Foreign trade
Exports and imports by 2-digit, 4-digit and 8-digit commodity chapter of the Combined Nomenclature (CN) Exports and imports by commodity section of the Standard International Trade Classification (SITC) and by the Classification of Broad Economic Categories (BEC) Exports and imports by country Exports and imports by county Exports and imports by economic unit’s place of registration, economic activity (EMTAK 2008) and CN commodity section | |
Standard International Trade Classification (SITC Rev. 4) Estonian Classification of Economic Activities (EMTAK 2008) based on NACE Rev.2 Classification of Estonian administrative units and settlements (EHAK) The supplementary units for commodity quantity can be found on the website of Statistics Estonia at https://www.stat.ee/en/quantity-supplementary-units. | |
International trade in goods statistics cover intra-EU and extra-EU trade flows. All goods entering (import) or leaving (export) the territory of Estonia are recorded. | |
Balance – the difference between the value of exports and imports. Capital goods – machinery and equipment that are used for producing other goods, and industrial transport equipment. Commodity flow value – the statistical value of commodities: imports are valued at the purchase price (CIF value) and exports are valued at the sale price (FOB value). The value at current prices is used. CIF value is the value of commodity which includes the cost of the commodity and the costs connected with the transportation and insurance of the commodity up to the border of the importing country. FOB value is the value of commodity which includes the cost of the commodity and the costs connected with the transportation and insurance of the commodity up to the border of the exporting country. Commodity value change compared with previous period – commodity value change in percentages compared with the previous month or year. Commodity value change compared with the same period of previous year – commodity value change in percentages compared with the same period of the previous year. Consumption goods – final products, consumer goods. Country of origin – the country where a commodity has been produced. If two or more countries are connected with the production of an article, it is assumed that this article originates from the country where it was significantly processed last (it should be economically justified), resulting in the manufacture of a new product or completing an important manufacturing stage. Detailed data received from other countries – since 2022, all Member States are required to share exports data with the country of destination and to provide the VAT ID number of the recipient of the goods in the other country. The VAT number is used to link the data with an Estonian enterprise. Economic unit – an enterprise (company, sole proprietor) or non-profit entity (non-profit association, foundation, government institution, local government institution) entered in the Commercial Register. This also includes units with a foreign registry code. To calculate the number of economic units, the data collected with Intrastat reports, customs declarations and VAT declarations are used. Enterprises with exports and imports turnover below the threshold, also non-responding enterprises, are added on the basis of VAT declarations submitted to the Estonian Tax and Customs Board. Private persons who have declared the exports or imports of goods in customs declarations are excluded. Enterprise – an enterprise consists of one or more companies (public limited company, private limited company, limited partnership, general partnership, commercial association) or branches of foreign companies or sole proprietors. Exports – exportation of goods produced in Estonia, exportation of goods imported from a foreign country (re-exports), temporary exportation of goods for the purpose of processing abroad, re-exportation of goods after processing in Estonia, and supplies of foreign water and aircraft stores. Exports exclude transit and services. Exports of goods of Estonian origin – the export of goods produced or processed in Estonia to other countries. Extrastat (Extra-EC Trade Statistics) – the special system for collecting statistics on the trade in goods between EU Member States and non-EU countries. The Estonian Tax and Customs Board is the institution responsible for Extrastat data collection from customs declarations. The collected data are transmitted to Statistics Estonia for compiling official foreign trade statistics. Foreign enterprise – not an Estonian economic unit. Imports – imports of goods into Estonia for domestic consumption and for resale to a foreign country, imports for processing in Estonia with obligation of re-export, and re-imports after processing outside of Estonia. Imports exclude transit and services. Intermediate goods – semi-processed, semi-manufactured goods, industrial supplies. Intrastat (Intra EC-Trade Statistics) – the special system for collecting statistics on the trade in goods between the Member States of the European Union (EU). Statistics Estonia is the institution responsible for Intrastat data collection; the data are collected with a questionnaire from enterprises involved in foreign trade. The Intrastat reports on dispatches and arrivals must be submitted by enterprises who are registered in the Estonian national VAT register and whose foreign trade turnover exceeds the statistical threshold set for the reporting year. Net weight – the weight of a commodity without packaging. Net weight is presented in kilograms. Partner country – in exports, the partner country is the country of destination. In imports, there can be two partner countries: country of consignment – the country wherefrom a commodity has directly arrived; and country of origin – the country where the goods have been produced. According to the methodology of the European Union (EU), in Intrastat reporting (trade with EU countries), the country of origin can be marked with code ‘EU’ if the commodity originated in the EU but the specific country is unknown. If the country of origin is entirely unknown, code ‘XX’ should be used. Persons employed – the total number of persons who work in an enterprise, irrespective of the length of their working week. It excludes those absent for a longer period (persons on maternity leave, conscripts, etc). The number of persons employed is unspecified for those foreign companies that operate in Estonia but do not have a commercial registry code in Estonia. Special trade system – the system of compiling foreign trade statistics which takes into account goods crossing the boundary of the free circulation area. Share of country – the share of the selected country (in percentages) in total exports or imports of goods. | |
