Exports and imports of goods, May 2026, in current prices and in constant prices

Stronger trade in goods compared to previous year but weaker than April

Statistical news from Statistics Sweden 2026-07-28 8.00

In May, exports of goods increased by 9 percent in value and by 4 percent in volume compared with the same period last year. At the same time, imports of goods increased by 8 percent in value while they remained the same in volume.

- Exports of chemicals/rubber products increased in both value and volume compared with last year and last month, says Kajsa Krol Brevinge, statistician at Statistics Sweden

Compared with the previous month, Swedish exports of goods decreased by 1 percent in value and by 2 percent in volume. Swedish imports of goods decreased by 7 percent in value and by 5 percent in volume compared with the previous month. The number of weekdays in May 2026 was one fewer than in April 2026.

Detailed information about May 2026 (in current prices and in constant prices)

Price changes can have a significant impact on both volume and value trends. Value is affected by both price and volume changes, while the volume index shows trends adjusted for price movements. These trends can be noticeable in product areas with large price variations.

Exports of mineral fuels/electric current increased by 94 percent in value and by 29 percent in volume 

Swedish exports of goods by important SITC commodity groups

  Value index (2015=100) Value (current prices) Value (current prices) Volume index (2015=100) Volume (value in constant prices) Volume (value in constant prices)
Commodity group according to SITC Change in % Change in % // Change in % Change in %
  May 2026 May 2026/May 2025 May 2026/April 2026 May 2026 May 2026/May 2025 May 2026/April 2026
Total 184 9 -1 133 4 -2
Wood and paper products 144 2 2 110 8 2
Minerals 206 5 -5 108 -8 -6
Chemicals, rubber products 215 16 8 201 20 7
Mineral fuels, electric current 307 94 9 151 29 13
Machinery, transport equipment 165 0 -6 130 -2 -6
Other products 174 3 -2 115 1 -4

Exports of wood/paper products increased by 2 percent in value and by 8 percent in volume compared with the same period last year. Within this product area, exports of pulp and waste paper increased by 28 percent in value and by 44 percent in volume. Compared with the previous month, exports of pulp and waste paper increased by 16 percent in both value and in volume.

Exports of chemicals/rubber products increased by 16 percent in value and by 20 percent in volume compared with the same period last year. Within this product area, exports of pharmaceutical products increased by 27 percent in value and by 46 percent in volume. Compared with the previous month, exports of pharmaceutical products increased by 16 percent in value and by 15 percent in volume.

Exports of mineral fuels/electric current increased by 94 percent in value and by 29 percent in volume compared with the same period last year. Within this product area, exports of petroleum products increased by 104 percent in value and by 38 percent in volume. The difference between value and volume development is due to higher prices for petroleum products. Compared with the previous month, exports of petroleum products increased by 5 percent in value and by 13 percent in volume.

Imports of machinery/transport equipment increased by 7 percent in value and by 3 percent in volume

Swedish imports of goods by important SITC commodity groups

  Value index (2015=100) Value (current prices) Value (current prices) Volume index (2015=100) Volume (value in constant prices) Volume (value in constant prices)
Commodity group according to SITC Change in % Change in % // Change in % Change in %
  May 2026 May 2026/May 2025 May 2026/April 2026 May 2026 May 2026/May 2025 May 2026/April 2026
Total 184 8 -7 128 0 -5
Wood and paper products 167 -2 6 105 0 3
Minerals 223 14 4 123 2 2
Chemicals, rubber products 186 11 -5 128 3 -6
Mineral fuels, electric current 213 51 -20 95 -2 -11
Machinery, transport equipment 184 7 -8 145 3 -8
Other products 161 -8 -2 115 -6 -1

Imports of chemicals/rubber products increased by 11 percent in value and by 3 percent in volume compared with the same period last year. Within this product area, imports of pharmaceutical products increased by 12 percent in value and by 10 percent in volume. Compared with the previous month, imports of pharmaceutical products increased by 3 percent in value and by 2 percent in volume.

Imports of machinery/transport equipment increased by 7 percent in value and by 3 percent in volume compared with the same period last year. Within this product area, imports of passenger cars decreased by 2 percent in value while they increased by 1 percent in volume. Compared with the previous month, imports of passenger cars decreased by 11 percent in both value and volume.

Imports of mineral fuels/electric current increased by 51 percent in value while they decreased by 2 percent in volume compared with the same period last year. Within this product area, imports of crude petroleum oils increased by 63 percent in value and by 4 percent in volume. Compared with the previous month, imports of crude petroleum oils decreased by 22 percent in value and by 12 percent in volume.

Definitions and explanations

The value index and the volume index describe nominal and real value trends over time. The real value trends describe trends in which price changes have been removed. The indices refer to chain indices with base year 2015=100.

Next publishing will be

The next item of statistical news in this series will be published on 2026-08-27.

Statistical Database

More information is available in the Statistical Database