Italy had a trade deficit of 21.1 billion euros (27.6 billion dollars) last year, the highest since 1993 and more than double the 2005 figure of 9.37 billion euros, official data showed on Friday.

The statistics institute Istat which produced the figures said that the cost of importing oil and natural gas was equivalent to 15.1 percent of imports last year, up from 13.3 percent in 2005, and had totalled 52 billion euros from 40.7 billion euros the previous year.

Last year, Italian exports grew by 8.8 percent and imports grew by 12.3 percent.