Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
[4D1_F1] Crosscutting social indicators; Coordination
1.3. Contact name
Confidential because of GDPR
1.4. Contact person function
Confidential because of GDPR
1.5. Contact mail address
2920 Luxembourg LUXEMBOURG
1.6. Contact email address
Confidential because of GDPR
1.7. Contact phone number
Confidential because of GDPR
1.8. Contact fax number
Confidential because of GDPR
2.1. Metadata last certified
8 August 2025
2.2. Metadata last posted
8 August 2025
2.3. Metadata last update
21 September 2026
3.1. Data description
Sport and its spill-over effects in manufacturing, services and as well in international trade are gaining the growing impact in the worldwide economies and societies. Consequently, sport has been awarded a significant role in numerous European programs and policies like Erasmus+. The comparable statistics on number of jobs created by sport related sectors, value added generated by sport related industries and services or impact of the trade in sporting goods on total international trade volume are only few indicators that can assess the relative contribution of sport to the economic growth.
The statistics on international trade in sporting goods provide the value of imports and exports of these goods traded among Member States and internationally, enable to assess the weight of sport trade in total national trade, its contribution to EU total and allow the analysis of trade by type of sporting good.
"Goods" in this particular case means all movable property, in other terms products having a physical dimension. So, external trade in licenses and copyrights is not included.
Data source International trade statistics are stored in the database on international trade administrated by Eurostat - Comext. Comext contains statistics on goods traded between the EU Member States (intra-EU trade) and goods traded by the EU Member States with non-EU countries (extra-EU trade). The trade values for other political or geographical entities like EFTA and Candidate countries are as well collected. Comext database is built around 6 main dimensions:
REPORTER
PARTNER
FLOW
PRODUCT
TIME
INDICATOR
The REPORTER dimension includes the country declaring commercial transactions. In the PARTNER dimension the trade partners of the declaring country are included. This dimension lists all the countries of the world. The FLOW dimension distinguishes exports and imports. The INDICATOR dimension specifies the value or volume of traded products. The PRODUCT dimension contains the items by HS, CN or SITC depending on the dataset Concerning TIME, both annual and monthly breakdowns are available.
The Comext data are updated regularly and the CN classification undergoes regular revisions to ensure it is kept up to date in the light of changes in the technology and international trade patterns.
Sporting goods
The framework for defining the list of sporting goods was based on the Vilnius Definition, the Study on the Contribution of Sport to Economic Growth and Employment in the EU and 2009 UNESCO Framework for cultural statistics. For the final selection of the list, the 'sport content' and ' sport intensity' of the numerous articles identified within the Harmonised Systems (HS) nomenclature were analysed and assessed. The items retained within the sport scope have the following characteristics – they are typically associated with the manufacture of sporting goods and correspond to equipment used in major sport disciplines.
The identified codes by HS (6 digit) are aggregated in the following sport categories (see below):
Skis and related equipment;
Skates;
Water sport;
Golf;
Racket sports (tennis and badminton);
Balls;
Gymnastic, athletic and swimming equipment;
Fishing;
Bicycles;
Parachutes;
Sportswear;
Footwear;
Shotguns.
The detailed list of HS codes included in the sporting goods aggregates is provided in Annex 1 to the metadata.
The data are compiled for the following trade partners:
Intra-EU;
Extra-EU;
World;
Main trading partners.
3.2. Classification system
In the European Union's system of gathering trade statistics products are defined according to the Combined Nomenclature (CN) at 8-digit level. The first 6-digit codes of CN coincide with the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (HS) managed by the World Customs Organisation (WCO).
The sporting goods are identified at 6-digit level of HS as this level is sufficient for the analysis and comparisons of sport trade at international level. Please refer to Annex 1 for the detailed list of sporting goods.
The Geonomenclature is used for classifying reporting countries and trading partners.
For a detailed description of the HS and CN classifications, please check Eurostat’s CN catalogue.
3.3. Coverage - sector
International trade in sporting goods
Sport trade activities are those which involve buying sport products from a third party in order to sell them with no (or very little) transformation. The aim of international trade statistics as stated in the UN 2010 manual is ‘to record all goods which add to or subtract from the stock of material resources of a country by entering (imports) or leaving (exports) its economic territory’. At EU level, the ‘economic territory’ is the statistical territory of a Member State, which corresponds to its customs territory with one exception - the statistical territory but not the customs territory of Germany includes Heligoland.
