In May, electrical equipment was the most exported commodity, while agricultural products and food preparations were the top commodities in imports
According to Statistics Estonia, in May 2025, Estonia’s exports of goods grew by 2% and imports by 6%. Exports of goods amounted to about 1.6 billion and imports to nearly 1.9 billion euros at current prices. The trade deficit was 281 million euros, which is 78 million euros more than in May last year.
Jane Leppmets, foreign trade analyst at Statistics Estonia, said that, in May, the changes in intra-EU trade were marginal – exports were up by 3% and imports down by 1%. “In extra-EU trade, exports of goods decreased by 2% while imports increased by 54% compared with May last year. The latter was influenced by a large-scale transaction in the defence sector,” noted Leppmets.
In May, exports to Singapore grew the most and exports to Russia fell the most
The main commodities exported in May were electrical equipment (15% of Estonia’s total exports), agricultural products and food preparations (13%), wood and articles of wood (11%), and transport equipment (11%). Compared with May 2024, the biggest increase occurred in the exports of agricultural products and food preparations (up by 28 million euros, or 16%) and electrical equipment (up by 24 million euros, or 11%). The biggest fall was registered in the exports of mineral products (down by 23 million euros, or 16%), mechanical appliances (down by 22 million euros, or 15%), and base metals and articles of base metal (down by 22 million euros, or 15%).
Compared with May 2024, re-exports of goods increased by 5% in May this year, and exports of goods of Estonian origin remained at the same level. The share of goods of Estonian origin in total exports fell by one percentage point and was 64% in May this year.
Estonia’s top export partner in May was Finland (14% of total exports), followed by Latvia (12%), Lithuania (9%), and Sweden (9%). The main commodities exported were electrical equipment to Finland and Sweden and transport equipment to Latvia and Lithuania. Compared with May last year, the greatest increase occurred in exports to Singapore (up by 22 million euros), where more mineral products were exported. The biggest decrease occurred in exports of goods to Russia (down by 20 million euros) with fewer dispatches of agricultural products and food preparations.
Imports from the USA increased the most, while imports from Finland showed the biggest decrease
The main commodities imported in May were agricultural products and food preparations (14% of Estonia’s total imports), transport equipment (13%), and electrical equipment (12%). Year on year, the rise in imports was mainly due to the increased arrivals of defence-related products. The greatest decrease occurred in the imports of mineral products (down by 22 million euros, or 12%).
In May, the top partner countries for imports of goods were Finland (12% of Estonia’s total imports), Germany (11%), Latvia (10%), and Lithuania (10%). The main commodities imported were mineral products from Finland and Lithuania, transport equipment from Germany, and agricultural products and food preparations from Latvia. Compared with May last year, the biggest rise occurred in imports of goods from the United States of America (up by 50 million euros), the Republic of South Africa (up by 46 million euros), and the Netherlands (up by 39 million euros). The biggest fall was recorded in imports from Finland (down by 39 million euros) and Poland (down by 26 million euros).
