1Kindly indicate source when quoting from this release.The advance release calendar may be consulted at www.nso.gov.mt

Issued by: Dissemination Unit, National Statistics Office, Lascaris, Valletta VLT 2000, Malta.T. +356 2599 7219 F. +356 2599 7205 E. nso@gov.mt

9 November 2021 | 1100 hrs | 204/2021

Provisional figures for registered trade in goods in Malta recorded a deficit of €293.5 million during September 2021, compared to a deficit of €143.1 million in the corresponding month of 2020.

International Trade in Goods: September 2021

Total Trade in Goods: September 2021

Data in this news release presents all international trade in goods registered up to the indicated cut-off date. Provisional data recorded a total trade in goods deficit of €293.5 million during September, compared to a deficit of €143.1 million in the corresponding month of 2020. Imports amounted to €489.5 million, while exports totalled €196.0 million. This represents an increase of €114.5 million in imports and a decline of €35.9 million in exports, over the same month of the previous year (Table 1). The rise in the value of imports was primarily due to Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials (€67.6 million), Food (€21.1 million), and Machinery and transport equipment (€10.6 million). On the exports side, the main decrease was registered in Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials (€39.3 million), and Machinery and transport equipment (€16.3 million), partly offset by an increase in Chemicals (€17.2 million) (Table 3).

Total Trade in Goods: January-September 2021

During the first nine months of the year, the total trade in goods deficit widened by €430.7 million when compared to the corresponding period of 2020, reaching €2,324.3 million. Imports increased by €352.8 million while exports decreased by €77.9 million, amounting to €4,599.0 million and €2,274.7 million, respectively (Table 1). Higher imports were mainly recorded in Machinery and transport equipment (€204.4 million), Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials (€49.2 million), and Chemicals (€38.4 million). On the exports side, Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials (€162.5 million), and Machinery and transport equipment (€65.7 million) accounted for the main declines, partly offset by an increase in Chemicals (€142.6 million) (Table 3).

Cut-off date:01 November 2021

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Compiled by: Trade Statistics Unit Contact us: National Statistics Office, Lascaris, Valletta VLT 2000 T. +356 25997219, E. nso@gov.mt

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3

2018 2019 2020 2021

€ m

illio

n

period

Balance of Trade Exports Imports

Chart 1. Total Trade in Goods - quarterly

Statistics in this News Release should be interpreted in the context of the COVID-19 situation.

2

Goods were imported mainly from the European Union (55.6 per cent) and Asia (17.8 per cent). Similarly, exports were mostly directed to the European Union (42.2 per cent) and Asia (17.1 per cent). The main increase and decrease in imports were registered from Italy (€125.0 million) and China (€89.9 million), respectively. With respect to exports, the main increase was directed to the United Kingdom (€43.0 million), whereas Germany reported the highest decrease (€74.5 million) (Table 4).

Trade in Goods excluding specific chapters1: September 2021

In September, the deficit of trade in goods excluding specific chapters amounted to €140.7 million, compared to a deficit of €92.2 million recorded in the same month of 2020. Imports and exports amounted to €327.2 million and €186.5 million, respectively, thus increasing by 20.1 per cent and 3.5 per cent over the corresponding month of the previous year (Table 1). Trade in Goods excluding specific chapters1: January-September 2021

During the first nine months of 2021, the deficit of trade in goods excluding specific chapters widened by €41.0 million when compared to the same period of 2020, reaching €959.3 million. Both imports and exports increased by 7.9 per cent and 9.9 per cent, respectively, and amounted to €2,686.3 million and €1,727.0 million (Table 1).

Chart 2. Trade in Goods excluding specific chapters1 - quarterly

1 Data excluding Mineral oils, fuels and products (Chapter 27), Aircrafts/spacecrafts and parts thereof (Chapter 88) and Ships, boats and floating structures (Chapter 89). See methodological note 8.

