TIRANA (Albania), December 17 (SeeNews) – Albania's trade deficit increased by 8.2% year-on-year in the first eleven months of 2019, reaching 317 billion leks ($2.8 billion/2.6 billion euro), the statistical office said on Tuesday.
Exports fell 4.1% on the year to 277 billion leks in the period under review, while imports increased 2.1% to 593 billion leks, INSTAT said in a statement.
In November alone, Albania's trade deficit amounted to 28 billion leks, down 2.7% year-on-year.
Italy remained Albania's main trading partner during the eleven months through November 2019, absorbing Albanian exports of 133.7 billion leks and providing imports of 151.1 billion leks to the country. Other major exporters to Albania were Turkey, China and Greece.
Albania exported mainly textiles and footwear, minerals, fuels and electricity as well as construction materials and metals.
(1 euro = 120.998 leks)