Economic unit | |
Economic units which have trade in goods transactions with EU countries and non-EU countries FRAME List of VAT-registered enterprises who have dispatched goods to EU countries, excluding enterprises whose turnover is below the statistical threshold. This list is based on the value added tax return data of the Estonian Tax and Customs Board. List of enterprises importing goods from EU countries. The list is based on micro-data received from other EU Member States. List of enterprises engaged in trade with non-EU countries. The list is based on the customs declarations of the Estonian Tax and Customs Board. List of enterprises engaged in the capture of marine organisms and products in the open sea and the sale of these products in foreign harbours. | |
Estonia as a whole | |
1993–… | |
Not applicable |
Value of exports and imports of goods at current prices – euro Net weight of exported and imported goods – kg Exporters and importers (enterprises) – number The quantity and unit of the commodity are available if the corresponding commodity code of the Combined Nomenclature (CN) has a supplementary unit other than kilogram (e.g. litre, piece, etc.). |
DIRECTLY APPLICABLE LEGAL ACTS Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/1704 of 14 July 2021 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 of the European Parliament and of the Council by further specifying the details for the statistical information to be provided by tax and customs authorities and amending its Annexes V and VI (Text with EEA relevance) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1197 of 30 July 2020 laying down technical specifications and arrangements pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 of the European Parliament and of the Council on European business statistics repealing 10 legal acts in the field of business statistics (Text with EEA relevance) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/1225 of 27 July 2021 specifying the arrangements for the data exchanges pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 of the European Parliament and of the Council and amending Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1197, as regards the Member State of extra-Union export and the obligations of reporting units (Text with EEA relevance) Regulation (EC) No 2019/2152 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2019 on European business statistics, repealing 10 legal acts in the field of business statistics (Text with EEA relevance) OTHER LEGAL ACTS Not available OTHER AGREEMENTS Statistical Office of the European Union (Eurostat) Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) International Monetary Fund (IMF) Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) United Nations (UN) |
The dissemination of data collected for the purpose of producing official statistics is guided by the requirements provided for in sections 32, 34, 35, 38 of the Official Statistics Act. | |
The dissemination of data collected for the production of official statistics is based on the requirements laid down in sections 34 and 35 of the Official Statistics Act. The principles for treatment of confidential data can be found here. |
Notifications about the dissemination of statistics are published in the release calendar, which is available on the website. Every year on 1 October, the release times of the statistical database, news releases, main indicators by IMF SDDS and publications for the following year are announced in the release calendar (in the case of publications – the release month). | |
All users have been granted equal access to official statistics: dissemination dates of official statistics are announced in advance and no user category (incl. Eurostat, state authorities and media) is provided access to official statistics before other users. Official statistics are first published in the statistical database. If there is also a news release, it is published simultaneously with data in the statistical database. Official statistics are available on the website at 8:00 a.m. on the date announced in the release calendar. |
A foreign trade news release is published once a month. The news releases can be viewed on the website of Statistics Estonia in the section News. | |
Not published | |
Foreign trade statistics are published in the statistical database at https://andmed.stat.ee/et/stat under the subject area "Economy / Foreign trade". Monthly data tables: VKK10: Exports and imports of goods by commodity (CN) and country, VKK12: Exports, imports of goods and their change by country, VKK14: Exports and imports of goods by commodity (SITC) and country VKK16: Exports and imports of goods by commodity (BEC) and country, VKK24: Exports and imports by administrative unit. Annual data tables: VKK26: Exports and imports by number of persons employed in economic unit, VKK30: Exports and imports of goods by commodity (CN) and country, VKK32: Exports, imports of goods and their change by country, VKK34: Exports and imports of goods by commodity (SITC) and country, VKK36: Exports and imports of goods by commodity (BEC) and country, VKK44: Exports and imports by administrative unit, VKA01: Exports and imports of goods by economic activity, type of trader and partner country, VKA03: Concentration of exports and imports of goods by economic activity and partner country, VKA04: Exports and imports of goods by economic activity and partner country, VKA06: Exports and imports of goods by economic activity, commodity (CPA) and partner country, VKA07: Exports and imports of goods by economic size class and partner country, VKA08: Exports and imports of goods by economic activity and exports intensity, VKA09: Exports and imports of goods by economic activity and type of control. | |