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
In the EU, the external trade of goods is monitored, reported and registered in accordance with EU regulations establishing the legal frames for gathering trade statistics. The use of common definitions, classifications and the respect of common procedures guarantee the high level of quality and harmonisation of the collected data and enable the international comparisons at a very detailed level. For more information about the specificity of data collection, procedures and methodologies applied in Member States, please refer to the User guide on European statistics on international trade in goods.
3.5. Statistical unit
For extra-EU trade statistics, the statistical unit is any natural or legal person lodging a customs declaration in a Member State, provided that the customs procedure is of statistical relevance.
For intra-EU trade statistics, any taxable person carrying out an intra-EU trade transaction is responsible for providing the required information. However, intra-EU traders whose trade value does not exceed the national Intrastat thresholds may be exempted from reporting or may provide less detailed information. These thresholds are set by Member States in accordance with the quality standards laid down for Intrastat statistics.
3.6. Statistical population
Trade in sporting goods of the EU and its Member States covers all sporting goods that add to or subtract from the stock of material resources of the reporting Member State by entering, in the case of imports, or leaving, in the case of exports, its economic territory.
The statistical population therefore consists of the relevant import and export flows of sporting goods, as defined by the product scope of this dataset. Information on these flows is provided by natural or legal persons under the reporting arrangements applicable to international trade in goods statistics.
3.7. Reference area
European Union (as aggregate EU27_2020, and for each Member State), EFTA, the United Kingdom, Candidate Countries, Potential candidates.
3.8. Coverage - Time
Since 2004 onwards.
3.9. Base period
Not applicable.
The value of trade of sport goods is expressed in thousands of euro. In addition, the following indicators are computed:
Percentage of total national trade (PC_TOT) – for total sport trade.
Percentage of EU total (PC_EU27_2020) - the value of sport trade of each Member State is divided by the value of the EU total sport trade. It enables to see the contribution of Member States to the total EU sport trade for each group of sporting goods.
Percentage of total sport trade (PC).
The reference period for the information on international trade in goods transactions is, in principle, the calendar month in which the goods are dispatched/exported or arrive/imported.
In practice, for extra-EU trade the reference period is generally the calendar month during which the customs declaration is accepted by the national authorities. For intra-EU trade it may be adapted, in the case of sales or purchases, to the calendar month during which VAT on intra-EU supplies or acquisitions becomes chargeable.
Monthly data are then aggregated to obtain annual data.
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
Since reference periods from 2022, international trade in goods statistics have been provided on the basis of Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 on European business statistics, Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1197 on technical specifications and arrangements for European business statistics, Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/1225 on arrangements for the data exchanges, and Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/47 on the statistical information to be provided by tax and customs authorities.
For reference periods before 2022, intra-EU trade statistics were governed by Regulation (EC) No 638/2004 and Commission Regulation (EC) No 1982/2004, while extra-EU trade statistics were governed by Regulation (EC) No 471/2009, Commission Regulation (EC) No 92/2010 and Commission Regulation (EC) No 113/2010.
Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics (recital 24 and Article 20(4)) of 11 March 2009 (OJ L 87, p. 164), stipulates the need to establish common principles and guidelines ensuring the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics and the access to those confidential data with due account for technical developments and the requirements of users in a democratic society.
As a general definition, data used by national and EU authorities for producing statistics are considered confidential if statistical units can be identified, either directly or indirectly, and information about individuals or businesses is disclosed as a result.
Note that confidential information can be found only in detailed data or in data by enterprise characteristics. The aggregated data or the data by invoicing currency are not detailed enough to make it possible to identify a specific trader.
Data on international trade in sporting goods are released annually for the new reference year t, after the publication of annual aggregates for international trade in goods, typically in August.
In line with the EU legal framework and the European Statistics Code of Practice, Eurostat disseminates European statistics on Eurostat's website (see item 10 - 'Accessibility and clarity') respecting professional independence and in an objective, professional and transparent manner in which all users are treated equitably.
The infographic on Sport Statistics provides an overview of data on sport which are available in Eurostat by combining attractive visualisations with relevant data. These statistics are derived from different data collections at EU level and concern such domains as employment, international trade, participation in sport events and practising of sport.
Detailed monthly and annual data on international trade in goods for EU Member States, EFTA countries, the United Kingdom, candidate countries and potential candidate countries are available online through the Easy Comext tool.
10.4. Dissemination format - microdata access
Not applicable.
10.5. Dissemination format - other
The Bulk download facility allows users to download Eurostat datasets in a format which can easily be imported into a chosen tool for further analysis.
Statistics about international trade in goods are available in csv format from the Bulk Download web page and the Comext domain, together with metadata (classifications, data availability, etc.) and methodological notes.
