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Romania Trade, Exports and Imports

By: EconomyWatch Content Date: 30 March 2010

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Romania saw an immediate change in its international trade scenario when it liberalized its trading system at the time of joining the European Union in 2007. Romania has been seeing a continuous increase in exports since 2003. Despite negative GDP growth in 2009, due to the global recession, the country’s exports grew 22.54%.

Romania Trade, Exports and Imports

Romania has always been plagued by trade deficit. While the estimated total exports in Romania amounted to $49.41 billion in 2009, its total imports were $76.17 billion. As of September 17, 2009, the country ranked 55 globally in terms of exports and 42 in terms of imports.

Leading exports include:

Machinery and equipment
Textiles and footwear
Metals and metal products
Machinery and equipment
Minerals and fuels
Chemicals
Agricultural products

Leading imports include:

Machinery and equipment
Fuels and minerals
Chemicals
Textile and products
Metals
Agricultural products

The countries with which Romania trades with are:

Export (as of 2008)

Germany 16.3%
Italy 15.4%
France 7.3%
Turkey 6.5%
Hungary 5%
Bulgaria 4.1%

Romania was the largest trading partner of the US among the Central-Eastern European countries until Ceauşescu's 1988 renunciation of the Most Favored Nation (non-discriminatory) trading status. However, now with Romania shipping only about 1.5% of its exports to the US, the world leader is no longer a crucial export partner.

Import (as of 2008)

Germany - 16.1%
Italy 11.2%
Hungary 7.3%
Russia 5.9%
France 5.6%
Turkey 4.9%
Austria 4.8%
Kazakhstan 4.5%
China 4.2%

In 2007, Romania exported approximately $40.25 billion worth of goods in the international market. Meanwhile, Romanian imports totaled $64.33 billion, resulting in the overall trade deficit of $24.1 billion.