Libya - Foreign trade

Libya has long enjoyed a favorable trade balance because of exports of crude oil, mostly to Europe. Crude petroleum and petroleum products make up the majority of Libya's export commodity market (93%). Other exports include natural and manufactured gas (3.1%), hydrocarbons (1.5%), and fertilizers (1.1%). In 1997 Libya's imports were distributed among the following categories:

Consumer goods	13.7%
Food	19.4%
Fuels	0.2%
Industrial supplies	29.0%
Machinery	24.9%
Transportation	12.6%
Other	0.2%

Principal trading partners in 1999 (in millions of US dollars) were as follows:

COUNTRY	EXPORTS	IMPORTS	BALANCE
Italy	2,987	756	2,231
Germany	1,507	599	908
Spain	1,085	116	969
France	510	228	282
Vietnam	449	n.a.	n.a.
Tunisia	321	142	179
Switzerland	105	171	-66
United Kingdom	104	266	-162
Korea	n.a.	322	n.a.
Japan	n.a.	203	n.a.