ROME (ITALPRESS) – In December 2024, extra-EU exports grew year-on-year by 3.9% (it was +0.9% in November 2024): supporting the growth were in particular higher sales of non-durable consumer goods (+16.5%) and durable consumer goods (+14.8%); exports of energy (+5.4%) and intermediate goods (+4.7%) also increased, while those of capital goods decreased (-7.5%). Imports show a trend increase of 7.5 percent, due to higher purchases of capital goods (+33.8 percent), consumer durables (+22.8 percent) and intermediate goods (+12.5 percent). This is noted by Istat.In December 2024, trade with non-EU27 countries is estimated to show a slight cyclical decrease in imports (-0.3%) while exports are stationary.The stationarity on a monthly basis of exports is a synthesis of differentiated dynamics by main industry grouping: sales of energy (+6.8%), non-durable consumer goods (+4.0%) and intermediate goods (+3.2%) grow, those of consumer durables (-9.4%) and capital goods (-4.3%) decrease.On the import side, the slight cyclical decline is totally explained by the contraction of purchases of non-durable consumer goods (-20.1%). In the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to the previous quarter, exports show growth (+1.6%) to which the increase in sales of consumer durables (+9.9%) and non-durable consumer goods (+2.3%) mainly contributes. In the same period, imports show an increase of 4.5 percent, more than half of which is due to higher purchases of non-durable consumer goods (+11.4 percent).As of December 2024, the trade surplus with non-EU27 countries is +7,790 million (+8,104 million in the same month of 2023). The energy deficit (-4,637 million) is lower than a year earlier (-5,008 million). The surplus in non-energy interchange shrinks from 13,112 million in December 2023 to 12,427 million in December 2024.December 2024 shows strong year-on-year increases in exports to ASEAN countries (+39.9%) and the UK (+11.5%).Sales to China (-6.0 percent), the United States (-3.7 percent) and OPEC countries (-1.6 percent) decrease.Except from the United States (-27.5 percent), OPEC countries (-15.1 percent) and MERCOSUR countries (-4.5 percent), imports from all major non-EU27 partner countries are increasing year-on-year. Purchases from ASEAN countries (+93.0%) show the strongest trend growth; also strong increases in purchases from India (+39.6%), Turkey (+18.2%), China (+15.7%) and Switzerland (+14.5%). -photo Istat press office-(ITALPRESS).