10.6. Documentation on methodology
The Vilnius definition of sport related sectors and products lists a number of codes at 6 digit of Classification of Products by Activity (CPA) and classifies them in 3 levels: statistical, narrow and broad according to the intensity of input needed or output generated by sport. The Vilnius definition delimits the scope of sport in general and enables the identification of sport goods according to HS through the correspondence between this classification and CPA.
The framework considers sport and recreation as activities that may have a cultural content although their main component is not cultural. Several sporting goods are identified and included in cultural scope as related domain.
The FCS proposes a selection of sport and gambling equipment corresponding to the definition of sport embracing the following professional and amateur activities:
organized and/or competitive sports;
physical fitness and well-being;
physical recreation activities undertaken for pleasure or relaxation that diverts, amuses or stimulates including gambling and amusement parks.
In the FCS, the sport footwear or clothes are excluded from the sport scope.
This study, carried out in the context of the Expert Group on Sport, aimed at developing a common approach and harmonising the efforts in order to assess the economic impact of sport. The methodology proposed in the study elaborated by SpEA concentrates on the economic dimension of sport through the setting up of Sport Satellite Accounts. The report proposes a list of sport goods centred on equipment only and according to the Standard International Trade Classification (SITC Rev.4).
The guide describes the basic methodology and data sources used for the compilation of EU statistics on the trade of goods. It also provides some information on the differences between EU statistics and those published by Member States and international organisations. The publication is aimed at the general user of international trade in goods statistics and does not require a specialist background to be understood.
10.7. Quality management - documentation
Quality Reports on European Statistics on international trade in goods - Quality Reports provide users with a tool to assess the quality of the international trade in goods statistics published by Eurostat. The data quality can be assessed against indicators covering the following components: relevance, accuracy, timeliness and punctuality, accessibility and clarity, comparability and coherence.
Within the European Union (EU) there is a growing demand for sound and internationally comparable economic statistics on sport. During the past decades several attempts were made to set up sport satellite accounts (SSA) on national as well as European levels.
In order to address this situation, the European Commission set up an EU Working Group on Sport and Economics (EU WG) in 2006. The general assignment of this EU WG was to develop a common European approach for measuring the economic importance of sport. In the future these efforts may mature into a European satellite account for sport (European Commission, 2007). Since 2006 the first steps toward development of a harmonised framework for the SSA were made. One of the EU WG’s most important results so far is the agreement on the ‘Vilnius definition of sport’.
The need of evidence-based policies, better comparable data and involvement of Eurostat in sport comes from repeated calls from the policy level (starting from the AT presidency in 2006). The Commission responded with the Erasmus+ programme which finances different activities and studies (including studies to improve the database, the development of Satellite Accounts in MS's, Eurobarometer surveys on sport), grants, seminar etc.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
The development of sports statistics is continuously discussed with the European Commission policymakers and with the representatives of the countries.
12.3. Completeness
Statistics on international trade in sporting goods are derived from international trade in goods statistics. The underlying data are compiled under EU legislation directly applicable in the EU Member States. This framework specifies the variables to be provided to Eurostat, and all mandatory variables are transmitted by all EU Member States.
Statistics on EU trade in sporting goods are not collected via samples and so are not impacted by sampling errors. Intra-EU trade data are collected via the Intrastat system which is considered as a cut-off census. Extra-EU trade data are based on the records of trade transactions in customs declarations and are so considered to be of administrative source.
EU Member States provide Eurostat with monthly detailed data within 40 calendar days after the reference month for extra-EU trade and within 70 calendar days after the reference month for intra-EU trade.
First results (including estimates) on Euro area and EU trade balances are published online around 46 days after the reference month in the international trade Euro-indicators news release. The latest detailed data (including updates and revisions) are published at the date of the monthly news release.
Statistics on international trade in sporting goods are derived from these source data. They are compiled and updated once a year, after the annual data in Comext have been compiled.
14.2. Punctuality
As statistics on international trade in sporting goods are derived from international trade in goods statistics, their punctuality depends on the availability and punctuality of the primary data. Please consult the International trade in goods metadata.
Comparability over time of statistics on international trade in sporting goods depends on the comparability of the underlying international trade in goods data. Where changes in data collection methods or classification revisions affect the time series, the data are flagged as a break in series.
Data on international trade are revised frequently according to national needs and practices. They become normally final from six months up to more than one year after the reference year. Revisions to older data are also possible.
The revisions of source data impacting sport trade are assessed and analysed once a year.
17.2. Data revision - practice
All reported errors (once validated) result in corrections of the disseminated data.
Reported errors are corrected in the disseminated data as soon as the correct data have been validated.
