November’s exports from Portugal reached 5.5 billion (US$4.9 billion), last year’s peak, according to data released by Statistics Portugal. Data regarding December has not been released yet.

The value of Portuguese exports increased by 7.6 percent in year-on-year terms last November largely due to a 16.6-percent increase in trade with countries outside the European Union.

The value of imports into Portugal in November increased by 8.4 percent compared to the same period a year earlier “mostly as a result of the 11.7-percent growth recorded in Intra-EU trade,” the bureau says. This was also the biggest value for last year.

Portugal’s trade deficit was 791 million in November, an increase of 91 million compared to the same time 12 months earlier.