International trade in sporting goods

Data extracted in July 2024.

Planned article update: October 2025.

Highlights

In 2023, the United States were the leading destination for EU exports of sporting goods.

Sports footwear were the sporting goods most imported from non-EU countries in 2023 (30% of the total sporting goods imports), while boats and water sport equipment were the most exported (33%).

This article analyses statistics on international trade in sporting goods for the EU. Data are also presented for the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries, 5 candidate countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Türkiye) and one potential candidate (Kosovo*). This analysis covers data from 2018 and 2023 showing:

export and import values in absolute and relative terms (in € million and as a share of total trade respectively);
extra-EU and intra-EU trade;
the type of goods traded;
the EU's main trading partners.

Statistics on international trade in sporting goods are based on data extracted from COMEXT, Eurostat’s database on international trade in goods.

* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.

Full article

The value of extra-EU trade in sporting goods in 2023

In 2023, the EU's trade in sporting goods (the sum of extra-EU exports and imports) with the rest of the world was valued at €18.3 billion (€7.7 billion of exports and €10.6 billion of imports, see Table 1). Both imports and exports increased compared with 2018: a higher growth was recorded for exports rather than imports (+26.9% against +9.5%), corresponding to an increase of €1.6 billion for exports against €0.9 billion for imports. Looking at the overall figure, the extra-EU's trade deficit (imports exceeding exports) in sporting goods decreased by €0.7 billion, from €3.6 billion in 2018 to €2.9 billion in 2023 (see Table 1). In the 5 years between 2018 and 2023, there were some relevant changes in the trade balance of sporting goods.

For exports:

the largest relative increase in sporting goods exports was in the 'golf equipment' category, in which the exports more than doubled with a 175.7% growth between 2018 and 2023, followed by 'boats and water sport equipment' (+86.6%) and 'sporting shotguns' (+74.3%);
in absolute terms, the 'boats and water sport equipment' category had the highest growth, with an increase of €1.2 billion between 2018 and 2023;
the only category recording a decrease in exports between 2018 and 2023 was 'sports footwear', which lost around €481 million (-33.0%) of its value.

For imports:

as for exports, the 'golf equipment' category had the highest relative increase, more than doubling its imports with a +116.5% growth in the 5 years (around €209 million), followed by 'racket sports equipment' (+80.1%);
in absolute terms, the 'sportswear' category had the highest growth, with an increase of €214 million between 2018 and 2023; in addition, also the 'golf equipment' and 'bicycles' registered a growth higher than €200 million;
'Sports footwear', which lost around €242 million (-7.1%) of its value, and 'skates', with a decrease of €31 million (-26.3%), were the only categories recording a decrease in imports between 2018 and 2023.

Table 1: Extra-EU trade in sporting goods, EU, 2018 and 2023
Source: Eurostat (sprt_trd_prd)

International trade in sporting goods at national level – 11 Member States with a positive trade balance
At national level, in 2023, a trade surplus (concerning intra- and extra-EU trade) was recorded in 11 Member States and a trade deficit (imports exceeding exports) in 16 Member States (see Table 2). The largest trade surplus in absolute terms, with more than €1 500 million, belonged to Belgium, followed by Poland with €825 million; Belgium also had the largest trade surplus in 2018.

Bulgaria recorded the highest cover ratio (exports/imports), with exports 2.2 times higher than imports. In addition to Bulgaria, Lithuania (2.0), Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland (1.7) and Portugal (1.6) were the other Member States with cover ratios greater than 1.5. Germany (with €1 billion) and Spain (with almost €1 billion) recorded the largest deficits of trade in sporting goods, while Malta and Ireland (0.1) and Cyprus (0.2) had the lowest cover ratios.

In 2023, Germany was the EU's largest exporter of sporting goods in terms of value, with exports around €4.4 billion (almost €0.7 billion more than in 2018), followed by Belgium with €3.7 billion (€0.2 billion more than in 2018) and the Netherlands with €3.5 billion (almost €1 billion more than in 2018). The largest importers were Germany (€5.4 billion, €0.4 billion more than in 2018), France with €4.1 billion (€0.7 billion more than in 2018) and the Netherlands with €3.5 billion (€0.8 billion more than in 2018, the highest increase).

The high ranking on the list of EU sporting goods importers, of medium-size countries like the Netherlands and Belgium is due to the impact of quasi-transit of goods, the 'Rotterdam effect', affecting Member States with large ports at the EU's external border (for more details, see the methodology/metadata section).