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3

2018 2019 2020 2021

€ m

illio

n

periodBalance of Trade Imports Exports

3

4

€ million

2020p 2021p percentagechange1 2020p 2021p percentage

change1

Imports 7,439.2 5,399.2 -27.4 375.0 489.5 30.5 4,246.2 4,599.0 8.3 Industrial supplies 1,661.9 1,386.3 -16.6 116.1 144.3 24.3 1,052.4 1,176.5 11.8

Primary 120.1 86.8 -27.8 5.3 20.4 282.5 68.2 88.8 30.1

Semi-finished 1,337.3 1,200.5 -10.2 104.1 117.6 13.0 903.4 1,003.5 11.1

Finished 204.5 99.1 -51.5 6.7 6.3 -5.0 80.8 84.2 4.3

Capital goods and others 2,381.7 1,337.1 -43.9 52.1 50.6 -2.9 1,152.4 1,298.9 12.7 Consumer goods 1,553.6 1,453.2 -6.5 116.5 138.2 18.6 1,082.3 1,112.6 2.8

Food and beverages 560.0 501.4 -10.5 43.1 48.2 11.8 372.0 377.9 1.6

Durable goods 549.9 494.4 -10.1 38.4 45.2 17.6 364.1 385.3 5.8

Others 443.7 457.5 3.1 35.1 44.8 27.9 346.2 349.4 0.9

Fuels and lubricants 1,842.1 1,222.5 -33.6 90.3 156.5 73.2 959.1 1,011.1 5.4Exports 3,789.5 3,366.6 -11.2 231.9 196.0 -15.5 2,352.6 2,274.7 -3.3

Industrial supplies 1,387.0 1,169.3 -15.7 103.9 96.4 -7.2 873.5 927.7 6.2Primary 14.3 10.4 -27.2 0.8 1.1 27.6 7.8 18.9 141.9

Semi-finished 1,144.0 1,030.2 -9.9 98.0 92.6 -5.5 755.0 854.8 13.2

Finished 228.7 128.7 -43.7 5.0 2.7 -47.0 110.7 54.0 -51.2

Capital goods and others 288.4 317.6 10.1 25.1 20.4 -18.7 243.5 229.1 -5.9 Consumer goods 985.5 999.4 1.4 55.6 71.3 28.1 600.6 645.4 7.5

Food and beverages 302.3 285.1 -5.7 10.8 11.6 7.3 90.4 65.5 -27.5

Durable goods 262.4 230.2 -12.3 14.9 16.2 8.6 177.0 176.6 -0.2

Others 420.8 484.0 15.0 30.0 43.5 45.2 333.2 403.3 21.0

Fuels and lubricants 1,128.6 880.3 -22.0 47.3 8.0 -83.2 635.0 472.5 -25.6-3,649.7 -2,032.6 44.3 -143.1 -293.5 -105.1 -1,893.6 -2,324.3 -22.7

1 For calculation of Balance of Trade percentage change refer to methodological note 11.

1.

2. Totals may not add up due to rounding.3.

Table 2 is based on the United Nations' Statistical Division Broad Economic Categories (BEC) codes. Figures for 'Fuels and Lubricants' refer to 'Fuels and Lubricants, primary' (BEC 0031) and 'Fuels andLubricants, processed' (BEC 0032). Refer to methodological note 13.

A disaggregation by quarter is available in the excel version of this news release:https://nso.gov.mt/en/News_Releases/View_by_Unit/Unit_A4/International_Trade/Pages/International-Trade-in-Goods.aspx

Table 2. Total Trade in Goods by period and Broad Economic Category (BEC)

January-September Broad Economic Category (BEC)

p Provisional

Notes:

