280927_not-searchable
/en/utenriksokonomi/statistikker/muh/aar-forelopige
280927
Lowest trade surplus in 17 years
statistikk
2017-01-16T08:00:00.000Z
External economy
en
muh, External trade in goods, import, export, balance of trade (export minus import), mainland exports, imports excluding ships and oil platforms, trade ( between countries, continents and trade regions), international product groups (for example hs, sitc and bec), product groups (for example food, crude oil and metals)External trade , External economy
true
The external trade statistics describe the development in Norwegian foreign trade, measured in value and quantity. They give information about total figures as well as by country.

External trade in goods

Updated

Next update

Not yet determined

Key figures

10.6 %

reduction in exports of goods from 2015 to 2016

External trade in goods
NOK MillionShare in per centChange in per cent
201620162015 - 2016
Imports606 697100.0-1.5
Ships and oil platforms16 3992.7-39.2
 
Exports747 135100.0-10.6
Crude oil185 77124.9-5.8
Natural gas160 22221.4-27.4
Natural gas condensates3 8220.5-25.9
Ships and oil platforms10 3401.415.7
Mainland exports386 98051.8-4.3
 
The trade balance140 437.-36.3
The mainland trade balance-203 318.-10.2

See selected tables from this statistics

Table 1 
Imports and exports of goods, by groups of end use (BEC)

Imports and exports of goods, by groups of end use (BEC)
2016
ImportsExports
NOK MillionShare in per centNOK MillionShare in per cent
1The figures show supplies and consumables to the Norwegian part of the continental shelf and to foreign ships and aeroplanes. Due to the large range of goods, we have established our own commodity numbers for publishing.
Total606 697100.0747 135100.0
 
Goods for fixed capital formation131 36721.750 6216.8
Means of trandsport, excl. passenger motor vehicles39 2876.514 2481.9
Other goods for fixed capital formation, excl. ships and oil platforms92 08015.236 3724.9
Intermediate comsumption198 78832.8162 97521.8
Food12 0052.02 4650.3
Parts for machinery and transport equipment62 80310.440 8555.5
Other intermediate consumption123 98020.4119 65616.0
Building and construction articles68 01711.228 6083.8
Energy products21 3883.5395 92853.0
Gasolines, diesel oils and light destillates7 9121.316 6682.2
Crude oil and remaining mineral fuels12 0092.0373 81150.0
Electric current1 4660.25 4480.7
Consumer goods143 53623.7108 52714.5
Durable consumer goods27 9404.64 5080.6
Whereof transport equipment, excl. passenger cars5 2060.95830.1
Semi-durable consumer goods39 1726.52 8610.4
Non-durable consumer goods76 42412.6101 15813.5
Whereof food39 1116.493 50612.5
Passenger cars43 1197.14750.1
Unclassified goods14830.100.0

Table 2 
Imports and exports of goods, by product groups (CPA)

Imports and exports of goods, by product groups (CPA)
2016
ImportsExports
NOK MillionShare in per centNOK MillionShare in per cent
1These figures comprises mostly trade with used ships, aircraft and oil platforms.
Total606 697100.0747 135100.0
 
Products of agriculture, forestry and fishing17 2292.857 2757.7
01 Products of agriculture, hunting and related services15 2972.56880.1
02 Products of forestry, logging and related services4180.11 6220.2
03 Fish and other fishing products1 5140.254 9657.4
 
Mining and quarrying8 2551.4351 23747.0
05 Coal and lignite8520.15150.1
06 Crude petroleum and natural gas1 3490.2345 99346.3
07 Metal ores3 1150.51 0440.1
08 Other mining and quarrying products2 9390.53 6850.5
 
Manufactured products571 29094.2322 83843.2
10 Food products40 5136.742 9515.7
11 Beverages6 1121.09830.1
12 Tobacco products3 0180.5160.0
13 Textiles7 3701.21 4850.2
14 Wearing apparel19 3583.29070.1
15 Leather and related products7 4531.22910.0
16 Wood and of products of wood and cork, except furniture14 1412.32 9820.4
17 Paper and paper products8 7201.47 3511.0
18 Printing and recording services300.010.0
19 Coke and refined petroleum products19 2323.243 9695.9
20 Chemicals and chemical products38 9656.434 2224.6
21 Basic pharmaceutical products and pharmaceutical preparations16 5082.713 5951.8
22 Rubber and plastics products20 3883.43 7490.5
23 Other non-metallic mineral products9 9691.62 4880.3
24 Basic metals35 6915.954 2117.3
25 Fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment29 8414.911 2661.5
26 Computer, electronic and optical products57 5189.521 5582.9
27 Electrical equipment33 1565.514 6362.0
28 Machinery and equipment n.e.c.66 41610.937 3465.0
29 Motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers66 71711.06 7190.9
30 Other transport equipment40 3056.617 0722.3
31 Furniture14 0862.32 4730.3
32 Other manufactured goods15 7842.62 5690.3
 
Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning1 4660.25 4480.7
35 Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning1 4660.25 4480.7
 
Water supply2 9030.53 8400.5
37 Sewerage services00.000.0
38 Waste collection, treatment and disposal services2 9030.53 8400.5
 
Information and communication services4 8390.88640.1
58 Publishing services4 5030.78440.1
59 Motion picture, video and television programme production services, sound recording and music publishing3360.1200.0
 
Professional, scientific and technical services60.060.0
71 Architectural and engineering services30.010.0
74 Other professional, scientific and technical services30.040.0
 
Arts, entertainment and recreation services7090.16290.1
90 Creative, arts and entertainment services5210.15940.1
91 Library, archive, museum and other cultural services1880.0350.0
 
Other services-0.000.0
96 Other personal services-0.000.0
 
Unknown product1-0.04 9970.7
00 Unknown-0.04 9970.7

Table 3 
Imports and exports of goods, by trade areas, continents and countries. NOK Million

Imports and exports of goods, by trade areas, continents and countries. NOK Million
ImportsExportsTrade balance
201520162015201620152016
Total615 797606 697836 166747 135220 369140 437
 
Trade areas
Nordic countries122 203123 89695 83792 018-26 366-31 878
EFTA9 0289 2186 8347 926-2 195-1 292
EU373 898379 140663 040584 190289 142205 049
OECD468 329462 420737 752649 944269 424187 524
Developing countries117 071118 35168 51767 704-48 554-50 646
LDC - least developed countries3 3603 7884 5585 2371 1981 449
 
Continents and countries
Europe402 336406 862677 407601 390275 071194 528
Belgium10 28911 03040 67132 59830 38221 568
Denmark35 20434 02732 84529 748-2 359-4 280
Estonia4 6494 7651 3471 202-3 302-3 563
Finland13 80014 6739 1559 493-4 645-5 180
France20 21420 02652 38649 87032 17229 845
Greece5355691 3861 071850502
Ireland4 5324 44711 96211 7287 4307 280
Iceland1 8801 8353 5873 6691 7071 834
Italy18 43118 2697 4179 834-11 014-8 435
Lithuania6 1016 7203 8055 149-2 296-1 571
Netherlands22 40424 31392 02978 96669 62554 653
Poland18 67221 39716 16117 432-2 511-3 965
Portugal2 3842 6194 5444 7582 1602 139
Romania4 0632 9101 113761-2 950-2 148
Russia11 2469 6122 3992 186-8 847-7 426
Slovakia2 8133 183296324-2 517-2 859
Spain11 09613 82112 75013 7011 654-119
United Kingdom39 44930 781168 289154 563128 840123 782
Switzerland7 0807 3153 2444 253-3 836-3 062
Sweden70 63672 62749 34248 241-21 294-24 386
Czech Republic6 4446 8631 4521 856-4 991-5 007
Turkey5 8266 5914 2004 179-1 626-2 413
Germany69 46072 948148 516106 47079 05733 522
Hungary2 5122 713897804-1 615-1 908
Austria4 2844 4562 0821 807-2 202-2 649
Other countries in Europe8 3328 3525 5326 727-2 800-1 625
 
Asia132 214123 64984 22672 165-47 988-51 483
Hong Kong1 0858061 9581 680873873
India3 2393 5111 8932 160-1 346-1 351
Japan13 34214 3129 91910 252-3 423-4 059
China64 82767 07823 85319 755-40 974-47 323
Malaysia2 7622 3463 7671 6531 005-693
Singapore3 7632 83611 0148 4847 2515 647
South Korea25 56914 17016 36110 743-9 207-3 428
Taiwan4 1274 0642 3281 692-1 799-2 372
Thailand3 3383 4281 7512 283-1 587-1 145
Vietnam2 7513 2771 6872 631-1 064-646
Other countries in Asia7 4117 8219 69510 8322 2843 011
 
North and Central America55 43453 20448 79347 514-6 641-5 690
Canada12 52810 7565 5437 866-6 985-2 890
United States39 83739 24737 13731 249-2 700-7 998
Other countries in North- and Central America3 0693 2016 1138 3993 0445 198
 
