ZAGREB, April 28, 2019 - A study of foreign trade involving Croatian counties shows that last year foreign trade remained strongly concentrated on Zagreb, which accounted for nearly a third of total exports and nearly half of imports, and on a small number of other regions.
According to the study, conducted by the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) and released earlier this week, Croatia exported 107.7 billion kuna worth of goods in 2018, of which 33.28 billion or 30.9% accounted for companies based in Zagreb. Imports totalled 175.5 billion kuna, and Zagreb's share was 48.9%, with companies based in the capital importing goods worth 85.8 billion kuna.
Croatia is divided into 20 counties plus the City of Zagreb as a separate administrative unit.
The study revealed that the first five largest exporting counties accounted for 53.3% of Croatia's total exports and the first ten counties for as much as 72.1%. The concentration of imports is even more pronounced as the top 5 ranking counties imported 71.5% of total imports and the top 10 as much as 83.3%.
"The value of exports generated by the City of Zagreb is 154 times that of Dubrovnik-Neretva County and the value of imports is as much as 596 times higher than that of Lika-Senj County, the county with the least imports. The value of per-capita exports in the top ranking Međimurje County is as much as 26 times higher than in Dubrovnik-Neretva County," the study noted.
Eleven counties generated a trade surplus, the highest being posted by Sisak-Moslavina County with 1.27 billion kuna. The largest deficit was recorded by the City of Zagreb, of 52.5 billion kuna, which mostly affected the national foreign trade balance as last year Croatia recorded a foreign trade deficit of 67.8 billion kuna.
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