2019p percentagechange12020p

September

Balance of Trade

5

2020p 2021p percentagechange2 2020p 2021p percentage

change2

Imports 7,439.2 5,399.2 -27.4 375.0 489.5 30.5 4,246.2 4,599.0 8.3 Food 615.1 543.2 -11.7 45.6 66.7 46.2 409.3 422.1 3.1 Beverages and tobacco 128.2 104.9 -18.1 8.6 9.6 12.2 79.5 76.3 -4.0 Crude materials 36.3 31.1 -14.4 2.9 2.3 -21.4 24.0 23.9 -0.5 Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials 1,858.3 1,229.2 -33.9 90.5 158.1 74.8 964.4 1,013.6 5.1 Animal and vegetable oils and fats 9.7 9.2 -5.1 0.9 0.8 -11.7 7.0 7.6 9.0 Chemicals 701.2 672.6 -4.1 64.4 69.6 8.0 517.7 556.1 7.4 Semi-manufactured goods 441.5 448.9 1.7 34.4 37.6 9.4 336.1 357.9 6.5 Machinery and transport equipment 3,062.0 1,845.5 -39.7 85.7 96.3 12.3 1,525.1 1,729.5 13.4 Miscellaneous manufactured articles 582.4 510.7 -12.3 41.7 48.4 16.1 380.2 408.8 7.5 Miscellaneous transactions and commodities 4.6 4.0 -13.1 0.4 0.1 -64.4 2.8 3.2 11.0 Exports 3,789.5 3,366.6 -11.2 231.9 196.0 -15.5 2,352.6 2,274.7 -3.3 Food 287.4 283.6 -1.3 10.7 10.4 -2.6 86.5 56.7 -34.5 Beverages and tobacco 46.9 41.4 -11.8 1.4 2.1 47.1 34.3 20.9 -39.0 Crude materials 10.0 10.4 4.5 0.8 1.1 33.5 7.8 19.0 143.3 Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials 1,158.3 880.3 -24.0 47.3 8.0 -83.2 635.0 472.5 -25.6 Animal and vegetable oils and fats 0.0 0.0 -21.2 0.0 0.0 712.0 0.0 0.1 170.2 Chemicals 496.4 482.3 -2.8 45.1 62.3 38.1 327.9 470.5 43.5 Semi-manufactured goods 137.8 102.5 -25.6 7.8 11.6 49.0 71.3 96.7 35.6 Machinery and transport equipment 1,025.6 937.0 -8.6 65.7 49.4 -24.9 712.3 646.6 -9.2 Miscellaneous manufactured articles 624.6 627.1 0.4 52.7 50.8 -3.6 476.1 490.2 3.0 Miscellaneous transactions and commodities 2.6 1.9 -26.6 0.3 0.3 1.9 1.3 1.5 18.6 Balance of Trade -3,649.7 -2,032.6 44.3 -143.1 -293.5 -105.1 -1,893.6 -2,324.3 -22.7 Food -327.7 -259.6 20.8 -35.0 -56.3 -61.1 -322.8 -365.4 -13.2 Beverages and tobacco -81.2 -63.5 21.8 -7.1 -7.5 -5.1 -45.2 -55.4 -22.6 Crude materials -26.3 -20.6 21.6 -2.0 -1.1 44.0 -16.2 -4.9 69.9 Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials -700.0 -348.9 50.2 -43.1 -150.1 -248.1 -329.4 -541.0 -64.2 Animal and vegetable oils and fats -9.7 -9.2 5.1 -0.9 -0.8 12.0 -7.0 -7.6 -8.5 Chemicals -204.8 -190.3 7.1 -19.3 -7.3 62.2 -189.8 -85.6 54.9 Semi-manufactured goods -303.7 -346.3 -14.0 -26.6 -26.0 2.1 -264.8 -261.2 1.3 Machinery and transport equipment -2,036.4 -908.5 55.4 -20.0 -46.9 -134.7 -812.8 -1,082.9 -33.2 Miscellaneous manufactured articles 42.2 116.5 176.3 11.0 2.4 -78.0 95.9 81.3 -15.2 Miscellaneous transactions and commodities -1.9 -2.0 -5.2 -0.1 0.2 228.8 -1.6 -1.6 -4.6 p Provisional

2 For calculation of Balance of Trade percentage change refer to methodological note 11.Note: Totals may not add up due to rounding.

1 The commodity grouping is in accordance with the Standard International Trade Classification (SITC) Rev. 4. Refer to methodological note 13.

Table 3. Total Trade in Goods by period and major commodity group € million

2019p percentagechange2

January-September Major commodity group1

September2020p

6

Notes: 1. The commodity grouping is in accordance with the Standard International Trade Classification (SITC) Rev. 4. Refer to methodological note 13.2. "Other commodities not mentioned" includes the commodity groups "Miscellaneous transactions and commodities", "Animal and vegetable oils and fats" and "Crude materials".3. Total of percentages may not add up due to rounding.