South America15 23814 0739 0026 470-6 236-7 604
Brazil10 2179 0965 3664 127-4 851-4 970
Chile1 1891 1288441 132-3464
Peru1 8891 904327104-1 563-1 800
Other countries in South-America1 9431 9452 4651 107524-838
 
Africa9 3677 68613 46916 9064 1029 219
Angola2344312 3233 8942 0893 463
Botswana1 4491 14001-1 449-1 140
South Africa1 4931 8598211 473-673-387
Other countries in Africa6 1914 25610 32511 5384 1357 283
 
Oceania1 2081 2233 2692 6902 0611 467
Australia8057082 5941 5821 789874
New Zealand398400311343-87-57
Other countries in Oceania5115364765359650

Table 4 
Imports and exports of goods (imports excl. ships and oil platforms and mainland exports), by trade areas, continents and countries. NOK Million

Imports and exports of goods (imports excl. ships and oil platforms and mainland exports), by trade areas, continents and countries. NOK Million
Imports excl. ships and oil platformsMainland exportsTrade balance
201520162015201620152016
Total588 835590 298404 280386 980-184 555-203 318
 
Trade areas
Nordic countries121 584123 60469 04271 131-52 542-52 474
EFTA8 9989 1746 7477 080-2 251-2 094
EU371 881376 749246 331246 807-125 550-129 943
OECD445 380450 959316 541304 287-128 839-146 673
Developing countries113 067112 70063 53261 859-49 535-50 841
LDC - least developed countries3 3603 7884 2005 0498401 261
 
Continents and countries
Europe399 552403 024262 150264 015-137 402-139 009
Belgium10 28911 03012 12311 9621 834932
Denmark34 70533 95422 42622 252-12 279-11 703
Estonia4 6494 7651 3471 202-3 302-3 563
Finland13 80014 6677 1407 433-6 660-7 234
France20 21419 99214 79616 349-5 418-3 644
Greece5355691 104981569412
Ireland4 5324 4444 3943 953-139-491
Iceland1 8501 7913 5023 4391 6521 648
Italy18 42418 2656 9118 508-11 512-9 757
Lithuania6 1016 7203 0313 543-3 070-3 178
Netherlands22 38323 91838 57934 30416 19610 386
Poland18 14421 00614 76517 157-3 379-3 848
Portugal2 3842 6193 9254 3511 5411 732
Romania4 0632 8501 113761-2 950-2 088
Russia11 2469 5191 6642 102-9 582-7 417
Slovakia2 8133 183296324-2 517-2 859
Spain11 09612 6298 3419 682-2 755-2 947
United Kingdom38 68230 68132 43529 735-6 247-946
Switzerland7 0807 3153 2433 637-3 837-3 678
Sweden70 61272 60135 12937 309-35 483-35 292
Czech Republic6 4446 8631 4521 856-4 991-5 007
Turkey5 1145 3554 2004 102-914-1 253
Germany69 46072 90231 75629 988-37 703-42 914
Hungary2 5122 713897804-1 615-1 908
Austria4 2844 4562 0821 807-2 202-2 649
Other countries in Europe8 1368 2175 4996 474-2 637-1 743
 
Asia108 205111 49282 75968 690-25 446-42 802
Hong Kong9488061 9581 5471 010741
India3 2393 5111 6981 858-1 541-1 653
Japan13 21314 3129 91910 252-3 294-4 059
China61 87462 84923 66118 763-38 213-44 085
Malaysia2 7622 3463 3331 653571-693
Singapore3 4162 82111 0147 8637 5985 042
South Korea5 3396 25916 36110 34111 0224 082
Taiwan4 1274 0642 1481 657-1 979-2 407
Thailand3 3383 4281 7512 283-1 587-1 145
Vietnam2 7513 2771 6872 631-1 064-646
Other countries in Asia7 1987 8199 2299 8422 0312 023
 
North and Central America55 30152 90937 85831 807-17 443-21 103
Canada12 52810 7563 1493 536-9 379-7 220
United States39 83539 24732 25225 894-7 583-13 353
Other countries in North- and Central America2 9382 9062 4572 377-481-529
 
South America15 20114 0736 0465 617-9 155-8 456
Brazil10 2109 0964 5673 982-5 643-5 114
Chile1 1891 128527785-662-343
Peru1 8891 90470104-1 819-1 800
Other countries in South America1 9131 945882746-1 031-1 199
 
Africa9 3677 68612 63715 0203 2707 334
Angola2344312 3233 8942 0893 463
Botswana1 4491 14001-1 449-1 140
South Africa1 4931 859692652-802-1 207
Other countries in Africa6 1914 2569 622-2 3833 4326 218
 
Oceania1 2081 1132 8301 8301 622717
Australia8057082 4501 5821 645874
New Zealand398400311204-87-197
Other countries in Oceania5569446439

Table 5 
Imports of goods, main trading partners

Imports of goods, main trading partners
NOK MillionShare in per cent
2014201520162016
Total562 455615 797606 697100.0
 
Germany66 44869 46072 94812.0
Sweden68 85870 63672 62712.0
China53 35564 82767 07811.1
United States34 70139 83739 2476.5
Denmark34 26135 20434 0275.6
United Kingdom36 39339 44930 7815.1
Netherlands20 79222 40424 3134.0
Poland18 13118 67221 3973.5
France19 31120 21420 0263.3
Italy17 18018 43118 2693.0
Finland13 04913 80014 6732.4
Japan12 70513 34214 3122.4
South Korea9 70525 56914 1702.3
Spain9 97911 09613 8212.3
Belgium9 96210 28911 0301.8

Table 6 
Mainland exports of goods, main trading partners

Mainland exports of goods, main trading partners
NOK MillionShare in per cent
2014201520162016
Total387 295404 280386 980100.0
 
Sweden36 26235 12937 3099.6
Netherlands40 69638 57934 3048.9
Germany28 95031 75629 9887.7
United Kingdom30 83332 43529 7357.7
United States27 89532 25225 8946.7
Denmark21 52222 42622 2525.8
China20 09023 66118 7634.8
Poland13 81614 76517 1574.4
France15 83414 79616 3494.2
Belgium12 69812 12311 9623.1
South Korea14 19916 36110 3412.7
Japan9 3989 91910 2522.6
Spain7 5128 3419 6822.5
Italy5 6606 9118 5082.2
Singapore10 41211 0147 8632.0

Table 7 
Exports of goods, main trading partners

Exports of goods, main trading partners
NOK MillionShare in per cent
2014201520162016
Total909 036836 166747 135100.0
 
United Kingdom206 190168 289154 56320.7
Germany153 863148 516106 47014.3
Netherlands121 12092 02978 96610.6
France55 47552 38649 8706.7
Sweden51 45249 34248 2416.5
Belgium42 89340 67132 5984.4
United States32 98837 13731 2494.2
Denmark34 32432 84529 7484.0
China20 59023 85319 7552.6
Poland16 11016 16117 4322.3
Spain15 02012 75013 7011.8
Ireland8 13611 96211 7281.6
South Korea14 45416 36110 7431.4
Japan10 1299 91910 2521.4
Italy7 4567 4179 8341.3

Table 8 
Imports of goods, commodity groups by the SITC

Imports of goods, commodity groups by the SITC
NOK MillionChange in per cent
2014201520162015 - 2016
Total562 455615 797606 697-1.5
Of this:
Ships and oil platforms (part of SITC 793)12 51226 96216 399-39.2
Imports of ships and oil platforms549 943588 835590 2980.2
 
0 Food and live animals38 32442 23443 1772.2
00 Live animals other than animals of div.031681721751.6
01 Meat and meat preparations1 4081 7471 725-1.2
02 Dairy products and birds' eggs1 0261 1231 2319.7
03 Fish, crustac.,molluscs and prep. thereof3 7864 2174 5046.8
04 Cereals and cereal preparations5 1375 2775 231-0.9
05 Vegetables and fruit10 03511 33111 9525.5
06 Sugars, sugar prepatations and honey1 4971 6241 7034.8
07 Coffee, tea, cocoa, spices3 3884 0003 994-0.1
08 Feeding stuff for animals (not cereals)6 0656 2546 7477.9
09 Miscellaneous edible products5 8156 4895 915-8.8
 
1 Beverages and tobacco7 4008 0128 94211.6
11 Beverages5 2535 6205 9245.4
12 Tobacco and tobacco manufactures2 1472 3923 01826.2
 
2 Crude materials, inedible, except fuels32 38034 69931 668-8.7
21 Hides, skins and furskins, raw202825-12.8
22 Oil seeds and oleaginous fruits1 7361 8861 9041.0
23 Crude rubber169148124-15.6
24 Wood, lumber and cork3 9864 2324 5136.6
25 Pulp and waste paper4655555550.0
26 Textile fibres and their waste116112111-0.6
27 Crude fertilizers and crude minerales2 7483 3103 082-6.9
28 Metalliferous ores and metal scrap20 64321 72018 535-14.7
29 Crude animal and vegetable materials2 4982 7092 8204.1
 
