Xifres de comerç exterior de Suècia

Foreign Trade in Figures

Swedish economy is very open to foreign trade, which represented 85% of its GDP in 2020 (World Bank). In the same year, exports were led by motor cars (7.3%), medicaments (5.9%), petroleum oils (3.5%), telephones (3.2%) and motor vehicle parts (2.7%); with wood and paper products as a whole accounting for 10.1% of exports. Automobiles were also among Sweden's top imports (5.6%), followed by telephones (4.2%), petroleum oils (3.8%) and motor vehicle parts (3.4% - Comtrade).

Norway and Germany were the top destinations for Swedish exports in 2020 (10.5% and 10.4%, respectively), ahead of the U.S. (8.1%), Denmark (7.5%) and Finland (7%). Germany remained the largest supplier of goods to Sweden (18.1%), followed by the Netherlands (9.7%), Norway (9%) and Denmark (6.8%). The European Union as a whole is Sweden's biggest trading partner and the country has a structural deficit from its trade with the EU, which accounted for 52.1% of exports and 67.7% of imports. Overall, Sweden’s exports of goods to EU27 decreased by 7% as imports decreased 6% (Statistics Sweden).

Sweden has a structurally positive trade balance: in 2020, the country recorded a trade surplus accounting for nearly 4.6% of its GDP (up from 4.2% one year earlier - World Bank). Imports of goods hit USD 149.9 billion in 2020, against USD 159 billion a year earlier (-5.7%), whereas exports edged down to USD 155.6 billion from USD 160.5 billion during the period (-3%). As for services, imports lost 8.5% (at USD 68.1) while exports declined at a slower pace (-7.4%) totalling USD 69 billion. According to provisional data from Statistics Sweden, in the period January–September 2021, the value of Swedish exports of goods amounted to SEK 1,181 billion, an increase of 12% vis-à-vis 2020. At the same time, the value of imports of goods increased by 14% and amounted to SEK 1,151 billion. The net trade surplus stood at SEK 30 billion against SEK 44 billion recorded in the first three quarters of 2020.