Israeli Exports Up, Statistics Show

Imports were up 3.6 percent on an annualized basis compared to the same period the previous year between November 2015 and January 2016, the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) reported over the weekend. Exports, meanwhile, were up 5 percent.

The figures included all imports and exports except ships, planes, energy products and diamonds.

53 percent of Israel’s exports (not including diamonds) are in the high-tech sector, and exports in that sector were up 5.6 percent annualized during the period – a drop from the 10.1 percent annualized exports between August and October 2015, the CBS said.

Diamond exports, meanwhile, totaled NIS 3.3 billion for the period. Between November 2014 and January 2015, that figure was NIS 3.1 billion.

Imports, meanwhile, grew significantly during the period. Imports of machine goods and industrial equipment (considered investment imports) were up 2.8 percent on an annualized basis. Such imports account for some 60 percent of the total imports into the country.

Imports of consumer goods, meanwhile, were up 13.7 percent. Especially striking was the import of furniture, appliances, electronics and vehicles, which rose 21.4 percent on an annualized basis compared to the same period the previous year. The greatest rise was in vehicles, with a rise of 55.4 percent in vehicle imports compared to November 2014 and January 2015. Food, medicine and clothing imports, meanwhile, rose 8 percent during the period.