3 Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials31 37128 18523 025-18.3
32 Coal, coke and briquettes1 7521 8711 668-10.9
33 Petroleum, petroleum products26 99023 81818 880-20.7
334 Petroleum oils, other than crude18 18317 48015 08715.1
34 Gas , natural and manufactured1 0369981 0111.0
342 Liquefied propane and butane8348218680.9
35 Electric current1 5941 4981 466-2.1
 
4 Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes5 1696 3087 12012.9
41 Animal oils and fats2 2973 2493 3262.4
42 Fixed vegetable fats and oils, crude, refined or fractionated2 6742 8523 59125.9
43 Animal or vegetable fats and oils, processed198206202-1.9
 
5 Chemicals and related products n.e.s.54 54859 99462 7884.7
51 Organic chemicals6 5377 4488 31511.6
52 Inorganic chemicals5 2375 7114 678-18.1
53 Dyeing, tanning and colouring materials3 1833 3333 3370.1
54 Medicinal and pharmaceutical products13 44414 76116 0388.7
55 Essential oils and resinoids etc6 4707 0637 2783.0
56 Fertilizers2 5532 9772 770-6.9
57 Plastics in primary forms4 3794 4004 5994.5
58 Plastics in non-primary forms4 7685 2515 6136.9
59 Chemical materials and products, n.e.s.7 9779 05010 16012.3
 
6 Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material85 64987 05385 859-1.4
61 Leather, leather manufactures, furskins549600567-5.6
62 Rubber manufactures, n.e.s.4 8945 0785 1531.5
63 Cork and wood manufactures6 5856 8197 3167.3
64 Paper, paperboard and manufact. thereof7 5807 5567 6150.8
65 Textile yarn, fabrics, made-up articles6 0966 9697 1482.6
66 Non-metallic mineral manufactures, n.e.s.8 1949 0369 2282.1
67 Iron and steel16 15414 54813 800-5.1
68 Non-ferrous metals8 9287 2828 10911.4
69 Manufactures of metals, n.e.s.26 67029 16426 923-7.7
 
7 Machinery and transport equipment221 331250 335242 578-3.1
71 Power generating machinery and equipment9 59811 3139 315-17.7
72 Machinery for special industries23 23725 89224 832-4.1
73 Metal working machinery1 7821 4581 454-0.3
74 General industrial machinery and equipment32 31033 59831 909-5.0
75 Office machines, data processing machines16 78617 01916 782-1.4
76 Telecommunications apparatus and equipment.21 02023 06524 3945.8
77 Electrical machinery and apparatus30 56231 45531 4860.1
78 Road vehicles56 02062 70169 25810.5
781 Motor cars and other motor vehicles principally designed for the transport of persons34 50139 49743 1199.2
79 Other transport equipment including ships30 01643 83333 147-24.4
 
8 Miscellaneous manufactured articles85 30197 955100 4312.5
81 Prefabricated buildings.7 5728 6669 4078.6
82 Furniture and parts thereof13 37614 89914 835-0.4
83 Travel goods, handbags etc.1 4571 6201 6441.5
84 Articles of apparel and accessories17 21319 38820 0233.3
85 Footwear4 3515 0445 4538.1
87 Professional and scientific instruments13 26516 97916 406-3.4
88 Photographic and optical goods2 6422 8822 9211.4
89 Miscellaneous manufactured articles, n.e.s25 42628 47729 7414.4
 
9 Commodities and transactions9821 0221 1108.6
91 Postal packages not classified according to kind000.
93 Special transactions and commodities not classified according to kind4574824830.1
96 Coin (other than gold coin), not being legal tender10516236.2
97 Gold, non-monetary (excluding gold, ores and concentrates)51653561114.1

Table 9 
Exports of goods, commodity groups by the SITC

Exports of goods, commodity groups by the SITC
NOK MillionChange in per cent
2014201520162015 - 2016
1Due to confidentiality in commodity group 56, this group can not be published separately. This group is included in group 59.
Total909 036836 166747 135-10.6
Of this:
Crude oil (part of SITC 333)282 663197 116185 771-5.8
Natural gas (SITC 343)223 625220 676160 222-27.4
Naturlige gasskondensater (del av SITC 333)8 1005 1573 822-25.9
Skip og oljeplattformer (del av SITC 793))7 3538 93710 34015.7
Fastlandseksport387 295404 280386 980-4.3
 
0 Food and live animals72 00377 52395 33423.0
00 Live animals other than animals of div.0357596610.4
01 Meat and meat preparations26220322410.7
02 Dairy products and birds' eggs6977647771.7
03 Fish, crustac.,molluscs and prep. thereof67 07172 00189 22223.9
04 Cereals and cereal preparations24628331410.8
05 Vegetables and fruit15918524633.2
06 Sugars, sugar prepatations and honey768875-15.5
07 Coffee, tea, cocoa, spices30331134611.4
08 Feeding stuff for animals (not cereals)1 7642 2592 4588.8
09 Miscellaneous edible products1 3681 3711 60717.2
 
1 Beverages and tobacco62578799926.9
11 Beverages62278598325.3
12 Tobacco and tobacco manufactures3216569.9
 
2 Crude materials, inedible, except fuels15 53815 88514 822-6.7
21 Hides, skins and furskins, raw810830698-15.9
22 Oil seeds and oleaginous fruits23422.9
23 Crude rubber37274358.1
24 Wood, lumber and cork2 6663 1903 104-2.7
25 Pulp and waste paper2 2662 4782 5864.3
26 Textile fibres and their waste2252512551.8
27 Crude fertilizers and crude minerales3 4243 9003 777-3.1
28 Metalliferous ores and metal scrap5 7904 8864 001-18.1
29 Crude animal and vegetable materials31932035410.6
 
3 Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials590 620482 900396 151-18.0
32 Coal, coke and briquettes857559516-7.7
33 Petroleum, petroleum products338 569243 736217 356-10.8
334 Petroleum oils, other than crude47 29140 87727 194-33.5
34 Gas , natural and manufactured245 782234 508172 831-26.3
342 Liquefied propane and butane19 34811 94610 283-13.9
35 Electric current5 4114 0975 44833.0
 
4 Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes1 6742 1282 2013.4
41 Animal oils and fats9311 1081 1201.1
42 Fixed vegetable fats and oils, crude, refined or fractionated39144652818.3
43 Animal or vegetable fats and oils, processed352573553-3.5
 
5 Chemicals and related products n.e.s.45 48851 71349 445-4.4
51 Organic chemicals12 21514 11913 747-2.6
52 Inorganic chemicals6 7577 9317 431-6.3
53 Dyeing, tanning and colouring materials1 3681 3851 57413.7
54 Medicinal and pharmaceutical products5 8235 8025 8781.3
55 Essential oils and resinoids etc1 2641 3801 359-1.5
56 Fertilizers1::::
57 Plastics in primary forms4 8694 8955 0894.0
58 Plastics in non-primary forms1 1021 4041 327-5.4
59 Chemical materials and products, n.e.s.12 09114 79813 039-11.9
 
6 Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material70 95077 57372 450-6.6
61 Leather, leather manufactures, furskins5377815.3
62 Rubber manufactures, n.e.s.772737666-9.6
63 Cork and wood manufactures1 1921 3851 4182.4
64 Paper, paperboard and manufact. thereof4 4794 7205 23210.8
65 Textile yarn, fabrics, made-up articles1 3021 4221 56510.1
66 Non-metallic mineral manufactures, n.e.s.1 4551 5001 5060.4
67 Iron and steel12 87112 73012 073-5.2
68 Non-ferrous metals40 53643 40640 286-7.2
69 Manufactures of metals, n.e.s.8 28911 5959 621-17.0
 
7 Machinery and transport equipment86 07398 65989 187-9.6
71 Power generating machinery and equipment8 70410 8167 023-35.1
72 Machinery for special industries15 69417 79412 697-28.6
73 Metal working machinery571660601-9.0
74 General industrial machinery and equipment21 65124 91720 605-17.3
75 Office machines, data processing machines2 3372 5002 315-7.4
76 Telecommunications apparatus and equipment.5 2445 8595 242-10.5
77 Electrical machinery and apparatus14 35414 99014 597-2.6
78 Road vehicles5 4956 5866 9796.0
79 Other transport equipment including ships12 02414 53719 12831.6
 
8 Miscellaneous manufactured articles25 11127 97425 760-7.9
81 Prefabricated buildings.1 2741 3521 4638.2
82 Furniture and parts thereof2 6422 7962 8772.9
83 Travel goods, handbags etc.67769524.3
84 Articles of apparel and accessories7337227554.6
85 Footwear124138133-3.7
87 Professional and scientific instruments13 45715 98613 196-17.5
88 Photographic and optical goods25224827912.7
89 Miscellaneous manufactured articles, n.e.s6 5616 6566 9634.6
 
9 Commodities and transactions9541 025786-23.3
91 Postal packages not classified according to kind000.
93 Special transactions and commodities not classified according to kind1001 012.5
96 Coin (other than gold coin), not being legal tender241916-15.9
97 Gold, non-monetary (excluding gold, ores and concentrates)9301 006771-23.4

