Trade in services with non-EU countries increased the most in the first quarter
According to Statistics Estonia and Eesti Pank, in the first quarter of 2025, Estonia’s exports of services grew by 5% and imports by 11%. Exports of services amounted to over €3 billion and imports to nearly €2.5 billion at current prices. The balance of foreign trade in services was in surplus by €548 million, which is €98 million less than in the first quarter of 2024.
Jane Leppmets, analyst at Statistics Estonia, noted that, compared with 2024, exports of services to European Union countries increased by 4% in the first quarter of this year, while imports from these countries grew by 8%. Exports of services to non-EU countries rose by 6% and imports from these countries increased by 18%. “The latter was mainly due to higher imports of services from Cyprus, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In the first quarter, the largest import items were other business services from Cyprus, transport services from the United Kingdom, and telecommunications, computer and information services from the United States,” Leppmets stated.
The top services exported in the first quarter were other business services (incl. other business support services, advertising and management services) for €867 million. This was followed by exports of telecommunications, computer and information services (incl. computer programming and consultancy) for €860 million, and exports of transport services (incl. road freight transport) for €579 million. Compared with the first quarter of last year, the biggest increase occurred in the exports of telecommunications, computer and information services (up by €83 million), while the largest decrease was observed in the exports of maintenance and repair services (down by €23 million).
The top partner countries for Estonia’s exports of services in the first quarter were Finland (14% of total exports), the United States (10%), and Germany (8%). The main services supplied to Finland were travel services. Telecommunications, computer and information services were the most exported service to the United States, and transport services were the biggest export item to Germany. The biggest rise was seen in exports of services to Germany (up by €41 million), to which more manufacturing services were sold than before. The greatest decrease occurred in exports of services to Hungary (down by €34 million), to which less construction services were sold.
The top services imported in the first quarter were other business services (incl. other business support services, advertising and management services) for €854 million. This was followed by transport services (incl. road and sea freight transport) for €623 million, and telecommunications, computer and information services (incl. computer programming and consultancy) for €500 million. Compared with the first quarter of 2024, the biggest rise occurred in the imports of other business services (up by €187 million). Imports of construction services decreased the most (by €53 million).
The top partner countries for imports of services were Lithuania, the United Kingdom, and Germany (each accounting for 7% of Estonia’s total imports). The main services purchased were other business services from Lithuania and Germany and transport services from the United Kingdom. The greatest rise was seen in imports of services from Cyprus (up by €59 million), from which more other business services were purchased than last year. The biggest decline occurred in imports of services from Hungary (down by €51 million), mainly due to decreased purchases of construction services.
| Country of destination, group of countries | Exports, million euros | Share, % | Change on same quarter of previous year, % | Country of consignment, group of countries | Imports, million euros | Share, % | Change on same quarter of previous year, % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOTAL | 3,018 | 100 | 5 | TOTAL | 2,471 | 100 | 11 |
| EU-27 | 1,949 | 65 | 4 | EU-27 | 1,716 | 69 | 8 |
| Euro area 20 | 1,535 | 51 | 8 | Euro area 20 | 1,353 | 55 | 12 |
| Non-EU | 1,069 | 35 | 6 | Non-EU | 755 | 31 | 18 |
| 1. Finland | 416 | 14 | 4 | 1. Lithuania | 173 | 7 | 7 |
| 2. USA | 292 | 10 | 5 | 2. United Kingdom | 163 | 7 | 42 |
| 3. Germany | 233 | 8 | 22 | 3. Germany | 162 | 7 | -8 |
| 4. United Kingdom | 189 | 6 | 12 | 4. Finland | 151 | 6 | -4 |
| 5. Sweden | 170 | 6 | -6 | 5. Ireland | 131 | 5 | -1 |
| 6. Lithuania | 160 | 5 | 23 | 6. Latvia | 131 | 5 | 2 |
| 7. Latvia | 149 | 5 | 7 | 7. USA | 123 | 5 | 29 |
| 8. Netherlands | 99 | 3 | 0 | 8. Netherlands | 111 | 4 | 25 |
| 9. France | 87 | 3 | 19 | 9. Sweden | 111 | 4 | -1 |
| 10. Ireland | 75 | 2 | 14 | 10. Cyprus | 105 | 4 | 127 |
| Type of service (according to EBOPS 2010) | Exports of services | Imports of services | Balance, million euros | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Million euros | Share,% | Change on same quarter of previous year, % | Million euros | Share, % | Change on same quarter of previous year, % | ||
| TOTAL | 3,018 | 100 | 5 | 2,471 | 100 | 11 | 548 |
| Manufacturing services on physical inputs owned by others (SA) | 139 | 5 | 61 | 27 | 1 | -6 | 113 |
| Maintenance and repair services n.i.e. (SB) | 55 | 2 | -30 | 32 | 1 | 10 | 22 |
| Transport (SC) | 579 | 19 | -3 | 623 | 25 | 7 | -44 |
| Travel (SD) | 306 | 10 | 10 | 296 | 12 | 11 | 9 |
| Construction (SE) | 90 | 3 | -7 | 13 | 1 | -81 | 77 |
| Insurance and pension services (SF) | 2 | 0 | -49 | 13 | 1 | -2 | -11 |
| Financial services (excl. insurance and pension services) (SG) | 56 | 2 | 18 | 39 | 2 | -25 | 17 |
| Charges for the use of intellectual property n.i.e. (SH) | 19 | 1 | -32 | 35 | 1 | 7 | -16 |
| Telecommunications, computer and information services (SI) | 860 | 28 | 11 | 500 | 20 | 11 | 360 |
| Other business services (SJ) | 867 | 29 | 4 | 854 | 35 | 28 | 13 |
| Personal, cultural and recreational services (SK) | 34 | 1 | 15 | 29 | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| Government goods and services (SL) | 12 | 0 | -24 | 10 | 0 | 15 | 2 |
Statistics Estonia collects and analyses the data on foreign trade in services in cooperation with Eesti Pank, as commissioned by 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. 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.
When using Statistics Estonia’s data and graphs, please indicate the source.
For further information:
Heidi Kukk
Media Relations Manager
Marketing and Dissemination Department
Statistics Estonia
Tel +372 5696 6484
press [at] stat.ee (press[at]stat[dot]ee)