Archive:Extra-EU trade in manufactured goods
- Data from April 2017. Most recent data: Further Eurostat information, Main tables and Database. Planned update: May 2018
This article focuses on the structure and evolution of the European Union (EU) international trade in manufactured goods: imports and exports at EU level.
The Standard international trade classification (SITC) distinguishes four main categories (sections) of manufactured goods:
- chemicals (SITC 5);
- manufactured goods classified chiefly by material (SITC 6);
- machinery and vehicles (SITC 7);
- miscellaneous manufactured articles (SITC 8);
Sections 6 and 8 are often grouped together as 'other manufactured goods'. This grouping is also used in this article.
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Main statistical findings
Manufactured goods are the main type of goods trade by the EU. In 2016 they made up 83 % of all EU exports. The three categories of manufactured goods: 'chemicals', 'machinery and vehicles' and 'other manufactured goods had shares of 18 %, 42 % and 23 % respectively.
In imports the share of manufactured goods was somewhat lower with 68 %. The shares for the categories machinery and vehicles (32 %) and other manufactured goods (26 %) were somewhat closer than in exports. As before the category "chemicals" (11 %) had the smallest share among the three categories.
Figure 1 shows that intra-EU trade is has consistently been about twice as high as extra-EU trade since 2002, although the share of extra-EU trade has been around 3 points higher in the last years than it was in the beginning of the period. During the financial crisis of 2008 both declined without their relative shares changing very much.
Since 2002 imports and exports have nearly doubled in value (see Figure 2). Between 2002 and 2013 exports grew somewhat more than imports, leading to a record trade balance of EUR 388 billion which has fallen in the last four years to EUR 269 billion in 2016. Between 2015 and 2016 exports fell slightly for the first time since 2009 while imports were almost stable in this year.
Five of the eight main partners in exports of 'manufactured products' are also among the eight main partners in imports (see Figure 3). These are the United States, China, Switzerland, Turkey and Japan. The remaining top-8 partners in exports are Russia, the United Arab Emirates and Norway while in imports we find three Asian countries, namely South Korea, India and Vietnam.
The three sectors that we distinguish in manufactured products have different shares in extra-EU exports and imports (see Figure 4). Both 'machinery and vehicles' and 'chemicals' have higher shares in exports while 'other manufactured goods' has a higher share in imports. Each of these three sectors will be discussed in separate paragraphs below.
Chemicals
. The chemicals sector (SITC Section 5) contains various chemical goods such as organic chemicals, inorganic chemicals, plastics and pharmaceutical products. The various categories can be found in Figure 5. The largest category in exports, imports and trade balance is 'medicinal and pharmaceutical products'. In almost all categories the EU has a trade surplus with the only exceptions in the smaller categories of 'inorganic chemicals' and 'fertilizers' (see figure 5).
. A majority of imports come from a small number of countries: in 2016 the two largest suppliers (the United States with 31 % and Switzerland with 23 %) accounted for more than half of all imports (see Figure 6) while the top eight accounted for almost 80 %. The United States (27 %) and Switzerland (10 %) were also the main export destinations for chemicals. China held the third position both in exports (7 %) and in imports (9 %).
Machinery and vehicles
‘Machinery and vehicles’ is the most important individual product group in the international trade of the EU, accounting for 43 % of the total EU exports and 32 % of imports in 2016. The group records also the largest surplus in EU trade: EUR 193 billion in 2016.
. The main exported products within the group are 'road vehicles' (EUR 362 billion), with 'general industrial machinery' (EUR 207 billion) and 'electrical machinery' (202) following at some distance (See figure 7). In imports the top three categories are somewhat closer to eachother. They are 'electrical machinery' (EUR 215 billion), 'telecommunications equipment' (EUR 193 billion) and 'road vehicles' (EUR 151 billion).
. The USA is the biggest destination country of EU exports, its proportion diminished from 29 % to 17 % between 2002 and 2013 but climbed back to 22 % in 2016 (See figure 8). China (12 %) is the only other export destination with a share of more than 10 %. China (31 %) and the USA (20 %) are also the top two source countries for imports together they account for more than half of all imports into the EU.
Other manufactured goods
‘Other manufactured goods’ (SITC Sections 6 and 8) is a heterogeneous group consisting of manufactured goods which range from basic semi-manufactured goods such as leather, rubber, wood, paper, textiles, metals, building fixtures and fittings to more labor-intensive products like clothes, shoes and accessories, scientific instruments, clocks, watches and cameras.
. The structure of exports and imports, in terms of products, differs to some extent. The EU has a large trade deficit in 'clothing' and 'footwear' and 'non-ferrous metals' and a sizeable trade surplus in 'professional, scientific and controlling equipment', 'non-metallic mineral manufactures and 'paper and related products'. (see Figure 9).
China is the biggest supplier to the EU in this product group, representing a share of 32% in 2016. Other important suppliers include the USA (10 %), Switzerland (7 %) and Turkey (6 %). The main destinations for exports are the USA (20 %), Switzerland (11 %) and China (7 %) while the next four countries (Turkey, Hong Kong, Norway and India) each have 4 %.
Data sources and availability
EU data come from Eurostat’s COMEXT database. COMEXT is the Eurostat reference database for international trade. It provides access not only to both recent and historical data from the EU Member States but also to statistics of a significant number of third countries. International trade aggregated and detailed statistics disseminated from Eurostat website are compiled from COMEXT data according to a monthly process. Because COMEXT is updated on a daily basis, data published on the website may differ from data stored in COMEXT in case of recent revisions.
EU data are compiled according to EU guidelines and may, therefore, differ from national data published by Member States. Statistics on extra-EU trade are calculated as the sum of trade of each of the 28 Member States with countries outside the EU. In other words, the EU is considered as a single trading entity and trade flows are measured into and out of the area, but not within it.
Context
The EU is the world's biggest exporter of manufactured goods, and is a global market leader for high-quality products. Thanks to some of its key assets such as chemicals, pharmacy products, motor vehicles and non-electrical machinery, the European Union's trade balance for manufactured products is improving greatly, partially offsetting the rise in the energy deficit.
See also
- Extra-EU trade in goods
- Extra-EU trade in primary goods
- Extra-euro area trade in goods
- International trade in goods
Further Eurostat information
Publications
- International trade and foreing direct investment - 2013 edition - Pocketbook
- EU-27 imports of telecom products increased by 61% over 2000 – 2008 - Statistics in focus 103/2009
Main tables
- International trade, see:
- International trade data (t_ext)
- International trade long-term indicators (t_ext_lti)
- International trade short-term indicators (t_ext_sti)
Database
- International trade data (ext)
- International trade long-term indicators (ext_lti)
- International trade short-term indicators (ext_sti)
- International trade detailed data
Dedicated section
Methodology / Metadata
- International trade in goods (ESMS metadata file — ext_go_esms)
Source data for tables and figures (MS Excel)
Other information
- Quality report on international trade statistics - Edition 2010
- Statistics on the trading of goods – user guide