0.7

1.1

5.9

5.3

25.9

31.8

4.1

25.2

0.6

2.0

7.7

13.6

9.9

14.2

32.3

19.7

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Other commodities not mentioned

Beverages and tobacco

Semi-manufactured goods

Food

Miscellaneous manufactured articles

Chemicals

Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials

Machinery and transport equipment

per cent

maj

or c

omm

odity

gro

up

Chart 4. Percentage distribution of total Trade in Goods in September 2021 by major commodity group

Imports Exports

7

€ million

Imports Exports Balance ofTrade Imports Exports Balance of

Trade Imports Exports Balance ofTrade Imports Exports Balance of

Trade Europe 245.0 110.6 -134.4 331.8 99.3 -232.5 2,817.4 992.0 -1,825.5 3,166.9 1,098.1 -2,068.8 of which:

European Union 205.7 94.3 -111.4 270.0 75.4 -194.6 2,224.4 915.0 -1,309.4 2,555.9 959.7 -1,596.2 of which:

Euro area 185.1 76.9 -108.2 259.2 58.1 -201.1 2,099.4 781.9 -1,317.5 2,409.0 741.9 -1,667.1 of which:

Italy 77.1 14.7 -62.5 130.6 12.0 -118.6 803.2 114.1 -689.1 928.2 153.1 -775.1 France 18.0 20.6 2.6 34.2 6.5 -27.8 250.0 175.3 -74.8 320.8 135.2 -185.7 Spain 23.0 1.7 -21.3 32.7 2.7 -30.0 181.7 26.5 -155.3 240.2 24.0 -216.1 Netherlands 15.1 3.6 -11.5 22.6 3.8 -18.7 128.9 42.2 -86.7 225.4 35.0 -190.4 Germany 25.6 26.8 1.2 19.1 22.8 3.7 255.9 341.2 85.3 228.5 266.7 38.2 Greece 10.7 3.2 -7.6 6.7 4.0 -2.8 70.8 10.4 -60.4 121.2 34.3 -86.8

EFTA Countries 3.1 1.8 -1.3 3.3 9.7 6.3 33.5 14.5 -18.9 50.3 30.9 -19.4 of which:

Switzerland 3.0 1.5 -1.5 3.1 9.4 6.3 24.6 11.4 -13.3 48.4 26.6 -21.7 Other European Countries 36.2 14.5 -21.7 58.5 14.3 -44.2 559.6 62.4 -497.2 560.8 107.5 -453.2 of which:

United Kingdom 23.2 2.8 -20.5 37.9 11.4 -26.5 308.0 26.0 -282.0 280.1 69.0 -211.1Turkey 9.4 1.6 -7.8 10.7 1.7 -9.0 152.2 16.5 -135.7 193.6 23.0 -170.5

Africa 7.7 17.8 10.1 35.5 24.7 -10.8 186.9 319.8 132.9 111.1 265.4 154.3 of which:

Algeria 0.5 0.4 -0.2 13.6 0.7 -12.9 95.4 8.8 -86.6 20.6 7.8 -12.9 Asia 95.2 66.1 -29.2 109.4 46.7 -62.6 785.9 469.0 -316.8 819.0 389.7 -429.3 of which:

China 21.9 3.8 -18.1 33.0 5.2 -27.9 311.9 26.0 -286.0 222.0 46.9 -175.0 India 13.6 2.2 -11.4 12.6 3.0 -9.5 138.8 13.5 -125.3 129.2 26.5 -102.7 Taiwan 2.3 0.6 -1.7 11.4 0.3 -11.1 16.8 2.8 -14.0 43.2 2.6 -40.6 Japan 5.7 0.7 -5.0 8.2 1.4 -6.8 35.5 38.4 2.9 52.6 17.1 -35.5 Turkmenistan 6.5 - -6.5 8.1 - -8.1 11.6 - -11.6 9.8 17.5 7.7

North and Central America 24.2 7.4 -16.8 10.4 12.3 1.9 426.4 109.6 -316.8 446.4 136.2 -310.2 of which:

United States Of America 3.9 5.5 1.5 9.4 8.5 -0.9 95.8 89.3 -6.6 101.2 102.7 1.4 Canada 0.6 1.0 0.4 0.6 1.1 0.5 144.7 10.6 -134.0 214.0 15.2 -198.8

