The importance of the top exporter in regional exports

We use Spanish firm-level data over the period 1998-2018 to examine the importance of the top exporter in each province (NUTS-III) exports. We find that: (1) the top exporter in each province represents about one fifth of total exports per year; (2) it contributes significantly to province ' s export growth whilst on its way towards the top position; and (3) shocks to the top exporter of a province explain the fluctuations in aggregate exports growth.