Table 10 
Imports of goods from selected trade areas and countries, commodity groups by SITC. NOK million

Imports of goods from selected trade areas and countries, commodity groups by SITC. NOK million
2016
Total importsFood and live animals (SITC 0)Beverages and tobacco (SITC 1)Crude materials (inedible), except fuels (SITC 2)Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials (SITC 3)Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes (SITC 4)Chemicals and related products n.e.s. (SITC 5)Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material (SITC 6)Machinery and transport equipment (SITC 7)Miscellaneous manufactured articles (SITC 8)Commodities and transactions (SITC 9)
Total606 69743 1778 94231 66823 0257 12062 78885 859242 578100 4311 110
 
EU (incl. the Nordic countries)379 14027 0218 05113 43317 0523 54745 89063 485145 09254 4901 079
Nordic countries123 8969 7262 3436 73310 6252 10813 46824 92932 56220 432970
Developing countries118 35111 1963189 4151 0751 4984 18311 48044 64434 52616
Russia9 612922106563 0771 0377982 7242061810
India3 511517136013139863661 2900
China67 0781 188122597161 6707 28734 15722 4315
Japan14 3126247507212 46910 1249180
Singapore2 83621257001 873965052830
South Korea14 17051112951138637413 0082915
United States39 2471 2592143441 7464925 6011 64621 3126 6295
Canada10 756312237 414604299021 2584082
Brazil9 0962 99115 5836079209184387
South Africa1 859459634480015340518150

Table 11 
Exports of goods to selected trade areas and countries, commodity groups by SITC. NOK million

Exports of goods to selected trade areas and countries, commodity groups by SITC. NOK million
2016
Total exportFood and live animals (SITC 0)Beverages and tobacco (SITC 1)Crude amterials (inedible), except fuels (SITC 2)Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials (SITC 3)Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes (SITC 4)Chemicals and related products n.e.s. (SITC 5)Manufactured goods, classified chiefly by material (SITC 6)Machinery and transport equipment (SITC 7)Miscellaneous manufactured articles (SITC 8)Commodities and transactions (SITC 9)
Total747 13595 33499914 822396 1512 20149 44572 45089 18725 760786
 
EU (incl. the Nordic countries)584 19063 71159612 037364 5541 38828 64656 26842 77314 080135
Nordic countries92 01815 7673513 95431 0475567 71613 56413 2685 75640
Developing countries67 70412 572401 8947 97426413 3657 65019 9783 9670
Russia2 186160180502005381 055147-
India2 160902701870507608382198-
Japan10 2524 64221591 424111 0838831 6104380
China19 7552 737281 137622406 9111 9485 1311 2000
Singapore8 484753213 08617392793 0765480
South Korea10 7432 311160319165061 0955 1761 258-
United States31 2495 37219220810 7744462 8713 5444 7063 1360
Canada7 86676914494 928121954431 1043520
Brazil4 12775025014441 0064351 423313-
South Africa1 473275108218583721657-

Table 12 
Mainland exports by county of production

Mainland exports by county of production
NOK MillionChange in per cent
2014201520162015 - 2016
1County of production is defined as the county with the highest value added. Where the export consists of a mix of goods from different counties, and the county of production is difficult to determine, the goods are regarded as originating from several counties. Where the value of an imported intermediate good is more than doubled, the good is considered to be produced in Norway. Otherwise, it is considered to be an export of a good produced abroad. By county not stated means no information about county of production is available.
The whole country387 295404 280386 980-4.3
 
County of production1
Østfold12 89314 69316 34111.2
Akershus6 3556 9796 698-4.0
Oslo6 9699 3678 577-8.4
Hedmark3 6794 1033 799-7.4
Oppland5 7706 2176 2370.3
Buskerud11 01114 08412 773-9.3
Vestfold23 71521 32014 989-29.7
Telemark15 46420 84418 442-11.5
Aust-Agder5 1354 4783 470-22.5
Vest-Agder28 91133 10827 782-16.1
Rogaland46 62133 97831 592-7.0
Hordaland56 50362 62259 552-4.9
Sogn og Fjordane12 2959 95312 17222.3
Møre og Romsdal35 94637 77038 3031.4
Sør-Trøndelag14 09316 81416 9360.7
Nord-Trøndelag5 2035 7916 98320.6
Nordland25 88023 15325 0848.3
Troms - Romsa5 9856 3117 57420.0
Finnmark - Finnmárku5 8295 7295 692-0.6
Svalbard854558515-7.7
Jan Mayen---.
Norwegian goods produced in several counties14 22111 67514 47724.0
Produced abroad/direct transit38 83946 01842 542-7.6
County not stated5 1248 7166 452-26.0

Table 13 
Mainland exports by county of production, commodity groups by the SITC. NOK million

Mainland exports by county of production, commodity groups by the SITC. NOK million
2016
Total mainland exportsDistribution by the SITC
Food, beverages and tobacco (SITC 0 and 1)Fish (subgroup of SITC 03)Crude materials except fuels (SITC 2 and 4)Fuels (SITC 3)Chemicals and related products n.e.s (SITC 5)Manufactured goods (SITC 6)Machinery and transport equipment (SITC 7)Miscellanous manufactured articles (SITC 8)
1County of production is defined as the county for the major value added. When the exports consists of a mix of goods from different counties, and the county of production is hard to state, the definition Norwegian goods produced in several counties is used. In the case when the value of an imported intermediate good is more than doubled, the good is considered as produced in Norway. In the opposite it is considered as exports of goods produced abroad. County not stated implies no information about county of production is available.
The whole country386 98096 33289 22217 02346 33749 44572 45079 63325 760
 
County of production1
Østfold16 3411 149762 302104 4634 1313 969317
Akershus6 6985413516352 4823282 345832
Oslo8 57760430533103 9363951 8321 267
Hedmark3 79912441 6111252765604442
Oppland6 237541136111201 4382 8291 649
Buskerud12 77358246419641 3287 4682 490
Vestfold14 98940727774 8151 2943 2211 9322 544
Telemark18 4421553856522613 4021 7711 852471
Aust-Agder3 47040702120::1 252234
Vest-Agder27 78219317334418 57615 4232 955289
Rogaland31 5923 7202 8361 74411 5949917 5074 6511 385
Hordaland59 55218 30318 0521 14123 2203996 7298 2571 502
Sogn og Fjordane12 1724 2404 19740011::1 16878
Møre og Romsdal38 30318 73518 0691 474212 9397 0295 6692 436
Sør-Trøndelag16 93611 57911 37529602 1567651 0361 104
Nord-Trøndelag6 9833 2603 2385580::752101
Nordland25 08413 11712 9357560:6 825:74
Troms - Romsa7 5746 7976 68797-::804
Finnmark - Finnmárku5 6924 8314 8204073789:30:
Svalbard515--0515----
Jan Mayen---------
Norwegian goods produced in several counties14 4776 1785 4302 1405 4539617536273
Produced abroad/direct transit42 542858268587502 8055 20826 0197 016
County not stated6 4521 024953315153397092 6301 420

Table 14 
Imports of food and beverages, commodity groups by the SITC

Imports of food and beverages, commodity groups by the SITC1
NOK millionChange in per centTonsChange in per cent
2014201520162015 - 20162014201520162015 - 2016
1Food and beverages according to the definition of the WTO (http://www.wto.org/english/res_e/statis_e/technotes_e.htm) and is defined as the sum total of commodity group 0,11,22 og 4 in the nomenclature.
Total50 48156 04858 1253.74 958 8384 759 9144 752 205-0.2
 
00 Live animals other than animals of div.031681721751.6761705699-0.9
01 Meat and meat preparations1 4081 7471 725-1.223 25931 72129 898-5.7
02 Dairy products and birds' eggs1 0261 1231 2319.725 02726 11528 2168.0
03 Fish, crustac.,molluscs and prep. thereof3 7864 2174 5046.8239 448220 712227 0662.9
04 Cereals and cereal preparations5 1375 2775 231-0.9909 383735 120660 957-10.1
05 Vegetables and fruit10 03511 33111 9525.5812 117804 396860 2616.9
06 Sugars, sugar prepatations and honey1 4971 6241 7034.8223 842228 441211 375-7.5
07 Coffee, tea, cocoa, spices3 3884 0003 994-0.183 35287 19887 135-0.1
08 Feeding stuff for animals (not cereals)6 0656 2546 7477.9898 348832 350819 676-1.5
09 Miscellaneous edible products5 8156 4895 915-8.8473 708500 017447 885-10.4
11 Beverages5 2535 6205 9245.4236 355234 365249 7806.6
22 Oil seeds and oleaginous fruits1 7361 8861 9041.0421 147452 516449 192-0.7
41 Animal oils and fats2 2973 2493 3262.4183 025188 938194 6363.0
42 Fixed vegetable fats and oils, crude, refined or fractionated2 6742 8523 59125.9411 138404 518473 46717.0
43 Animal or vegetable fats and oils, processed198206202-1.912 96912 80211 962-6.6