South America 2.1 0.5 -1.6 2.1 2.5 0.4 17.3 6.6 -10.6 15.9 22.9 7.0 Oceania 0.7 0.6 -0.1 0.4 0.2 -0.2 12.3 3.5 -8.8 39.7 3.4 -36.3 Ships and Aircraft Stores - 28.8 28.8 - 10.4 10.4 0.0 452.1 452.1 0.0 359.0 359.0 Grand Total 375.0 231.9 -143.1 489.5 196.0 -293.5 4,246.2 2,352.6 -1,893.6 4,599.0 2,274.7 -2,324.3p Provisional

1. The selection of countries is based on the highest values of imports in the month under review.2. Totals may not add up due to rounding.

Notes:

3. A full list of countries is available in the excel version of this news release: https://nso.gov.mt/en/News_Releases/View_by_Unit/Unit_A4/International_Trade/Pages/International-Trade-in-Goods.aspx

Table 4. Direction of total Trade in Goods by period and continent/region/country

Continent/Region/Country

September January-September2020p 2021p 2020p 2021p

1 For the exclusion/inclusion of the United Kingdom in the European Union computation, refer to methodological note 7 (ii).

8

€ million

Imports Exports Balance ofTrade Imports Exports Balance of

Trade Imports Exports Balance ofTrade Imports Exports Balance of

Trade

Europe 184.1 89.9 -94.2 193.6 91.4 -102.2 1767.1 816.5 -950.6 1835.1 923.8 -911.3

European Union 146.3 83.6 -62.7 155.2 67.8 -87.4 1,397.5 753.1 -644.4 1,485.5 801.9 -683.7

Euro area 134.1 68.3 -65.8 144.5 55.8 -88.6 1,299.1 644.9 -654.2 1,368.9 608.2 -760.8

EFTA countries 3.1 1.8 -1.3 3.3 9.7 6.3 29.5 14.4 -15.1 41.8 29.1 -12.7

Other European countries 34.7 4.6 -30.2 35.1 13.9 -21.2 340.1 49.0 -291.1 307.7 92.9 -214.9

Africa 7.7 17.1 9.4 22.9 24.6 1.7 52.4 222.9 170.5 58.8 236.7 177.8

Asia 73.9 54.6 -19.3 100.2 46.4 -53.9 597.9 416.9 -181.0 703.0 387.2 -315.7

North and Central America 4.0 7.1 3.1 7.9 11.9 3.9 49.3 84.6 35.3 66.9 113.4 46.4

South America 2.1 0.5 -1.6 2.1 2.5 0.4 17.2 6.6 -10.6 15.8 22.6 6.8

Oceania 0.7 0.6 -0.1 0.4 0.2 -0.2 5.6 3.5 -2.1 6.7 3.4 -3.3

Ships and Aircraft Stores - 10.4 10.4 - 9.5 9.5 0.0 20.1 20.1 0.0 39.9 39.9

Grand Total 272.5 180.2 -92.2 327.2 186.5 -140.7 2,489.4 1,571.1 -918.3 2,686.3 1,727.0 -959.3

Table 5. Direction of Trade in Goods excluding specific chapters1 by period and continent/region

Continent/Region

September January-September

2020p 2021p 2020p 2021p

p Provisional.1 Data excluding chapters 27, 88 and 89. Refer to methodological note 8.Note: Totals may not add up due to rounding.

9

1 Data excluding chapters 27, 88 and 89. Refer to methodological note 8.

47.4

1.0

10.7

7.0

30.6

2.40.6 0.1 0.0

36.4

5.27.4

13.2

24.9

6.4

1.3 0.1

5.1

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

European Union EFTA Other Europeancountries

Africa Asia North and CentralAmerica

South America Oceania Ships and AircraftStores

per c

ent

continent/region

Chart 5. Percentage distribution of Trade in Goods excluding specific chapters1 in September 2021 by continent/region