The dissemination of data collected for the purpose of producing official statistics is guided by the requirements provided for in § 33, § 34, § 35, § 36, § 38 of the Official Statistics Act. Access to microdata and anonymisation of microdata are regulated by Statistics Estonia’s procedure for dissemination of confidential data for scientific purposes. | |
Data serve as input for statistical activities 20205 “Energy consumption and production (monthly)”, 20206 “Energy consumption and production (annual)”, 20403 “Export price index”, 20404 “Import price index”, 20407 “Consumer price index”, 20408 “Producer price index of industrial output”, 20701 “Fish catch”, 20901 “Business register for statistical purposes”, 21203 “Livestock farming and meat production”, 21207 “Economic accounts for agriculture”, 21213 “Supply balance sheets of agricultural products”, 21405 “National accounts (quarterly)”, 21408 “Supply and use tables”, 22201 “Production indices” and 50101 “Regional development”. | |
International trade statistics – background Intra-EU trade – exchange of micro-data International Merchandise Trade Statistics: Concepts and Definitions 2010, UN (2011) | |
Every year the “National Quality Report” is sent to Eurostat. Quality report on European statistics on international trade in goods: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/international-trade-in-goods/quality For internal use, the document “Quality report” has been developed, which is prepared monthly and contains information about the number of enterprises in the sample, number of errors, etc. |
To assure the quality of processes and products, Statistics Estonia applies the EFQM Excellence Model, the European Statistics Code of Practice and the Quality Assurance Framework of the European Statistical System (ESS QAF). Statistics Estonia is also guided by the requirements in section 7. “Principles and quality criteria of producing official statistics” of the Official Statistics Act. | |
Statistics Estonia performs all statistical activities according to an international model (Generic Statistical Business Process Model – GSBPM). According to the GSBPM, the final phase of statistical activities is overall evaluation using information gathered in each phase or sub-process (this information includes, among other things, feedback from users, process metadata, system metrics and suggestions from employees). This information is used to prepare the evaluation report which outlines all the quality problems related to the specific statistical activity and serves as input for improvement actions. |
Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications; Ministry of Climate; Ministry of Rural Affairs; Eesti Pank (central bank of Estonia); Estonian Institute of Economic Research | |
Since 1996, Statistics Estonia has conducted reputation and user satisfaction surveys. All results are available on the website of Statistics Estonia in the section User surveys. | |
The compilation of international trade in goods statistics is in compliance with European Union legislation and UN recommendations. |
The overall accuracy of the data is affected by estimates and confidential data. Estimates and confidential data are published at the 2-digit commodity code and partner country level. | |
Not applied | |
Data quality may be affected by non-response or partial response. Measures to reduce non-response include reminders to respondents and the application of penalty payments in the event of non-response. Data losses due to non-response or companies below the statistical threshold are replaced with estimates. |
The data are published 40 days after the end of reference period (T + 40 days). The data are published monthly. The data of the current year are revised monthly; the data of the two previous years are revised twice a year (released in March and October). | |
The data have been published at the time announced in the release calendar. |
The data are comparable with the international trade in goods statistics of other European Union countries. | |
The data for 1993–2003 are entirely comparable, but in May 2004, when Estonia acceded to the European Union, the data collection method changed. When comparing statistics produced prior to and after the accession of Estonia to the European Union, the following changes in methodology have to be taken into consideration: 1. Before the accession, foreign trade statistics were based on customs declarations and covered trade almost completely. Since the accession, foreign trade statistics on trade between European Union Member States are based on monthly Intrastat reports, which have to be submitted only by those enterprises whose value of exports or imports in trade with Member States in the year preceding the reference period or during the reference period exceeds the statistical threshold set by Statistics Estonia. The data for the remaining enterprises are estimated. Data losses due to non-response, insufficient completion of questionnaires and delays in data submission are also replaced with estimates. 2. In the case of Intrastat, the statistics compiled based on the special trade system do not coincide with the data compiled on the basis of the special trade system of customs declarations. A large proportion of goods, which formerly moved under the supervision of customs authorities in customs warehouses and which were not taken into account in statistics according to the rules of the special trade system, are now in free circulation and included into statistics, as customs warehouses were replaced by intermediate depots in internal EU trade. 3. Since 2018, statistical units have been formed which influence the statistics published by economic activity. For example, there may have been an enterprise whose economic activity was previously manufacturing but, after forming a statistical enterprise, the enterprise was categorised under construction instead. | |
