On occasion of the Europe Day (9 May), Statistics Portugal releases a brief analysis on the evolution of International Trade in Goods Statistics of Portugal, since 1985, the year before Portugal became a member of the former European Economic Community.
In 1985, Portuguese exports of goods stood at EUR 4 847.1 million (21.3% of GDP) and imports of goods reached EUR 6 616.7 million (29.0% of GDP), with a trade balance of EUR -1 769.6 million (-7.8% of GDP) and a corresponding coverage rate of 73.3%.
In 2014 exports of goods reached EUR 48 177.1 million (27.8% of GDP) and imports accounted for EUR 58 853.8 million (34.0% of GDP), corresponding to a trade balance of EUR -10 676.7 million (-6.2% of GDP) and a coverage rate of 81.9%.
During this period trade transactions with Spain increased significantly, and the neighbor country became the main partner of Portugal.