Table 15 
Imports of food and beverages, by commodity groups (SITC) and selected trade areas

Imports of food and beverages, by commodity groups (SITC) and selected trade areas1
NOK MillionChange in per cent
2014201520162015 - 2016
1Food and beverages principally according to the definition of the WTO (http://www.wto.org/english/res_e/statis_e/technotes_e.htm) and is defined as the sum total of commodity groups 0,11,22 and 4 in the nomenclature of SITC.
Total50 48156 04858 1254.6
EU31 03133 69335 8006.3
Developing countries13 18414 51714 046-3.2
Other countries6 2667 8378 2795.6
 
Food and live animals
Total38 32442 23443 1772.2
EU23 79125 93627 0214.2
Developing countries10 51911 23011 196-0.3
Other countries4 0145 0684 960-2.1
 
Beverages
Total5 2535 6205 9245.4
EU4 6274 8885 0773.9
Developing countries23126031019.2
Other countries39547253814.0
 
Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes
Total5 1696 3087 12012.9
EU2 4422 7313 54729.9
Developing countries1 1961 7401 498-13.9
Other countries1 5301 8382 075299.3
 
Oil seeds and oleaginous fruits
Total1 7361 8861 9041.0
EU17213815411.9
Developing countries1 2371 2871 043-19.0
Other countries3274604794.0

Table 16 
Export of fish, by species

Export of fish, by species1
Million NOKChange in per centTonnesChange in per cent
2014201520162015 - 20162014201520162015 - 2016
1Within the SITC classification group 03 'Fish, crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates', Statistics Norway has grouped everything by species based on the product groups in the HS nomenclature. Some discrepancies may occur since not all product groups are specified by species. The group 'Other fish' is the sum of the remaining product groups under SITC 03.
2Salmon contains more than the weekly figures of exports of salmon, fillets and other prepared salmon is also included.
3Due to confidentiality in group “Shrimps” from 2013 on, exports in this group can not be published separately. This group is therefore included in commodity group “Other crustaceous animals except shrimps and mollusk”.
Total67 07172 00189 22223.92 514 2732 398 2422 233 496-6.9
 
Salmon243 73147 60461 34728.9996 8901 033 397979 328-5.2
Cod7 2337 9178 76610.7259 957205 849215 9584.9
Herring2 7252 3483 13333.4299 871215 602236 9919.9
Mackerel4 1293 8284 0666.2398 597352 323309 035-12.3
Coalfish1 8612 0221 803-10.871 49872 98772 612-0.5
Haddock1 4881 2511 44615.663 62655 46271 19628.4
Trout2 3482 3043 89969.250 78652 81868 20529.1
Shrimps3::::::::
Halibut5767717811.314 81415 20013 879-8.7
Ling2343003103.36 1867 5748 2909.5
Cusk161183156-14.84 4834 2043 841-8.6
Redfish197281222-21.011 79715 86414 899-6.1
Other fish1 3891 6551 437-13.2298 399326 477194 717-40.4
Other crustaceous animals except shrimps and mollusc1 0001 5361 85720.937 36940 48544 54710.0

Table 17 
Exports of fish, by continents.

Exports of fish, by continents.
NOK MillionChange in per centTonnesChange in per cent
2014201520162015 - 20162014201520162015 - 2016
1Salmon contains more than the weekly figures of exports of salmon, fillets and other prepared salmon is also included.
Total67 07172 00189 22223.92 514 2732 398 2422 233 496-6.9
Europe47 71551 39663 04822.71 749 3211 697 6901 519 033-10.5
Asia12 21512 68717 67039.3511 063449 197489 7359.0
North and Central America3 4844 4345 73829.469 74782 42392 22611.9
South America1 1481 010843-16.552 41744 17743 803-0.8
Africa2 1322 1571 579-26.8126 985121 05385 300-29.5
Oceania3773173458.84 7403 7023 400-8.2
 
Selected species
Salmon in total143 73147 60461 34728.9996 8901 033 397979 328-5.2
Europe34 15636 46446 33927.1808 827825 947774 810-6.2
Asia6 7117 72210 68438.4144 509155 581153 178-1.5
North and Central America2 2372 8033 61829.132 49941 17842 0282.1
South America122017-15.0266326261-19.9
Africa31135341918.76 9797 4776 501-13.1
Oceania30524227011.63 8112 8872 551-11.6
 
Cod in total7 2337 9178 76610.7259 957205 849215 9584.9
Europe5 4196 5227 1539.7190 432168 664170 2691.0
Asia91861291349.250 31323 77434 11143.5
North and Central America16322028228.24 2123 8704 42214.3
South America540470358-23.812 2347 9746 265-21.4
Africa1878850-43.22 6451 478766-48.2
Oceania66950.01228912439.3
 
Herring in total2 7252 3483 13333.4299 871215 602236 9919.9
Europe2 5802 0692 83136.8281 539184 159210 69514.4
Asia10515317111.812 34015 93012 546-21.2
North and Central America9918100.07717521 20760.5
South America32350.037018620912.4
Africa27115111-3.54 81514 57612 335-15.4
Oceania10-.360-.
 
Mackerel in total4 1293 8284 0666.2398 597352 323309 035-12.3
Europe1 1091 3041 013-22.3106 428123 15978 371-36.4
Asia2 3781 9082 58735.6217 766168 026186 85411.2
North and Central America81648126.65 2774 5374 9098.2
South America100.97019.
Africa560551384-30.369 02856 59638 874-31.3
Oceania000.048100.0

Table 18 
Exports of metals and manufactures of metals, by continents

Exports of metals and manufactures of metals, by continents1
NOK MillionChange in per centTonnesChange in per cent
2014201520162015 - 20162014201520162015 - 2016
1Metals and manufactures of metals is defined as the sum total of the commodity groups 67-69 in the UN Standard International Trade Classification, SITC.
Total61 69667 73161 980-8.53 492 1693 333 9183 439 5663.2
Europe48 39750 80148 881-3.83 047 6113 047 6113 162 3273.8
Asia6 5729 4795 732-39.588 310110 57187 610-20.8
North and Central America4 8584 3753 785-13.5161 433135 098144 4176.9
South America39433944230.513 07315 12321 32941.0
Africa1 2981 9323 04257.418 20511 12722 597103.1
Oceania17782399-88.01 58314 3861 286-91.1
 
Iron and steel12 87112 73012 073-5.21 489 3761 421 1571 495 2465.2
Europe9 4769 6329 409-2.31 307 1501 274 0011 313 7963.1
Asia1 0651 094916-16.228 20724 78229 00117.0
North and Central America1 3151 1301 110-1.8127 53299 598116 49617.0
South America23015419828.711 91213 77418 71535.9
Africa70433641122.414 1125 82216 570184.6
Oceania8138429-92.54623 179669-79.0
 
Non-ferrous metals40 53643 40640 286-7.21 863 5221 761 0971 815 8193.1
Europe34 27035 76534 886-2.51 791 5271 664 5281 745 2604.9
Asia3 6045 1653 448-33.248 17868 28948 720-28.7
North and Central America2 5582 3881 809-24.322 01326 73119 627-26.6
South America4753127138.04636511 765171.1
Africa15209-54.9545484312-35.5
Oceania41168-51.1797414135-67.4
 
Manufactures of metals8 28911 5959 621-17.0139 271151 664128 501-15.3
Europe4 6515 4044 586-15.1110 888109 082103 271-5.3
Asia1 9033 2211 368-57.511 92517 5009 889-43.5
North and Central America9868568661.111 8888 7698 294-5.4
South America116132118-10.669869884921.6
Africa5781 5592 62268.23 5484 8215 71518.5
Oceania5542362-85.332410 793482-95.5

Norwegian import and export - all countries and commodity numbers 1988-2019. Complete datasets corresponding to Statbank table 08801 for download as CSV.

About the statistics

The external trade statistics comprise the development in Norway's trade with other countries in terms of value and volume figures. Aggregated as well as detailed imports and exports figures between Norway and partner countries, trade regions and continents are provided.

Definitions

Definitions of the main concepts and variables

Imports and exports
Imports comprise mainly foreign manufactured goods entering Norway. This can also include re-importation of originally Norwegian-produced goods and processed goods. Exports comprise domestically produced goods sent out of Norway, i.e. the Norwegian statistical territory as defined in Section of population. Also included are reexportation of originally foreign-produced goods and processed goods.

Trade in goods is based on the physical movement of goods across borders, but for some items, such as ships, oil platforms and aircraft, trading often takes place without the occurrence of such movement. Whether there has been an import or export of such goods is therefore determined based on whether a change in economic ownership has taken place cf. also described in the Section of population. Economic ownership is defined as the person entitled to claim the economic benefit and who has the legal responsibility for the risk of the item.

