Yugoslavia's exports in the late 1980s consisted mainly of manufactured goods, ores, and simple processed goods. One-third of goods sold abroad were electrical goods, machinery, and transportation equipment (see table 16, Appendix). This was a relatively high proportion of sophisticated exports, considering that among European nations Yugoslavia ranked low in per capita income. Main export customers were Italy, the Soviet Union, France, Austria, Czechoslovakia, the United States, and the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany). Live horses and meat products were Yugoslavia's most important agricultural exports. The largest single meat export, veal, was shipped primarily to Greece. Meat export declined in the late 1970s because of EEC trade barriers, a rise in domestic meat consumption, and feed shortages; but between 1985 and 1987, total meat product exports more than doubled, rising well beyond the 1980 level. Yugoslavia ran trade deficits in merchandise of US$1.5 billion in 1985, US$2.2 billion in 1986, US$1.4 billion in 1987, and US$619 million in 1988.

Throughout the postwar period, Yugoslavia was a net importer of raw materials, fuels, iron and steel products, and capital equipment (see table 17, Appendix). Chief suppliers of petroleum products were the Soviet Union, Iraq, Libya, and Algeria. Machinery and transport equipment, also imported in large amounts, came principally from West Germany, Italy, the United States, the Soviet Union, Britain, and Czechoslovak. In the category of non-petroleum raw materials, Yugoslavia bought oil seeds and coal from the United States, wool from Australia, cotton, coal, and iron ore from the Soviet Union, and cotton from Egypt.

Data as of December 1990

NOTE: The information regarding Yugoslavia (former) on this page is re-published from The Library of Congress Country Studies and the CIA World Factbook. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Yugoslavia (former) Exports and Imports information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Yugoslavia (former) Exports and Imports should be addressed to the Library of Congress and the CIA.