Foreign trade data collection is not related to other statistics in this field. | |
The outputs of the statistical activity are coherent. |
The data revision policy and notification of corrections are described in the section Principles of dissemination of official statistics on the website of Statistics Estonia. | |
The published data may be revised if the methodology is modified, errors are discovered, new or better data become available. The foreign trade data for the current year are revised monthly; the data for the two previous years are revised twice a year (published in March and October). |
SURVEY DATA Data on intra-European Union exports (dispatches of goods) are collected using the monthly national statistics questionnaires “Intrastat. Dispatches of goods” and “Exports (sales of fish and crustaceans in foreign waters and in foreign ports)”. Data are collected and data reporting is monitored through the electronic data submission environment eSTAT. The questionnaires are designed for independent completion in the online environment and contain instructions and checks. The questionnaires and information related to data submission can be found on the website of Statistics Estonia under the heading Questionnaires. Intrastat data must be submitted by economic entities that are subject to VAT in Estonia and whose export turnover to EU countries exceeds the statistical threshold established for the reporting year. The statistical threshold is determined by Statistics Estonia based on the previous year’s foreign trade data. In 2025, the statistical threshold in Estonia for dispatches of goods is 350,000 euros. Intrastat data must be submitted in the following cases: Based on the data for 2024, dispatch turnover exceeded the statistical threshold for 2025. In this case, data must be submitted every month from the beginning of 2025 until the end of the reporting year. The turnover of dispatches of goods exceeds the statistical threshold during the reporting year (2025). In this case, data are reported starting from the month in which the threshold was exceeded until the end of 2025. Companies whose turnover is below the statistical threshold do not have to complete the Intrastat questionnaire; their data will be replaced by estimates based on data from the Estonian Tax and Customs Board. Intrastat data must also be submitted by foreign companies with VAT obligation in Estonia or their representatives. Starting from reference year 2025, Statistics Estonia no longer collects data on the arrival of goods from the European Union using the Intrastat questionnaire. Intra-EU imports statistics are compiled based on detailed data from other European Union countries on their dispatches to Estonia. ADMINISTRATIVE DATA The following monthly customs statistics are received from the Estonian Tax and Customs Board: exports to and imports from non-EU countries; movements of excise goods (fuel, alcohol and tobacco); data of value added tax returns (form KMD); data of VIES declarations (form VD). Detailed data and estimates about exports to Estonia are received from other European Union countries once a month, which are used to compile intra-EU imports statistics. DATA FROM OTHER STATISTICAL ACTIVITIES Data about enterprises from statistical activity 20901 “Business register for statistical purposes” | |
Monthly | |
Data are collected and the submission of questionnaires is monitored through eSTAT (the web channel for electronic data submission). The questionnaires have been designed for independent completion in eSTAT and include instructions and checks. The questionnaires and information about data submission are available on the website of Statistics Estonia in the section Questionnaires. Data are collected with the monthly official statistics questionnaires “Intrastat. Dispatches” and “Exports (sale of fish and crustaceans in foreign waters and ports)”. The data of the Estonian Tax and Customs Board are received via X-Road. | |
Validation includes arithmetic and qualitative checks, including comparison with data from previous periods, other surveys and administrative data sources. | |
Estimates are compiled for intra-EU trade in goods to avoid data losses. Estimates are compiled for the following reasons: 1) For foreign trade of enterprises not included in the Intrastat survey. 2) To replace data losses due to non-response, late response and partial response. For intra-EU exports estimates, the turnover from trade with the European Union shown in the VAT return (form KMD) submitted to the Estonian Tax and Customs Board is used. Estimates are compiled at the level of 2-digit commodity codes and partner countries. Estimates compiled by the partner countries are used as estimates for intra-EU imports, which are published at the level of 2-digit commodity codes and partner countries. If the partner country has not transmitted data by the deadline, the missing data are replaced by an estimate prepared by Statistics Estonia, which is based on data from previous periods. When actual data are received, the estimate is replaced with real data. For trade with countries outside the European Union, the data are complete and no estimates are needed. | |
The data of the current year are revised monthly. The data of the two previous years are revised twice a year (released in March and October). |