TIRANA (Albania), November 18 (SeeNews) – Albania's trade deficit increased by 9.4% year-on-year in the first ten months of 2019, reaching 288 billion leks ($2.6 billion/2.3 billion euro), the statistical office said on Monday.
Exports fell 3.6% on the year to 252 billion leks in the period under review, while imports increased 2.9% to 540 billion leks, INSTAT said in a statement.
In October alone, Albania's trade deficit amounted to 32 billion leks, up 14.3% year-on-year.
Italy remained Albania's main trading partner during the ten months through October 2019, absorbing Albanian exports of 121.9 billion leks and providing imports of 137.1 billion leks to the country. Other major exporters to Albania were China, Turkey and Greece.
Albania exported mainly textiles and footwear, minerals, fuels and electricity as well as construction materials and metals.
(1 euro = 122.285 leks)