Month | Exports, million euros | Imports, million euros | Balance, million euros | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2024 | 2025 | Change, % | 2024 | 2025 | Change, % | 2024 | 2025 | |
TOTAL | 7,183 | 7,853 | 9 | 8,484 | 9,317 | 10 | -1,302 | -1,464 |
January | 1,338 | 1,505 | 13 | 1,583 | 1,850 | 17 | -246 | -345 |
February | 1,322 | 1,473 | 11 | 1,581 | 1,771 | 12 | -259 | -298 |
March | 1,456 | 1,716 | 18 | 1,704 | 1,944 | 14 | -249 | -228 |
April | 1,523 | 1,585 | 4 | 1,868 | 1,897 | 2 | -345 | -312 |
May | 1,545 | 1,573 | 2 | 1,747 | 1,855 | 6 | -203 | -281 |
| Country of destination, group of countries | Exports, million euros | Share, % | Change on same month of previous year, % | Country of consignment, group of countries | Imports, million euros | Share, % | Change on same month of previous year, % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOTAL | 1,573 | 100 | 2 | TOTAL | 1,855 | 100 | 6 |
| EU-27 | 1,171 | 74 | 3 | EU-27 | 1,490 | 80 | -1 |
| Euro area 20 | 878 | 56 | 2 | Euro area 20 | 1,125 | 61 | -1 |
| Non-EU | 402 | 26 | -2 | Non-EU | 365 | 20 | 54 |
| 1. Finland | 225 | 14 | -4 | 1. Finland | 214 | 12 | -16 |
| 2. Latvia | 197 | 13 | -2 | 2. Germany | 204 | 11 | 4 |
| 3. Lithuania | 141 | 9 | 17 | 3. Latvia | 183 | 10 | -1 |
| 4. Sweden | 140 | 9 | -6 | 4. Lithuania | 180 | 10 | -7 |
| 5. Germany | 121 | 8 | 4 | 5. Sweden | 135 | 7 | -4 |
| 6. Poland | 67 | 4 | 27 | 6. Netherlands | 132 | 7 | 42 |
| 7. Norway | 58 | 4 | -20 | 7. Poland | 126 | 7 | -17 |
| 8. Netherlands | 58 | 4 | -21 | 8. USA | 66 | 4 | - |
| 9. USA | 48 | 3 | 7 | 9. China | 63 | 3 | 5 |
| 10. France | 39 | 2 | 20 | 10. Czechia | 56 | 3 | 81 |
| Commodity section (chapter) by Combined Nomenclature (CN) | Exports | Imports | Balance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Million euros | Share, % | Change on same month of previous year, % | Million euros | Share, % | Change on same month of previous year, % | Million euros
| |
| TOTAL | 1,573 | 100 | 2 | 1,855 | 100 | 6 | -281 |
| Agricultural products and food preparations (I–IV) | 200 | 13 | 16 | 254 | 14 | 5 | -53 |
| Mineral products (V) | 123 | 8 | -16 | 161 | 9 | -12 | -38 |
| Raw materials and products of chemical industry (VI) | 81 | 5 | 2 | 160 | 9 | 1 | -79 |
| Articles of plastics and rubber (VII) | 45 | 3 | -4 | 91 | 5 | 6 | -46 |
| Wood and articles of wood (IX) | 179 | 11 | 5 | 65 | 3 | 2 | 115 |
| Paper and articles thereof (X) | 32 | 2 | -13 | 32 | 2 | 11 | 0 |
| Textiles and textile articles (XI) | 34 | 2 | -1 | 56 | 3 | -2 | -22 |
| Base metals and articles of base metal (XV) | 125 | 8 | -15 | 146 | 8 | -10 | -21 |
| Machinery and mechanical appliances (84) | 120 | 8 | -15 | 156 | 8 | -4 | -35 |
| Electrical equipment (85) | 241 | 15 | 11 | 223 | 12 | 7 | 18 |
| Transport equipment (XVII) | 168 | 11 | 15 | 240 | 13 | 0 | -72 |
| Optical, measuring, precision instruments (XVIII) | 44 | 3 | 8 | 41 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Miscellaneous manufactured articles (XX) | 104 | 6 | -6 | 45 | 2 | 8 | 58 |
| Other | 77 | 5 | 40 | 186 | 10 | 144 | -109 |
Starting from 2025, Statistics Estonia prepares EU imports statistics using detailed data and estimates from other Member States concerning their exports to Estonia. The data are validated by Statistics Estonia and combined with administrative data. 2025 data based on the new methodology were first published on 12 March 2025. Read more about the changes here (in Estonian).
Statistics Estonia performs the statistical activity “Foreign trade” for the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications with the aim to determine how exporting and importing enterprises are performing in Estonia.
See also the foreign trade section on our website. Statistics Estonia’s foreign trade application provides visualised foreign trade data for Estonia.
More detailed data have been published in the statistical database. Due to rounding, the sum of rows in some tables may differ from the sum total of the column.
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Heidi Kukk
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Statistics Estonia
Tel +372 5696 6484
press [at] stat.ee