October 18 (SeeNews) - Albania's trade deficit rose by 23.9% year-on-year in the nine months through September, reaching 290 billion leks ($2.8 billion/2.4 billion euro), the national statistical office said on Monday.
Exports rose 36.5% on the year to 266 billion leks in the period under review, while imports increased 29.6% to 556 billion leks, INSTAT said in a statement.
In September alone, Albania's trade deficit totalled 36 billion leks, up 32% year-on-year.
Italy remained Albania's main trading partner in the January-September period, absorbing Albanian exports worth 89.3 billion leks and providing 136.7 billion leks worth of imports to the country.
Albania exported mainly textile and footwear, construction materials and metals as well as minerals, fuels, electricity in the first nine months of 2021.
(1 euro = 121.593 leks)