Sweden’s Imports From Portugal Jump 24% in August to SEK 863 Million — Copper Concentrate Does Most of the Work, and Portugal Supplies 84% of Sweden’s Vehicle Speedometers

Sweden imported SEK 863.4 million of goods from Portugal in August 2026, about €78 million at the month’s ECB average rate. That is 24% more than the SEK 695.1 million of August 2025. It is the strongest August since 2023, when the figure reached SEK 883.9 million. The numbers come from the monthly trade table by product and partner country that Statistics Sweden (SCB) updated this morning, 27 October, at 08:00. Over January–August, Swedish imports from Portugal reached SEK 7,422 million, up 9.7% on the same months of 2025. In euros the gain is larger, about 12%, to roughly €685 million, because the krona is stronger than a year ago. Portugal’s share of everything Sweden imports edged up from 0.54% to 0.55%.

One mine, three quarters of the gain

Most of the August increase comes from one product line. Sweden imported 8,418 tonnes of copper ores and concentrates (CN 2603) from Portugal in August, worth SEK 223.6 million, against 5,133 tonnes and SEK 100.3 million a year earlier. That one line added SEK 123 million, or 73% of the month’s SEK 168 million rise. The value per tonne was SEK 26,562, up 36% on August 2025. That reflects higher copper prices and possibly a richer concentrate. The material almost certainly comes from Neves-Corvo in Castro Verde, the Alentejo copper-zinc mine that Boliden bought from Lundin Mining in April 2025, and it feeds the group’s Rönnskär smelter in northern Sweden. SCB does not name companies, but NorthSouth HQ set out the link in September. No other Portuguese copper flow to Sweden is large enough to explain the numbers.

Copper concentrate and copper products (chapter 74) together came to SEK 1,763 million in January–August, or 24% of everything Sweden bought from Portugal. Without copper the picture is flatter. Excluding both lines, imports from Portugal were SEK 5,659 million over eight months, 2.6% lower than a year earlier. August on its own was better: excluding copper, the month rose 7.6% to SEK 640 million.

Dashboards and drivetrains

After copper, the biggest Portuguese flows to Sweden are car electronics. In the eight-digit data, one line stands out. Under CN 90292031, speed indicators for land vehicles (the speedometer and instrument-cluster category), Sweden imported SEK 400.9 million from Portugal in January–August, out of SEK 478.7 million from all countries. That makes Portugal the source of 84% of Sweden’s imports in the category. August alone brought SEK 37.5 million, up from SEK 27.2 million. Other electrical lines also grew. Transformers and static converters (CN 8504) rose 35% to SEK 542.0 million over eight months. Switchboards and control panels (CN 8537) went from SEK 27.1 million to SEK 122.1 million. The one large electronics line that fell was radio and infotainment receivers (CN 8527), down 17% to SEK 620.8 million, although August itself was up.

Finished cars were volatile. In August Sweden imported 245 new petrol cars with 1.0–1.5 litre engines from Portugal, worth SEK 61.5 million, against 54 cars a year earlier. Even so, vehicles and parts (chapter 87) are still down 21% for January–August, at SEK 622.2 million. NorthSouth HQ’s report on what Sweden sells to Portugal found car shipments falling in the other direction too.

Pulp down, pellets and soup up

Pulp is the main line going the wrong way. Sweden took 9,598 tonnes of chemical wood pulp (CN 4703) from Portugal in August, worth SEK 54.7 million, against 15,060 tonnes and SEK 82.6 million a year before. Over eight months the line is down 24% to SEK 479.4 million. Portugal’s eucalyptus pulp exporters, including Altri and The Navigator Company, sell short-fibre pulp to Nordic tissue and paper mills, and Swedish buyers are taking less of it this year.

Several smaller lines appeared in August for the first time this year or grew sharply. Sweden recorded 3,450 tonnes of Portuguese wood pellets, worth SEK 7.3 million. Sweden had imported no pellets from Portugal in January–August 2025 or in the first seven months of 2026. This one cargo made up 34% of Sweden’s pellet imports from all countries in August. Portuguese pellets also turned up in Danish data this autumn, as covered in NorthSouth HQ’s report on Denmark’s August imports. Soups and broths (CN 2104) rose to 619 tonnes and SEK 21.2 million, from 77 tonnes. Over the year, though, the line is only up 11%, so the August jump looks like a change in shipment timing. Portuguese ice cream worth SEK 6.5 million (246 tonnes) also arrived, against none in August 2025.

The consumer lines: lenses up, wine down

Plastic spectacle lenses (CN 900150) are one of the fastest-growing Portuguese lines in Sweden, with eight-month imports up 84% to SEK 101.8 million. Spectacle frames (CN 9003) rose 45% to SEK 72.2 million. Furniture (chapter 94) grew 25% to SEK 191.4 million, and knitted and crocheted apparel (chapter 61) gained 12% to SEK 202.9 million. Knitted fabrics (chapter 60) went from SEK 1.6 million to SEK 35.2 million. The traditional consumer categories were weaker. Woven apparel (chapter 62) fell 18% to SEK 175.3 million, beverages (chapter 22, mostly wine) fell 12% to SEK 160.3 million, and footwear slipped 4% to SEK 95.1 million. Ceramics edged up 3% to SEK 121.5 million.

What it means and what to watch

The August figures give the same answer as the July ones. Portugal’s headline growth in Sweden depends on one mine-to-smelter flow and on car electronics. The consumer goods that Portuguese trade promotion usually focuses on (wine, footwear, woven clothing) are flat to falling in the Swedish data this year. The exceptions are furniture, knitwear and eyewear. For Portuguese exporters outside those lines, Sweden is a market to win account by account, not one that is growing on its own.

The next reference points are Boliden’s third-quarter report on 29 October, which should show how much Neves-Corvo concentrate is going to the group’s smelters, and SCB’s September data at the end of November. SCB revises earlier months in each release, so the January–July total now stands at SEK 6,559 million, slightly below the figure in the first release. Portuguese companies already selling in Sweden are listed in the directory of Portuguese companies in the Nordics, and Nordic companies active in Portugal are in the directory of Nordic companies in Portugal.

Sources: Statistics Sweden (SCB), Imports of goods from all countries by CN and trading partner, monthly (ImpTotalKNMan), country of consignment, not adjusted for non-response, updated 27 October 2026, data to August 2026, queried at CN2, CN4 and CN8 level; European Central Bank, monthly average SEK/EUR reference rates. Euro figures are approximate, converted month by month. Company attributions for the copper concentrate are based on NorthSouth HQ’s earlier reporting and are not stated by SCB.