SOFIA, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- Bulgaria's trade deficit with countries outside the European Union (EU) increased threefold in 2017 year-on-year, preliminary data of the country's National Statistical Institute (NSI) showed on Friday.

According to the NSI, Bulgaria's foreign trade balance with non-EU countries in 2017 was negative and added up to 3.6 billion BGN (some 2.3 billion U.S. dollars) while in 2016 the deficit stood at 1.2 billion BGN.

In 2017, Bulgarian exports to non-EU countries amounted to 17.7 billion BGN, a 10.7 percent increase in comparison with the previous year, the NSI said.

Main trade partners of Bulgaria were Turkey, Russia, China, Serbia, Macedonia and Egypt, which accounted for 51.6 percent of the exports to non-EU countries.

The largest export growths compared to 2016 were recorded in the sections 'Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material' (42.1 percent) and 'Miscellaneous manufactured articles' (23.2 percent), while the most notable falls were reported in 'Food and live animals' (16.7 percent) and 'Beverages and tobacco' (11.9 percent), the NSI said.

Meanwhile, Bulgarian imports from non-EU countries in 2017 increased by 24.1 percent year-on-year to 21.3 billion BGN with the largest imports coming from Russia, Turkey, China and Serbia, the NSI said.

The largest import growths were recorded in the sections 'Crude materials, inedible (except fuel)' (42.3 percent) and 'Animals and vegetable oils, fats and waxes' (40.1 percent), the NSI said.

According to the NSI, China was Bulgaria's third largest export and import partner outside the EU in 2017, with export and import figures reaching 1.246 billion BGN and 2.169 billion BGN, or 36.3 percent and 6.6 percent more than in 2016. (1 U.S. dollar = 1.59 BGN)