Data may be published even if they are missing for certain countries or flagged as provisional or of low reliability for certain countries.
European aggregates are updated for consistency with new country data.
New data are only used to update disseminated data if provided according to the provision schedule set by Eurostat, or in the case of reported errors.
Statistics on international trade in sporting goods are derived from data extracted from Comext dataset DS-059341 (International trade of EU and non-EU countries since 2002 by HS2-4-6).
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Statistics on international trade in sporting goods are compiled and disseminated annually.
Detailed source data on international trade in goods are available monthly.
Additional validation checks are carried out on the derived data on international trade in sporting goods before dissemination.
18.5. Data compilation
The aggregates for international trade in sporting goods are calculated on the basis of harmonised figures provided by the EU Member States to Eurostat according to the Community concept.
Sporting goods
A conservative approach was applied when selecting sporting goods, with the aim of avoiding an overestimation of trade flows. The retained list is limited to goods that are fully related to sport or have a strong sport-related character, namely:
goods manufactured under NACE Rev. 2 group 32.3, Manufacture of sports goods;
goods constituting essential sports equipment and identified as such in the Harmonised System (HS);
selected sportswear and footwear articles required for practising sport;
selected goods used in both sport and recreation contexts, such as boats and bicycles.
Statistics on international trade in sporting goods are presented in two datasets:
Intra- and extra-EU trade in sport goods by product (sprt_trd_prd)
This dataset presents trade values of sporting goods for aggregated partners, expressed in thousand euro, as a percentage of total national trade, as a percentage of total trade in sporting goods and as a percentage of total EU Member States trade.
Intra- and extra-EU trade in sport goods by product and partner (sprt_trd_prt)
This dataset presents trade values of sporting goods by main importing and exporting partners outside the EU. Given the significant weight of European countries in trade in sporting goods, EU Member States are also kept in the partner dimension in order to provide a more complete picture of these trade flows.
The detailed list of sporting goods by HS code is provided in Annex 1 to the metadata.
Sport and its spill-over effects in manufacturing, services and as well in international trade are gaining the growing impact in the worldwide economies and societies. Consequently, sport has been awarded a significant role in numerous European programs and policies like Erasmus+. The comparable statistics on number of jobs created by sport related sectors, value added generated by sport related industries and services or impact of the trade in sporting goods on total international trade volume are only few indicators that can assess the relative contribution of sport to the economic growth.
The statistics on international trade in sporting goods provide the value of imports and exports of these goods traded among Member States and internationally, enable to assess the weight of sport trade in total national trade, its contribution to EU total and allow the analysis of trade by type of sporting good.
"Goods" in this particular case means all movable property, in other terms products having a physical dimension. So, external trade in licenses and copyrights is not included.
Data source International trade statistics are stored in the database on international trade administrated by Eurostat - Comext. Comext contains statistics on goods traded between the EU Member States (intra-EU trade) and goods traded by the EU Member States with non-EU countries (extra-EU trade). The trade values for other political or geographical entities like EFTA and Candidate countries are as well collected. Comext database is built around 6 main dimensions:
REPORTER
PARTNER
FLOW
PRODUCT
TIME
INDICATOR
The REPORTER dimension includes the country declaring commercial transactions. In the PARTNER dimension the trade partners of the declaring country are included. This dimension lists all the countries of the world. The FLOW dimension distinguishes exports and imports. The INDICATOR dimension specifies the value or volume of traded products. The PRODUCT dimension contains the items by HS, CN or SITC depending on the dataset Concerning TIME, both annual and monthly breakdowns are available.
The Comext data are updated regularly and the CN classification undergoes regular revisions to ensure it is kept up to date in the light of changes in the technology and international trade patterns.
Sporting goods
The framework for defining the list of sporting goods was based on the Vilnius Definition, the Study on the Contribution of Sport to Economic Growth and Employment in the EU and 2009 UNESCO Framework for cultural statistics. For the final selection of the list, the 'sport content' and ' sport intensity' of the numerous articles identified within the Harmonised Systems (HS) nomenclature were analysed and assessed. The items retained within the sport scope have the following characteristics – they are typically associated with the manufacture of sporting goods and correspond to equipment used in major sport disciplines.
The identified codes by HS (6 digit) are aggregated in the following sport categories (see below):
Skis and related equipment;
Skates;
Water sport;
Golf;
Racket sports (tennis and badminton);
Balls;
Gymnastic, athletic and swimming equipment;
Fishing;
Bicycles;
Parachutes;
Sportswear;
Footwear;
Shotguns.
The detailed list of HS codes included in the sporting goods aggregates is provided in Annex 1 to the metadata.