Mainland exports
As from March 2013, the statistics on external trade in goods will use the term mainland exports on the exportation of goods other than crude oil, natural gas, natural gas condensates, ships and oil platforms. Previously, we also used the term traditional goods for these exports, as well as for imports excluding ships and oil platforms. (Balance of payments and the research department still use the term traditional goods. The balance of payments also includes items such as naphtha, propane and butane in its collective term crude oil and natural gas, external trade in goods does not.)

 

Country
Country of origin is used for imports. With regard to exports, the country of destination is used.

For raw materials, the country of origin is determined according to where the goods are produced. For manufactured goods (processed and refined goods), this is the country in which the goods have obtained the form they have at the time of import. The country of destination is defined as the country, which, on the date of export, is the last known country for which the goods are intended.

For more specific principles in relation to country of origin, the rule for ships, aircraft and oil platforms is that country of origin is the country that previously owned the goods (economic ownership). For Norwegian-produced goods sold abroad and subsequently bought in Norway, the country from which the goods are imported shall be given as the country of origin (manufacturing country).

Mode of transport
Mode of transport is defined as the means of transportation used when goods cross the border, either by import or export (in the Database for Standard Classifications there is a detailed description of mode of transport ).

Quantity
For most goods, the quantity is expressed in kilograms (weight excluding packaging), except for ships and electricity, which are measured by gross tonnes and kWh respectively. However, for many goods, the quantity is also available in a different unit of measurement, such as pieces, barrels, cubic metres, carat, litres, pairs etc.

Statistical value
Statistical value is the value when crossing the Norwegian border. Duties, VAT and other taxes are not included in the statistical value.

Upon import, the value should be set to the CIF (Cost Insurance Freight) value, i.e. the value of the goods at the Norwegian border, including the costs associated with the delivery of goods to the border, transport costs and insurance. Similarly, for exports it is the value at the Norwegian border, including the costs associated with transporting it there, called FOB (Free On Board) value. CIF and FOB are two types of delivery terms called Incoterms. The delivery terms are an agreement between buyer and seller as to who bears the risk, responsibility and cost of transportation of the goods to the agreed place. In the Database for Standard Classifications there is an overview of the different delivery terms .

For crude oil exported by ship directly from installations on the Norwegian continental shelf, the value upon departure from the installation is used. In the case of crude oil and natural gas that is piped abroad, this value is determined based onon when it leaves the Norwegian continental shelf. The value of transport in international waters and into a terminal abroad is regarded as export of services.

The statistical value of exports and imports of ships is the transfer value including takeover of debt. With regard toto fish landed abroad (exported) by Norwegian vessels and caught outside the Norwegian customs border, the statistical value is the value of the fish paid to the fishing operator upon the sale of stock (minus the sales organisation fee).

County of production
The county of production is defined as the county in which the added value is greatest.

Standard classifications

Classification of goods
The classification by HS (the international customs and statistics nomenclature, the Harmonized System) is a 6-digit grouping of goods organised primarily according to the material characteristics of goods at the time of crossing the border. Only in exceptional cases is the later use of the goods of any significance to the classification. The WCO (World Customs Organization) is responsible for this nomenclature.

The Norwegian customs tariff is based on the HS, but has two more digits, which are national codes. The 7th digit reflects national customs divisions/tariff rates (bound in the WTO - World Trade Organization). The 8th digit is used to cover the national statistical needs and and among others the interests of the Norwegian Agricultural Authority and Ministry of Foreign Affairs interests with regard to import and export regulations. In some cases, the 8th digit is also used to distinguish between goods subject to duties and/or fees. The Norwegian version is published annually on our website along with a text version of the nomenclature developed by Statistics Norway. The detailed commodity list, which includes all commodity numbers, also provides information about the validity of each commodity number.

Due to technological developments and changes in international trade, the HS nomenclature is normally updated every 5 years – with the most recent implementation on 1 January 2012. In addition, minor changes are made in the Norwegian customs tariff every year. The EU also uses the nomenclature of the HS in its publication of foreign trade figures. However, the EU version; the Combined Nomenclature (CN) - which also has eight digits - is more detailed than the Norwegian version. As mentioned previously, only the first 6 digits are common internationally.

When publishing external trade figures, the UN Standard International Trade Classification (SITC) is mainly used. Here the goods are grouped by level of processing (raw materials, semi-finished and finished goods). As from 1988 to 2006, the SITC-Rev.3 is used, but as of 2007 the SITC-Rev. 4 is used.

The classification BEC (Broad Economic Categories); the UN classification of commodities by end use, which is based on the SITC, is also used to some extent. This classification is not considered to be a "standard classification" in the same way as for example the SITC, and it is officially acknowledged that countries may have their own version of this grouping in order to satisfy national needs. In the Database for Standard Classifications the Norwegian version of this classification is found.

The various nomenclatures are listed on the UN’s website , as well as correspondence tables between the different nomenclatures HS, SITC and BEC and their different versions.

The product classification CPA divides goods by industry group, and in external trade we use extracts from this. CPA (Statistical Classification of Productivity by Activity in the European Community) is the EU's central Product by Activity classification. It is a product group that is closely linked to industry, i.e. distinctive products within each activity can be linked to the activity classification NACE Rev.2.

Grouping by country
The Norwegian list of countries used follows the international standard ISO-3166. EU countries use the same standard, except for some deviations of less importance.

In the external trade publications these country groupings are frequently used:

Nordic countries - trade with Sweden, Denmark, Greenland, Faroe Islands, Finland, Åland and Iceland
EFTA - trade with Iceland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein
EU – in the Database for standard classifications current member states at any given time is available
OECD - for current member states at any given time see the OECD's website

Developing countries – as from 2007, the figures are according to the OECD’s DAC (DAC stands for Development Assistance Committee) for definitions of countries at any given time that are recognised as recipients of official foreign aid. The DAC list also includes a section on LDCs (Least Developed Countries - defined by the UN) - which we also use in the statistics.
(Until 2006, these countries were defined as developing countries in the Norwegian trade statistics: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro), Croatia, Macedonia, Malta, Slovenia - Africa except South Africa - Asia excluding Japan, North and South America except USA, Canada and Greenland - Oceania except Australia and New Zealand.)

 

Administrative information

Name and topic

Name: External trade in goods
Topic: External economy

Responsible division

Division for External Trade Statistics

Regional level

Statistics on imports and exports of goods are published at country level. Export figures are also given by county of production.

Frequency and timeliness

Monthly figures are released on the 15th of the month after the observation period (the previous month), or the first subsequent working day.  With every new release, all the previous monthly figures are updated in every publication.

For more information about Revisions, please see Accuracy and Reliability.

 

International reporting

Reports are sent to the EU statistical office (Eurostat), Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), World Trade Organization (WTO), International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the United Nations (UN).

Microdata

Non-revised and revised micro data are stored in accordance with Statistics Norway's guidelines for storing computer files (DataDok).

Background

Background and purpose

The purpose of the external trade statistics is to provide information about the commodity flows between Norway and other countries. Exports and imports are important economic indicators both in describing structural changes and in monitoring the economic trends. The monthly statistics of external trade in goods have been published since 1913 (value figures were published for the first time in 1866).

With regard to essential changes in the statistics, the commodity classification in line with the Harmonised System that was introduced in 1988 entailed a comprehensive restructuring of the distribution at a detailed level in relation to the earlier CCCN nomenclature (the Customs Cooperation Council Nomenclature).

The statistics are mainly financed from State assignments, but also rely to some extent on market income.

Users and applications

The external trade statistics are a part of the national and international statistical system, and are used in the compilation of the national accounts and the balance of payment statistics in Statistics Norway. The statistics are aimed at covering the business sector’s need for data in this area for their planning of production, marketing and sales.

The statistics are also intended for prognoses and analyses performed by public authorities, research institutions and private organisations. International organisations such as the UN´s statistical office, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD),  the statistical office of the EU (Eurostat) and others make use of the information provided in the external trade statistics.

Equal treatment of users

No external users have access to the statistics and analyses before they are published and accessible simultaneously for all users on ssb.no at 8 am. Prior to this, a minimum of three months' advance notice is given in the Statistics Release Calendar. This is one of Statistics Norway’s key principles for ensuring that all users are treated equally.

Coherence with other statistics

The figures for external trade statistics are an important part of the quarterly balance of payments and national accounts and the annual national accounts .

The balance of payments also collects estimates of trade in goods which are transported directly from abroad to the Norwegian continental shelf, imports of fuel and other oil products to Norwegian ships, aircraft and units abroad. Moreover the external account interprets some of the goods from the external trade statistics in goods as a service, such as computer games, software and licenses.

In the publication of the figures for external trade we give figures for crude oil, natural gas and condensates, while the balance of payments use the collective term “crude oil and natural gas”. Terms in foreign accounts also encompass items such as naphtha, propane and butane, while the external trade statistics do not.

