Slovakia posted record exports last year despite shortfalls in the autumn, the Statistics Office reported on Tuesday. According to the office's preliminary report for December and for 2021, exports for the whole of 2021 grew by 16.3 percent year-on-year, exceeding pre-pandemic levels by almost 10 percent. Slovakia exported goods worth €88.3 billion last year, the highest figure in the history of independent Slovakia. Imports for last year set a record as well – €86.6 billion, up as much as 19.3 percent y-o-y. Last year's exports were chiefly driven by the category of machinery and transport equipment, which includes the automotive industry. Despite the suspension of production at automotive plants, car exports rose by 10.7 percent y-o-y, and they even exceeded pre-pandemic levels by 7.7 percent. Slovakia thus posted a trade-balance surplus of €1.7 billion for January-December 2021. Although this was half the figure reported in 2020, it was 60 percent higher than in 2019.
Source: TASR
