Spain does a lot of business with Germany, France and Italy as its main trading partners in Europe and the US. France is the biggest beneficiary of Spanish exports, accounting for 15.3% of the country's total merchandise exports.
The European country happens to be the 16th largest exporting economy in the world. Below are some of its major exports and imports.
Main import
Crude
Spain's crude oil imports have been growing since the 1980s. By December 2018, the country reported importing 1,364 barrels of oil per day, a record high. The record low for Spanish crude oil imports was in 1984, when it imported 825 barrels per day.
In Europe, Spain is the sixth largest energy consumer, but they have no domestic production of natural gas or liquid fuels. Since the country's oil resources are insignificant, they have to import all their oil from countries like Nigeria, Mexico, Russia, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. The country relies on 46% of liquid fuels to maintain its energy consumption needs.
They spend as much as $23 billion on crude oil.
Steel
Spain is the 14th largest steel importer in the world. In 2018, the country imported nearly 11 million tonnes of steel. Many industries in Spain rely heavily on steel, such as automobile manufacturing and weapons manufacturing, and Spain needs to import a large amount of steel to meet demand.
Spain has been shipping steel for centuries, ever since it emerged as a serious contender in making weapons for various armies.
Apparel and Textiles
The preferred partners for Spanish textile imports are China, Morocco, Portugal, Bangladesh and Turkey. As the sixth largest importer of textiles in the world, the country's imports have seen significant growth over the past few years.
Designers are looking for a variety of fabrics when creating designs and growing the industry. This leads to a search for more fabrics to meet demand, especially if the fabrics are popular. These markets are outstanding because of the versatility of their trade zones.
Main export
Auto and Auto Parts/Accessories
Automobiles are an important part of Spain's export portfolio. The country's auto exports make it the eighth-largest auto producer in the world. It is actually second only to Germany. As of 2016, Spain sold 2.8 million vehicles worldwide, and in 2019 Spain's passenger car revenue to the US exceeded 36 million.
Spain produces a variety of models from its factories, including Nissan, Seat, Ford, Renault, Volkswagen, Opel, Mercedes-Benz and Peugeot Citroen. All of these cars are built in different cities in Spain, including Barcelona, Vigo, Figueluelas and Martorell. Nine out of ten cars produced in Spain are exported to more than 130 countries.
Their auto parts and accessories are the sixth most used in the world. In fact, Spain's auto industry accounts for 10% of the country's GDP.
Refined petroleum
Spain imports crude oil and develops refined petroleum products from its refineries, which are then exported. In the 1980s, Spain began exporting more than 10 million tons of refined petroleum products annually. Refinery capacity in Spain can hold 1,000 barrels per day. Some of these products include refined petroleum products such as fuel oil, gas oil, lubricating oil, kerosene and bitumen, among others.
Drug
Spain is famous for its medicines and medicines. Spain's top pharmaceutical companies have been among the largest exporters in Spain, and as the Spanish economy has grown, their export capacity has begun to be reborn. Companies like GlaxoSmithKline have a 3.8% market share in the pharmaceutical industry. Xinfa, Bayer, Johnson & Johnson and Sanofi-Aventis are other huge market players in Spain.
Spain made a big payoff in 2018, becoming one of the European countries that shipped large quantities of medicines and medicines around the world, selling medicines worth $9 billion. In the first half of 2019, the revenue of pharmaceutical companies continued to grow.
Olive oil
In terms of export commodities, olive oil is one of Spain's largest earners. It is the country's main agricultural export. Demand for Spanish olive oil remains strong, with the olive oil export industry generating more than 2 billion euros for the country as of May 2018.
Spain remains the world's leading olive oil exporter, with most of its production coming from the country's Andalusian region. More than 500 companies in the region export olive oil, accounting for half of the total olive oil-producing land in the EU.
Despite the fierce competition among olive oil producers in Morocco and Tunisia, Spain remains the king of olive oil production in the world.
These are just some of the main exports and imports that Spain has a vested interest in. As Spain continues to maintain its status as one of Europe's largest economies, its import and export behavior may remain predictable, as its economic fundamentals are increasingly solid, supported by all countries. The same investment pillars.