In addition to the statistics mentioned, external trade figures are included in many of the other statistics published by Statistics Norway, for example:

- Exports of salmon ,  weekly figures of salmon exports are published in addition to the regular monthly trade figures
- Indices of volume and price of external trade in goods mainly use external trade data as the basis for calculating figures. In addition, the total number of imports and exports, as well as fish and some selected commodity numbers for waste paper and scrap metal, are used as basic data in the producer price index  and the  price index of first-hand domestic sales
- External trade data are also used as basic data for  statistics on fishery and emissions of greenhouse gases

 

Mirror statistics
Mirror statistics, in the context of external trade statistics, refer to a comparison between the statistics of two or more countries: exports of goods from one country should in principle equal the imports of the same goods in the partner country.

However, discrepancies are often identified in these figures for several reasons. Although there are international guidelines for the production of external trade statistics, there may still be differences in what the countries include. An example is differences in the usage of statistical trade systems, general or special trade, which causes delimitations to the statistics content. Countries may also have different methods for data collecting and processing, which can create distortions. Furthermore, some countries collect data from customs authorities and others directly from companies. 

Basically, there should be a certain difference in value between the countries, as the exporting country provides the FOB-value while the importing country in addition to this adds costs for insurance and freight all the way to the location of delivery, the CIF-value (see Definitions). Some countries collect data from customs authorities, others directly from companies. A common source of error between countries is caused by different information about which is the country of destination. Different threshold-values for inclusion of data can also create distortions, f.ex. in Norwegian external trade statistics, declarations with value less than NOK 1 000 are excluded from the import statistics. Other countries may have other delimitations. Different practise of confidentiality and demands for confidentiality, inaccurate definitions of certain commodities as well as conscious and unconscious misuse of codes can lead to use of different classification codes between countries.

From a Norwegian point of view, there is a need for comparing external trade data with the corresponding statistics of our main trading partners, principally European countries. It is in this context important to have knowledge of the rules practiced by the individual partners.

The Statistical Office of the European Union, Eurostat, publishes external trade data for EU countries, totally for the Union and separate for each member country. This statistics are produced according to EU regulations, which defines external trade as trade between the European Union trade and third countries. As a consequence of this, exports to countries in the EU from a non EU-member state are recorded as imported to EU in the first country where the goods cross the borders of the European Union. When forwarding the goods to the country of destination, the good is recorded as an item dispatched from the EU-country that first received the goods. Information about the country of origin of the commodity is not included in the records. Several of the EU-countries publishes in addition to the data presented in the Eurostat database, Comext ,  separately external trade statistics produced after national methodology. For information about this, consult Eurostat's annual report: Quality report on International trade statistics .

 

Legal authority

The Statistics Act §§ 2-1, 2-2 and 3-2

EEA reference

EU regulations incorporated into the EEA agreement comprise contractual obligations pursuant toto EC regulations onon data collection and distribution of data to the EU’s statistical office, Eurostat. The current regulations are as follows:

Regulation (EC) No. 471/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 May 2009 on Community statistics relating to external trade with non-member countries and repealing of Council Regulation (EC) No 1172/95

Commission Regulation (EU) No. 92/2010 of 2 February 2010 implementing Regulation (EC) No. 471/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council on Community statistics relating to external trade with non-member countries, as regards data exchange between customs authorities and national statistical authorities, compilation of statistics and quality assessment

Commission Regulation (EU) No. 113/2010 of 9 February 2010 implementing Regulation (EC) No. 471/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council on Community statistics relating to external trade with non-member countries, as regards trade coverage, definition of the data, compilation of statistics on trade by business characteristics and by invoicing currency, and specific goods or movements

Commission Regulation (EU) No. 1106/2012 of 27 November 2012 implementing Regulation (EC) No. 471/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council on Community statistics relating to external trade with non-member countries, as regards the update of the nomenclature of countries and territories

Production

Population

Statistics area and the economic territory
The scope of foreign trade statistics is based on international guidelines from the United Nations Statistical Commission.

The general recommendation is that the statistics should include all goods which add to or subtract from the stock of material resources of a country by entering (imports) or leaving (exports) its economic territory. In addition to the geographical dimension, a country's economic territory also includes ships, aircraft and oil platforms owned by national corporations. These are goods that are not necessarily located within the geographic area, but are still viewed as part of the material resources of a country. For these goods external trade is measured by the change of economic ownership.

There are two different statistical trade systems - the general trade system and the special trade system. UN recommends using the general trade system where a country's statistical area coincides with its economic territory. This implies that goods are recorded at the time they enter or leave the economic territory. The special trade system is used when the statistical area covers only a part of the economic territory. Statistics Norway follows, with a few exceptions, the general trade system.

The Norwegian economic territory consists of mainland Norway, Svalbard, Jan Mayen, Norwegian dependencies, territorial waters, including the airspace above these, the economic zone, the Norwegian part of the continental shelf, territorial enclaves abroad (embassies, consulates, military bases, research stations) and Norwegian ships, aircraft and oil platforms.

External trade statistics is mainly based on information drawn from customs declarations. However, the responsible area of the customs authorities only covers mainland Norway and its territorial waters. As a supplement, data on important trade in goods to and from the remaining areas of the economic territory are collected directly from respondents and registers.

The following are defined as statistical area:

Mainland Norway and its territorial waters
Customs declarations contain information on physical flows of goods crossing the customs border. Imports and export that are exempted from ordinary declaration are referred to in the Customs Act §§ 4-10 and 4-11. According to the recommendations from the UN, some flows of goods should be excluded from the statistics. This includes trade in Norwegian goods between the customs area and other parts of the Norwegian economic territory. To the extent possible, trade in foreign goods to and from foreign enclaves, ships, aircraft and oil platforms located in Norway are omitted. To distinguish this type of transactions customs procedure codes from the declarations are used. In general, trade transactions are recorded at the time when the goods enter or leave the customs territory. However there are some exceptions, cf. the treatment of goods in customs warehouses.

There are four different types of customs warehouses. Goods waiting on declearance,can be stored in either a general or a central warehouse. For imports the time of recording is set when the goods are taken out of the warehouse and not when they arrived in the economic territory. This means that the statistical processing of these data follows the special trade principle. However, in practice the time difference between storage and withdrawals from warehouses is usually so small that the statistical processing is considered to be approximately equal to the general trade principle. For the remaining two types of customs warehouse; duty free and storage for further processing, the statistical treatment is according to the general trade system.

Customs declarations of exports and imports of electric current do not provide enough information for statistical purposes, and data is therefore obtained directly from the respondent.

Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Import transported through the Norwegian mainland to Svalbard and Jan Mayen should be declared by customs. Data on exports of coal transported directly from Svalbard are collected directly from the respondents.

The Norwegian part of the continental shelf
Imports via the Norwegian mainland to Norwegian owned installations and vessels that operate on the continental shelf should be declared by customs. Exports of crude oil and natural gas delivered directly from the continental shelf are based on data from the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate and the different operators.

Norwegian owned ships, aircraft and oil platforms
Exports and imports of ships, aircraft and oil platforms are based on information from Norwegian ship registers as well as from different respondents. Export of Norwegian goods (excluding bunkers) to foreign ships and aircraft in Norwegian ports and airports are covered by customs declarations.

Data on exports of fish caught by Norwegian fishing vessels outside the customs area and landed abroad is obtained from the Directorate of Fisheries.

 

In accordance with the UN recommendations the following trade in goods are not included in the statistics:

  • Goods in transit, ie goods attending the Norwegian economic territory to be directly transported to a recipient outside this area
  •  Goods traded through intermediate trade, ie goods transported between two foreign countries without entering the Norwegian economic territory
  • Goods physically crossing the country border, but defined as a service (including newspaper subscriptions, accompanied baggage, household goods)
  • Content delivered electronically (including e-books, downloadable games, etc.), defined purely as a service
  • Issued banknotes, securities and monetary gold
  • Samples, gifts and promotional material etc. with a low value
  •  Goods for repair or return after repair
  •  Goods in unaltered condition in return to vendor (claims etc.) and waste containers, replacement deliveries and free repairs (warranty)
  •  Items for temporary use, that are returned within 12 months (exhibition, demonstration, scientific research, loan, professional equipment, transport vehicles in international traffic, containers, equipment in use for the press, radio and television equipment, etc.)
  •  Change in ownership of non-financial assets
  •  Goods that are damaged on the journey to and from the Norwegian economic territory
  •  Satellites equipment moved to and launched in other countries without any change of ownership
  •  Goods functioning as means of transport (ship, aircraft, packaging, etc.)
  • Waste and scrap without any commercial value

 Furthermore goods totalling less than NOK 1 000 are omitted, these goods amounts to less than one per cent of the import and about 0.04 per cent of the export. Imports of goods for less than NOK 200 and exports of goods less than NOK 5.000 (except from goods that are subject to taxes and restrictions) are not subject to declaration by the Customs.

Data sources and sampling

The statistics are mainly based on administrative information obtained from TVINN, which is the Norwegian Customs’ electronic information system for the exchange of customs declarations between businesses and Norwegian Customs. Some data is, however, obtained from other sources, and more information on this can be found in the paragraph on data collection.