The data are compiled for the following trade partners:
Intra-EU;
Extra-EU;
World;
Main trading partners.
21 September 2026
In the EU, the external trade of goods is monitored, reported and registered in accordance with EU regulations establishing the legal frames for gathering trade statistics. The use of common definitions, classifications and the respect of common procedures guarantee the high level of quality and harmonisation of the collected data and enable the international comparisons at a very detailed level. For more information about the specificity of data collection, procedures and methodologies applied in Member States, please refer to the User guide on European statistics on international trade in goods.
For extra-EU trade statistics, the statistical unit is any natural or legal person lodging a customs declaration in a Member State, provided that the customs procedure is of statistical relevance.
For intra-EU trade statistics, any taxable person carrying out an intra-EU trade transaction is responsible for providing the required information. However, intra-EU traders whose trade value does not exceed the national Intrastat thresholds may be exempted from reporting or may provide less detailed information. These thresholds are set by Member States in accordance with the quality standards laid down for Intrastat statistics.
Trade in sporting goods of the EU and its Member States covers all sporting goods that add to or subtract from the stock of material resources of the reporting Member State by entering, in the case of imports, or leaving, in the case of exports, its economic territory.
The statistical population therefore consists of the relevant import and export flows of sporting goods, as defined by the product scope of this dataset. Information on these flows is provided by natural or legal persons under the reporting arrangements applicable to international trade in goods statistics.
European Union (as aggregate EU27_2020, and for each Member State), EFTA, the United Kingdom, Candidate Countries, Potential candidates.
The reference period for the information on international trade in goods transactions is, in principle, the calendar month in which the goods are dispatched/exported or arrive/imported.
In practice, for extra-EU trade the reference period is generally the calendar month during which the customs declaration is accepted by the national authorities. For intra-EU trade it may be adapted, in the case of sales or purchases, to the calendar month during which VAT on intra-EU supplies or acquisitions becomes chargeable.
Monthly data are then aggregated to obtain annual data.
The value of trade of sport goods is expressed in thousands of euro. In addition, the following indicators are computed:
Percentage of total national trade (PC_TOT) – for total sport trade.
Percentage of EU total (PC_EU27_2020) - the value of sport trade of each Member State is divided by the value of the EU total sport trade. It enables to see the contribution of Member States to the total EU sport trade for each group of sporting goods.
Percentage of total sport trade (PC).
The aggregates for international trade in sporting goods are calculated on the basis of harmonised figures provided by the EU Member States to Eurostat according to the Community concept.
Sporting goods
A conservative approach was applied when selecting sporting goods, with the aim of avoiding an overestimation of trade flows. The retained list is limited to goods that are fully related to sport or have a strong sport-related character, namely:
goods manufactured under NACE Rev. 2 group 32.3, Manufacture of sports goods;
goods constituting essential sports equipment and identified as such in the Harmonised System (HS);
selected sportswear and footwear articles required for practising sport;
selected goods used in both sport and recreation contexts, such as boats and bicycles.
Statistics on international trade in sporting goods are presented in two datasets:
Intra- and extra-EU trade in sport goods by product (sprt_trd_prd)
This dataset presents trade values of sporting goods for aggregated partners, expressed in thousand euro, as a percentage of total national trade, as a percentage of total trade in sporting goods and as a percentage of total EU Member States trade.
Intra- and extra-EU trade in sport goods by product and partner (sprt_trd_prt)
This dataset presents trade values of sporting goods by main importing and exporting partners outside the EU. Given the significant weight of European countries in trade in sporting goods, EU Member States are also kept in the partner dimension in order to provide a more complete picture of these trade flows.
The detailed list of sporting goods by HS code is provided in Annex 1 to the metadata.
Statistics on international trade in sporting goods are derived from data extracted from Comext dataset DS-059341 (International trade of EU and non-EU countries since 2002 by HS2-4-6).
Annual.
EU Member States provide Eurostat with monthly detailed data within 40 calendar days after the reference month for extra-EU trade and within 70 calendar days after the reference month for intra-EU trade.
First results (including estimates) on Euro area and EU trade balances are published online around 46 days after the reference month in the international trade Euro-indicators news release. The latest detailed data (including updates and revisions) are published at the date of the monthly news release.
Statistics on international trade in sporting goods are derived from these source data. They are compiled and updated once a year, after the annual data in Comext have been compiled.
Comparability over time of statistics on international trade in sporting goods depends on the comparability of the underlying international trade in goods data. Where changes in data collection methods or classification revisions affect the time series, the data are flagged as a break in series.
