The most valuable Spanish imports also include smartphones, diesel engines, aircraft and trucks. Unknit and non-crocheted women’s clothing is a product area where Spain’s domestic supply lags demand, as is the case for imported copper.
The following list shows on which product categories Spanish importers spent the most. Unlike most information currently available on the web, the items below are detailed at the 4-digit tariff code level.
This level of granularity can help entrepreneurs identify more precisely which products in which Spain has strong demand but competitive disadvantages compared with other nations. Innovation can transform these disadvantages into lucrative business opportunities.
For the most recent four-digit HTS code data, please see the link to Spain’s Top 10 Imports article in the See also paragraph above Research Sources below.
Highest Value Spanish Import Products
Below are the 20 highest value import products delivered to Spanish importers in 2017. Shown within brackets is the percentage change in value for each item.
- Crude oil: US$25.7 billion (Down -43.3% from 2013 to 2017)
- Cars: $20.2 billion (Up 78%)
- Automobile parts/accessories: $17.2 billion (Down -0.3%)
- Medication mixes in dosage: $9.7 billion (Down -13.4%)
- Petroleum gases: $7.9 billion (Down -44.6%)
- Processed petroleum oils: $7.9 billion (Down -43.6%)
- Phone system devices including smartphones: $5.3 billion (Down -1.3%)
- Computers, optical readers: $3.9 billion (Up 6%)
- Blood fractions (including antisera): $3.3 billion (Up 39%)
- Aircraft, spacecraft: $3.3 billion (Up 111.3%)
- Women’s clothing (not knit or crochet): $3.3 billion (Up 29.1%)
- Copper ores, concentrates: $3.1 billion (Up 1.9%)
- Insulated wire/cable: $2.7 billion (Up 25.1%)
- Trucks: $2.6 billion (Up 156.6%)
- Heterocyclics, nucleic acids: $2.5 billion (Up 18.7%)
- Engines (diesel): $2.4 billion (Up 57.4%)
- Aircraft parts: $2.4 billion (Up 56.7%)
- Turbo-jets: $2.3 billion (Up 100%)
- Electro-medical equip (e.g. xrays): $2.2 billion (Up 13.4%)
- Moluscs: $2 billion (Up 77.1%)
Among these product categories, trucks posted the greatest increase in Spanish import purchases with a 156.6% gain in value from 2013 to 2017.
In second place was the aircraft and spacecraft category which improved 111.3%.
Spanish imports of turbo-jets also showed a respectable gain in 2017 doubling since 2013, followed by imported cars up 78%.
Petroleum gases led Spain’s declining imports down -44.6%, trailed by refined petroleum oils (down -43.6%) then crude oil (down -43.3%).
Overall, Spanish imports appreciated by an average 5.5% over the latest 5-year period.
See also Spain’s Top 10 Exports, Spain’s Top Trading Partners and Spain’s Top 10 Imports
Research Sources:
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on March 24, 2018
The World Factbook, Field Listing: Imports and World Population, Central Intelligence Agency. Accessed on March 24, 2018
Trade Map, International Trade Centre, www.intracen.org/marketanalysis. Accessed on March 24, 2018