Imports Exports

10

€ million

2020p 2021p percentage change 2020p 2021p percentage

change

27 Mineral fuels, oils and products 90.5 158.1 74.8 964.4 1,015.2 5.3 85 Electrical machinery etc. 37.7 49.9 32.3 379.9 444.8 17.1 30 Pharmaceutical products 21.3 30.6 43.5 216.5 233.1 7.7 03 Fish and crustaceans, etc. 10.6 28.6 169.3 65.6 84.2 28.5 84 Machinery and mechanical appliances 24.7 25.6 3.6 233.4 258.9 10.9 39 Plastics and articles of plastics 12.7 16.8 32.5 130.4 136.4 4.6 87 Vehicles (excluding trains) and parts thereof 11.0 16.2 46.2 119.6 128.6 7.6 29 Organic chemicals 22.3 12.2 -45.6 103.2 93.9 -9.1 90 Optical/photographic/cinematographic instruments 5.7 11.0 92.6 62.8 67.7 7.8 48 Paper and paperboard articles 8.8 9.2 4.3 86.2 90.6 5.1 61 Knitted clothing 5.7 8.4 47.2 47.8 54.8 14.8 22 Beverages, spirits and vinegar 6.4 7.3 14.0 45.7 53.3 16.7 02 Meat and edible offal 3.6 5.9 65.0 40.8 44.0 7.9 94 Furniture; bedding, etc. 6.6 5.6 -14.3 53.3 59.2 11.1 73 Articles of iron or steel 3.6 5.3 45.3 46.3 50.7 9.6

85 Electrical machinery etc. 54.0 39.2 -27.3 472.9 478.6 1.2 30 Pharmaceutical products 20.7 34.2 64.9 242.9 318.2 31.0 49 Printed books, newspapers 24.2 25.6 6.0 193.8 221.7 14.4 29 Organic chemicals 18.6 21.0 13.4 48.5 103.7 113.6 95 Toys, games and sports requisites 9.9 8.6 -12.4 110.9 110.1 -0.7 84 Machinery and mechanical appliances 7.3 8.1 11.2 87.4 87.0 -0.4 27 Mineral fuels, oils and products 47.3 7.8 -83.5 634.3 471.7 -25.6 39 Plastics and articles of plastics 6.3 7.4 17.5 64.1 57.4 -10.5 40 Rubber and articles of rubber 4.0 6.3 56.4 35.9 48.5 35.1 90 Optical/photographic/cinematographic instruments 10.1 5.8 -42.6 73.7 63.1 -14.4 21 Miscellaneous edible preparations 6.3 5.2 -17.3 33.5 31.3 -6.6 19 Preparations of cereals 2.9 3.9 35.5 10.6 8.9 -16.0 60 Knitted/crocheted fabrics 2.3 2.4 6.5 16.4 20.8 26.8 99 Special classifications 0.8 2.1 149.2 9.2 10.9 18.4 38 Miscellaneous chemical products 0.1 1.8 1,162.3 2.0 9.2 358.3

p Provisional.

Notes:

4. Totals may not add up due to rounding.

Table 6. Total Trade in Goods by period and main trade chapter

5. Data is sorted in descending order according to imports/exports values for the month under review.

1. Table 6 is based on the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1577. Refer to methodological note 13.

3. A full list of chapters is available in the excel version of this news release: https://nso.gov.mt/en/News_Releases/View_by_Unit/Unit_A4/International_Trade/Pages/International-Trade-in-Goods.aspx

Chapter descriptionTrade chapter

Exports

Imports

September January-September

2. Figures for Chapter 27 include 'Industrial supplies, primary' and 'Industrial supplies, processed'.

11

Methodological Notes

1.

2.a.

b.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7. i.

ii.

iii.

iv.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

Figures presented in this news release are based on register data available as at the cut-off date printed on the front pageof this release. These are provisional figures based on information provided by traders and customs declarations on amonthly basis. Regular revisions to monthly and annual trade data may be carried out for up to two (2) years after thereference period. No estimations are included in these figures to compensate for late or non-response by traders or latedocumentation of customs declarations.

Data in this release are based on:The Intrastat Supplementary Declaration that traders in merchandise goods must submit in respect of arrivals(imports) and dispatches (exports) of goods from and to the Member States of the European Union (EU) incompliance with Legal Notice 131 of 2004, andThe Customs Declarations for imports from and exports to countries that are not Member States of the EU.

