Balance of trade In the first six months of 2019, the value of exported goods from Iceland amounted to ISK 333,400 million fob and the value of imported goods amounted to ISK 380,000 million fob (ISK 405,800 million cif). Thus, there was a trade deficit, calculated on fob value, of ISK 46,600 million as compared with a trade deficit of ISK 84,000 million in the first six months of 2018, at current rates of exchange1. Excluding ships and aircraft, the deficit of balance of trade in goods was ISK 57,300 million in the first six months of 2019, but ISK 67,200 million in the first six months of 2018.

Exports
The total value of exports of goods in the first six months of 2019 was ISK 46,200 million higher (16.1%) than in the same period the year before, at current rates of exchange. Exported manufacturing products contributed 47.5% of total exported goods and their value was 2.8% higher than in the same period the year before. Marine products contributed 38.4% of the total exports and their value was 10.8% higher than in the same period the year before1.

Imports
The total value of imports of goods in the first six months of 2019 was ISK 8,800 million higher (2.4%) than in the same period the year before, at current rates of exchange. The imports of industrial supplies and capital goods increased while the imports of transport equipment decreased.

Balance of trade

The value of exports and imports in January-June 2018 and 2019
  Million ISK at current exchange rate Change on prev.
year at current
exchange rates %
January-June
January-June
2018 2019
Exports fob, total287,234.7333,435.016.1
Marine products115,577.3128,043.510.8
Agricultural products10,222.314,422.841.1
Manufacturing products153,976.8158,228.52.8
Other products7,458.332,740.2339.0
Imports fob, total371,187.9379,992.22.4
Food and beverages29,316.034,822.218.8
Industrial supplies n.e.s.101,211.8113,736.612.4
Fuels and lubricants48,010.143,720.6-8.9
Capital goods (except for transport)79,451.386,235.18.5
Transport equipment65,447.552,706.4-19.5
Consumer goods n.e.s.46,176.248,621.55.3
Goods n.e.s.1,575.0149.7-90.5
Balance of trade-83,953.15-46,557.28 

¹ Statistics Iceland does no longer publish trade in goods at constant exchange rates. The breakdown of trade in goods by currencies is available on Statistics Iceland’s website.

Monthly figures of external trade for current year are revised together with the release of figures for new months. Annual figures are published in the first half of the year after the end of the reference year. The figures are considered as final at that point in time.

Statistics