Bahrain's non-oil imports saw a seven per cent decrease in January 2025, reaching BD496 million, down from BD535m in the same month last year, according to the latest Foreign Trade report released by the Information and eGovernment Authority (iGA).
The report, which details the kingdom’s trade balance, imports, national origin exports, and re-exports, revealed that the top 10 import countries accounted for 72pc of the total import value.
Australia led the way with BD92m (19pc), followed by China with BD74m (15pc) and the UAE with BD37m (7pc).
In terms of products, other aluminium oxide topped the import list at BD86m (17pc), followed by non-agglomerated iron ores and concentrates at BD28m (6pc), and private cars at BD21m (4pc).
On the export front, non-oil national origin exports experienced a marginal 0.3pc increase, rising to BD351m in January 2025 from BD350m in January 2024.
The top 10 export destinations accounted for 74pc of the total export value. Saudi Arabia emerged as the leading export market with BD79m (23pc), followed by the UAE at BD42m (12pc), and Qatar at BD40m (11pc).
The top exported products were agglomerated iron ores and concentrates alloyed at BD92m (26pc), unwrought aluminium alloys at BD56m (16pc), and processed cheese not grated or powdered at BD22m (6pc).
Re-exports witnessed a 6pc increase, reaching BD71m in January 2025, up from BD67m in the same month last year. The top 10 re-export destinations constituted 84pc of the total re-export value, with the UAE leading at BD26m (37pc), followed by Saudi Arabia at BD16m (23pc), and Qatar at BD4m (6pc).
Gold ingots topped the re-export list at BD5.9m (8.3pc), followed by smartphones at BD5.6m (7.9pc), and four-wheel drives at BD5.5m (7.7pc).
The trade balance, representing the difference between exports and imports, showed a deficit of BD74m in January 2025, a significant improvement from the BD118m deficit recorded in January 2024.
avinash@gdnmedia.bh
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