The Intrastat Supplementary Declaration for the collection of data on trade in goods between the Member States of theEU replaced the Customs Declaration as from 1 May 2004. The requirements of the Supplementary Declaration, which atEU level were introduced as from 1 January 1993, are similar in all the Member States of the EU.

The percentage change for the Balance of Trade between the current month (y) and the corresponding month of theprevious year (x), is worked using the formula ((y-x)/abs(x))*100. A negative percentage change in the Balance of Trademeans that it has widened (deteriorated), while a positive percentage change means that the Balance of Trade hasnarrowed (improved).

As from May 2004, with the introduction of the Intrastat Supplementary Declaration as the source document for tradestatistics, it was no longer possible to disaggregate total exports into domestic exports and re-exports.

EFTA (European Free Trade Association) countries comprise Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

As from 1st January 2021, following the Withdrawal Agreement (Brexit) between the United Kingdom and the EU,Northern Ireland is to be considered as part of the EU for International Trade purposes.

As from the publication relating to the January 2021 reference period, the format of the news release changed. The mainenhancement was the reporting of statistics which exclude specific chapters, namely Mineral fuels, oils and products(Chapter 27), Aircrafts/spacecrafts and parts thereof (Chapter 88) and Ships, boats and floating structures (Chapter 89).These are categories which are dominated by one-off transactions that could weigh heavily on the overall headlinefigures. Therefore, while the official figures remain those for total trade, data excluding these specific chapters is, in manycases, more suitable to analyse underlying economic trends.

As from the reference period January 2021, data in Table 3 is based on the Standard International Trade Classification(SITC) Rev.4.

As from the reference period January 2021, the Caribbean and the Bahamas Islands are included under North andCentral America.

The 'Balance of Trade' is the difference between a country's exports and imports. A country has a trade deficit if it importsmore than it exports; the opposite scenario signifies a trade surplus.

National concepts differ from the harmonised methodology used by Eurostat, leading to differences between figures in thisrelease and those published by Eurostat. Malta uses the "General Trade" system for dissemination purposes in line withUN recommendations. On the other hand, monthly data sent to Eurostat for both Intra-EU and Extra-EU are compiledaccording to the "Special Trade" methodology. A more detailed explanation of these two concepts can be found in the"Statistical Concepts" link below (see point 13).

Up to 31 December 2014, the euro area (Trading Partners) included Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland,France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia (from 2014), Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia,Slovenia and Spain. From 1 January 2015, the euro area also includes Lithuania. Trade data for Lithuania isincluded with the euro area data as from reference month January 2015.

The EU (Trading Partners) include Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia (from July 2013), Cyprus, Czech Republic(Czechia), Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania,Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. As of 1 February2020, the United Kingdom is no longer part of the EU.

For reference periods February 2020 onwards, monthly news releases having a country breakdown will carry EU dataexcluding the United Kingdom. Users are advised to use data with caution when making comparisons since this willresult in discrepancies, unless United Kingdom information is removed from previous figures.

More detailed and disaggregated data not appearing in this release is available in the excel version of this release orupon request from the NSO.

12

13. More information relating to this news release may be accessed at:

BEC Classification: https://unstats.un.org/unsd/trade/classifications/bec.asp

14. References to this news release are to be cited appropriately.

15.

16.https://nso.gov.mt/Home/International_Trade_In_Goods_Statistics/Pages/International_Trade_In_Goods_Statistics.aspx

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1577 link: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=OJ:L:2020:361:FULL&from=EN

SITC Rev. 4: https://unstats.un.org/unsd/trade/sitcrev4.htmCombined Nomenclature Classification: https://eurostat.prod.3ceonline.com/

A detailed news release calendar is available on: https://nso.gov.mt/en/News_Releases/Release_Calendar/Pages/News-Release-Calendar.aspx

For more information on International Trade in Goods visit the website:

Sources and Methods: https://nso.gov.mt/en/nso/Sources_and_Methods/Unit_A4/International_Trade/Pages/External-Trade-Statistics.aspxStatistical Concepts: https://metadata.nso.gov.mt/concepts.aspxMetadata: https://metadata.nso.gov.mt/reports.aspx?id=7