Russia's positive foreign trade balance was $59.8bn in 2002

Russia's positive trade balance was $59.8bn in 2002, an increase of $1.7bn from the figure reported in 2001, the Russian State Customs Committee reported. According to the customs statistics, in 2002 Russia's foreign trade turnover was $151.8bn, up 7 percent from the figure of 2001, including exports of $105.8bn (up 5.8 percent) and imports of $46bn (up 9.8 percent). In 2002 Russia's foreign trade turnover reached the highest level in 10 years which is due to a substantial growth of exports that exceeded $100bn, the Customs Committee pointed out.

In 2002 Russian exports and imports grew every quarter as compared to the corresponding quarter of 2001. Russia's major trade partners in 2002 were foreign countries (as opposed to countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States). They account for 83 percent of the overall trade turnover, including 85.3 percent in exports and 77.8 percent in imports.