In 2019, the value of Finland’s goods exports totalled Euro 65 billion. Forest industries accounted for nearly one fifth of total exports, amounting to Euro 12.5 billion, as Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) reported.
The value of forest industry product exports decreased by 6% from the previous year in real terms, totalling Euro 12.47 billion (deflated using the wholesale price index). Of the value of Finland’s goods exports, forest industry products accounted for 19%, with the most important product group, i.e. paper, making up 6%.
“Key trading partners were located in Europe and Asia. Europe accounted for 62% and Asia slightly more than one fifth of Finnish forest industry exports. Germany accounted for 14%, China 9% and the UK 7% of earnings from Finnish forest industry exports,” says Eeva Vaahtera, senior statistician at the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke).
The value of wood products industry exports was Euro 2.76 billion, showing a decrease of 5% from the previous year in real terms. The most significant export products in the wood products industry were sawn goods and plywood. Exports of sawn goods decreased by 7% to Euro 1.73 billion. The largest buyer of sawn goods was China, accounting for 12% of exports. Exports of plywood decreased by slightly more than 10% to Euro 0.50 billion. Germany accounted for 18% of Finnish plywood exports.
The value of imported forest industry products was Euro 1.50 billion, down by 7% from the previous year in real terms. The most important product groups included wooden furniture (19% of the total value of forest industry imports), converted paper and paperboard products (17%) and bleached sulphate pulp (12%). Sweden, Estonia and Russia were the most significant import countries.
