Catalonia reaches 16,264 regular exporting companies, the highest figure ever recorded

Barcelona, January 21, 2015. – Catalonia showed a figure of 16,264 regular exporting companies in the period between January to November in 2015, a record number for the third year running. 15,946 were recorded throughout the whole of 2014. 

These companies have been exporting for the last four consecutive years, a fact demonstrating the consolidated commitment by Catalan companies towards internationalisation and its importance as a motor for industry in Catalonia. In accumulated terms for November to January in 2015, Catalonia leads in the number of regular exporting companies in Spain, with 34.3% of the total. 

During 2015, Catalonia Trade & Investment gave support to over 2,500 companies in close to 2,000 internationalisation projects (in the different stages of the process: export initiation, international consolidation and diversification and implantation abroad). 1 out of every 7 euros in the increase in exports comes from Catalan company projects handled through the 36 Catalan Government Trade and Investment Offices around the world, which offer their services in more than 90 markets. 

As regards volume, Catalan exports grew 6.3% in November and reached the figure of 5,356 million euros. According to Catalonia Trade & Investment, this is the highest export volume for a November on record. 

Sales of Catalan companies abroad were led by chemical products, which represented 25.4% of the total, and have grown by 4.3% interannually; capital goods (17.8% of the total, 9.1% growth); and the automobile sector (16.4%, 7.3% growth), according to figures from the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. This rise in export sales places the growth in exports in November (6.3%) above recorded growth rates found throughout the European Union (5.2%) and in the Eurozone (5.7%). 

Export sales volumes in November helped make Catalan exports show a 6% increase in the period covering January to November, compared to the same period for the previous year, reaching the sum of 58.747 million euros. This increase is also higher than the European Union (4.8%) and the Eurozone (4.3%). Catalan sales abroad in this period represented 25.5% of the total exports made by Spain.