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and India.
Foreign trade data January-March 2025
In the cumulative year to March 2025, exports of goods grew by 2.6% year-on-year to €95.87 billion, the second highest figure for the period. Imports stood at just over €110.97 billion.
The sectors with the largest surpluses were: food, beverages and tobacco (just under €5.1 billion), non-chemical semi-manufactures (€1.79 billion), other goods (€1.55 billion), and the automotive sector (€785.4 million).
The countries against which the Spanish economy recorded the largest surpluses were France (€4.67 billion), Portugal (€4.11 billion) and the UK (€3.43 billion).
Exports to the US amounted to €4.37 billion, increasing by 2.6% in the first quarter, in line with Spanish exports as a whole for this period.
The number of regular exporters - those that have exported more than €1,000 in the reference year and in each of the three immediately preceding years - grew by 1.1% in the year to March 2025 to 39,176 exporters. They exported goods to the value of €92.57 billion, 96.6% of the total and 3.1% more than in the same period of the previous year.
Non official translation
Storage and control of merchandise containers for export
