ZAGREB, Feb 6 (Hina) - Croatia's foreign trade deficit in 2003 amounted to a record high US8 billion, while the export-import ratio sank to a record low 43.4 percent, according to preliminary data the Central Bureau of Statistics
released on Friday.
ZAGREB, Feb 6 (Hina) - Croatia's foreign trade deficit in 2003 amounted
to a record high US8 billion, while the export-import ratio sank to a
record low 43.4 percent, according to preliminary data the Central
Bureau of Statistics released on Friday.#L#
Croatia's exports in 2003 totalled 6.16 billion, an increase of 25.7
percent from 2002, while imports went up 32.4 percent to 14.2
billion.
Last year's foreign trade deficit exceeded 8 billion, an increase of
38.1 percent from 2002, and was 1.87 billion higher than total
exports.
Seventy-one percent of Croatian exports and 78 percent of imports are
realised in euros but expressed in U.S. dollars. Last year the dollar
fell nearly 20 percent in relation to the euro.
When expressed in the domestic currency, the foreign trade growth
rates are considerably lower, with last year's exports totalling 41.2
billion kuna, an increase of 7.3 percent from 2002, while imports went
up 13.1 percent, to 94.8 billion kuna. The foreign trade deficit
amounted to 53.6 billion kuna, an increase of 17.9 percent from 2002.
(1 = 6.1 kuna)
(Hina) ha