Sampling is not not relevant as external trade is a total count of the goods defined in the population.

Collection of data, editing and estimations

Data collection

The vast majority of the data is, as mentioned, collected through the Customs’ TVINN register and transmitted electronically to Statistics Norway. However, some additional data, as shown below, is obtained separately.

Exports of crude oil and natural gas in gaseous state
Preliminary and final figures for exported volumes of crude oil and natural gas in gaseous state are collected through monthly reports from the operators and the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate. The prices, however, are obtained via various sources depending on whether they relate to crude oil or natural gas, and whether the data is being collected to compile preliminary or final figures.

From 2013 on, the development in the in gas prices from the producer price index (PPI) used to calculate the preliminary gas prices for foreign trade, while the level will be based on the value determined from the last registered price. PPI obtain figures for natural gas from the journal World Gas Intelligence (WGI).

Preliminary oil prices are based on the reference price of  Brent Blend for the current month.

For crude oil, the final prices: quarterly surveys from the licensees, as well as information from the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy and the operators.

For natural gas, final prices: a quarterly average price based on information from a selection of licensees and operators.

Due to insufficient information about country of destination there are from 2013 on changes in the dissemination of the figures of exports of natural gas in gaseous state. From 2013, country of destination according to these figures will be based on the landing point of the pipelines with natural gas from the Norwegian continental shelf.

Exports of crude oil in pipelines to Great Britain


All exports of Norwegian crude oil that are transported by pipeline to Teeside are registered in the official statistics with the UK as the country of destination. The ownership is Norwegian until the oil is processed in Great Britain, but because a commodity is registered as exported when it physically has crossed the Norwegian border.
After this unstabilized crude oil has gone through a fractionation process, where it is separated into the components of stabilized crude oil, ethane, propane and butane, it is shipped onwards, thus giving a new country distribution. Crude oil has to be stabilized in order to be transported by ship.
Only those shipments regarded as genuine importation into Great Britain is regarded are included in the statistics of Great Britain. All other flows are regarded as being in transit, and therefore excluded.

The figures by country in Statbank table 12780 for “Crude oil, incl. oil by pipelines after processing in Great Britain” shows reallocated figures after country of destination for oil exports by pipe lines (to Great Britain) and by ship to all countries.
Only those shipments regarded as genuine importation into Great Britain is regarded are included in the statistics of Great Britain. All other flows are regarded as being in transit, and therefore excluded.
The fractionation process implies that some of the crude oil disappears, thereby different total figures.

 

Imports and exports of ships and oil platforms
The data collection for vessels is based on current information from the Norwegian ship registers the Norwegian Ordinary Ship Register (NOR) and the Norwegian International Ship Register (NIS).

When it comes to oil platforms, information is collected from the Norwegian ship registers, the Customs’ TVINN register and importer/exporter.

Imports and exports of electricity

Information is received from Statnett. The volume of imports and exports of electricity is measured by the net transfer of the power grid junction point towards foreign countries and is registered every hour and aggregated at a monthly level. The monthly price from Nord Pool is applied for imports and exports with all countries Norway has transmission of electricity with.

 

Imports and exports of aircraft
For some aircrafts, monthly reports are received from Statistics Sweden, while the rest are obtained through regular declarations in the TVINN system.

Exports of coal from Svalbard
Reports on the export of coal from Svalbard are received monthly from the exporter. 

Exports of fish caught by Norwegian vessels outside the Norwegian customs border
Since July 2010, the figures have been obtained from the Directorate of Fisheries (FDIR). Prior to that, the information was gathered through TVINN.

 

Data editing

Information from customs declarations is subject to statistical controls in the Customs declaration system (TVINN). The controls to check the estimated price, quantity and country were developed by the Customs in cooperation with Statistics Norway.

Data controls at Statistics Norway take place at different levels - some as soon as the data is loaded into the system (automatic recoding of variables). The manual part of the revision consists of different types of validity and probability tests. The former are controls of absolute errors, such as missing transport code, while the other type of test may check unlikely country codes or unreasonably high quantities for a specific type of good. The system aims to intercept the most serious errors in the data. Data collected from sources other than the Customs also undergo similar checks.

 

Estimations

External trade is based on a total count but some items are excluded, cf. section of population. There is no need for any statistical estimations of current figures, only aggregations, in order to enable us to publish in a timely manner.

 

Seasonal adjustment

 The seasonal adjustment method, which is used for the foreign trade monthly value series and the quarterly volume series, consists of pre-treatment of the values for the individual series using the seasonal adjustment programme X12-ARIMA. It was developed by the US Bureau of the Census, and is one of the most internationally known methods for seasonal adjustment. The purpose of the seasonally-adjusted figures is to show the real economic trends by eliminating interference caused by seasonal variations. There are two important corrections: one method adjusts for the number of weekdays of different kinds in each month. This can be important, since it is probable that exports and imports are distributed unevenly throughout the week. The second important correction is for the Easter holidays, since Easter can fall in different months and different quarters of the year. We assume that both imports and exports are affected the week before Easter, in the Easter week itself and the week after Easter. No special corrections are made for other holidays in the year.

Confidentiality

The Statistics Act § 2-6 covers the disclosure of information.

The requirements for confidentiality in external trade of goods are practised so that data is suppressed only when the establishment/enterprise has a valid reason for confidential treatment and actively asks for it. Exporters/importers can demand suppression when there are 3 or fewer companies that import or export an item type to a given country, or when a company has a market share of over 90 per cent, or if two firms have a market share of over 95 per cent.This is called "passive confidentiality" and is in line with UN recommendations. This method is used by most countries..

Since Norway has a number of major manufacturers that are dominant in some product areas, some suppression of information exists on the export side. Between 5 and 10 per cent of mainland exports are affected by confidentiality. For imports, it is far less; around 1 per cent. Some commodity areas are more problematic with regard to dissemination, since suppression on highly aggregated levels must be carried out.

 

Comparability over time and space

The six-digit HS-based commodity classification is subject to revisions due to technological development and also development in the commodity spectres of the international trade. These adjustments are normally made every five years. The most recent HS revision was implemented on 1 January 2012. Furthermore, national adjustments are made every year at the national eight-digit level. These revisions can create breaks in the time series for some commodity numbers. Detailed information about this is available in the yearly Commodity List External Trade. Correspondence tables between the different editions of the HS are available on the UN website .

With regard to the divisions according to the SITC, the current SITC-Rev.4 was introduced in January 2007, when it replaced the previous SITC-Rev.3 (1988-2006). The relation between the figures for the years before and after 2007 can be misleading for some commodity numbers. The degree of influence depends on the value of the commodity numbers that now have a different group affiliation. Correspondence tables between the different editions of the SITC are also available on the UN website .

For the tables that use the CPA nomenclature, the 2008 edition is used for the whole series.

Other elements influencing the comparability over time: The imports and exports of ships and oil platforms in the statistics were extended in 1991 to include transactions that concern vessels under a foreign flag with a Norwegian-registered holding company. Furthermore, the definition of developing countries was changed in 2007, which affects the figures slightly.

Accuracy and reliability

Sources of error and uncertainty

Collection errors can occur from incorrect values, incomplete information or misinterpretation of data on customs declarations. Examples of this are use of wrong commodity number, country code, county of production or incorrect quantity.

Other sources of error include late updates, which sometimes occur for the trade with ships and oil platforms.It is also difficult to intercept the transit trade, i.e. the buying and selling of commodities in foreign territory where a Norwegian company is one of the partners. Neither do we have a good data basis to estimate the processing exports for the preparation of goods abroad or imports for processing in Norway.
The rules for customs clearance, which entail exemption from the duty to declare for exports of goods when the value is below NOK 5 000 and exemption for imports of goods when the value is below NOK 200, lead to lower figures than the real trade. This is not the best solution for preparation of the national accounts, where these lacking figures are estimated separately.
The calculation of seasonally-adjusted data beyond the usual seasonal effects is adjusted for the fact that trade is distributed unevenly across the week and taking into account the effect of Easter, as described in the section of estimations. However, beyond this nothing in particular is done. Therefore it would be natural to assume that the seasonally-adjusted December figures should be interpreted more cautiously because of the Christmas holidays.

The export trade statistics is a full count, so there are therefore no non-response errors or sampling errors .

Revision

When publishing statistics for a new month of measurement, figures for the previous months in the same year are also revised. Furthermore, the figures for all months of the year are revised twice more: First time in May the following year (year t + 1), before final figures are published in May one year later (year t + 2). See https://www.ssb.no/en/statbank/list/muh in the Statbank for more information about the size of the revisions.

At the aggregate level, the difference between preliminary monthly figures and revised figures published in May year t + 1 will normally be small for imports and mainland exports. At a detailed level and for individual months, the revisions can be of greater importance, relatively speaking. For oil and gas, larger audits can be experienced, in particular, related to the calculation of oil and gas prices. The revisions of the final publication in year t + 2 will normally be of minor importance, but in some cases relatively significant corrections can also be uncovered in this time perspective.

 

Contact