Table 2: International trade in sporting goods, 2018 and 2023
Source: Eurostat (sprt_trd_prd)

EU International trade in sporting goods between 2018 and 2023

Looking at the EU international trade in sporting goods between 2018 and 2023 (see Figure 1), both imports and exports registered a steady increase in absolute terms until 2019, followed by a slight decrease in 2020 and a notable acceleration in 2021 and 2022, particularly for imports (increase of €4 billion in 2022 compared with 2020). In 2023, compared with 2022, exports continued their growth by €0.2 billion while imports declined by €3.6, going back almost to the 2020 value. In relative terms, the imports of sporting goods as a share of total imports increased between 2018 and 2020, before slightly decreasing in 2021 and dropping consistently both in 2022 and 2023, where it accounted almost at 0.4% (the lowest value of this trend series). While the decrease in imports in 2023 also involved the total EU trade, it was more significant for the imports in sporting goods. The share of exports was more stable from 2018 to 2023, peaking in 2020 at 0.3% before starting a slight decrease in 2021 and in 2022, when it went under 0.3%. In contrast to imports, from 2022 to 2023 it started to increase again going back to 0.3%, the same share as the pre-pandemic years.

Figure 1: Extra-EU trade in sporting goods, EU, 2018–2023
(% of total extra-EU trade and € billion)
Source: Eurostat (sprt_trd_prd)

Between 2018 and 2023, the annual average growth rate (AAGR) of the EU international trade in sporting goods (excluding intra-EU trade) was 4.9% for exports and 1.8% for imports. The annual average growth rate of the value for exports of sporting goods (also including intra-EU trade) was positive in all Member States, with 3 registering average annual growth rates over 15%: Luxembourg (with +38.9%), Malta (+17.9%) and Lithuania (+15.2%) (see Figure 2). On the other hand, in Germany (3.4%), Slovakia (2.4%) and Belgium (1.2%) the annual average growth rate remained below 5%. As regards Luxembourg and Malta, their relatively low volumes of sporting trade could lead to significant fluctuations for rates of change from 1 year to another.

Figure 2: Annual average rate of change for the export of sporting goods, 2018-2023
(%)
Source: Eurostat (sprt_trd_prd)

Regarding imports over the same period, 25 Member States registered a positive value, with the highest increases in Luxembourg (+21.3%) and Bulgaria (+14.6%), followed by additional 4 Member States (Ireland, Slovenia, Estonia and Romania) where the average annual growth rate of imports passed the 10% threshold. Malta (-12.9%) and Belgium (-0.3%) were the only Member States with a negative annual average growth rate (see Figure 3).

Figure 3: Annual average rate of change for the import of sporting goods, 2018-2023
(%)
Source: Eurostat (sprt_trd_prd)

Intra-EU and extra-EU trade in sporting goods

In most Member States, the value of intra-EU trade in sporting goods was greater than the value of extra-EU trade in sporting goods
The international trade of Member States can be analysed from 2 perspectives: intra-EU trade (between the Member States) and extra-EU trade (with non-EU countries). The ratio between the 2 is an indication of the heterogeneity of a country's trade patterns and, to some extent, may reflect historical ties and geographical location.

Looking at exports in 2023, almost three-quarters of the EU's total trade in sporting goods was intra-EU (73.2%). At country level, intra-EU trade accounted for most exports in 26 of the Member States: the figures ranged from 53.7% in Malta to 95.7% in Belgium (see Figure 4). Luxembourg (95.3% intra-EU trade) and Romania (94.9%) were the other Member States where the share of extra-EU trade was below 10%. By contrast, only Ireland (26.9%) recorded less intra-EU than extra-EU exports, mainly due to its significant amount of trade in sporting goods to the United Kingdom.

Figure 4: Share of extra-EU and intra-EU trade within all exports of sporting goods, 2023
(%)
Source: Eurostat (sprt_trd_prd)

For the whole EU, intra-EU imports accounted for 63.9% of the international trade in sporting goods. Looking at individual countries, in 23 of the 27 Member States, the value of intra-EU imports of sporting goods was greater than the value of extra-EU imports. Intra-EU import shares for these countries varied from 62.8% in Slovenia to 90.4% in Slovakia. Four Member States imported more sporting goods from outside the EU than from inside (see Figure 5): Luxembourg, Ireland, the Netherlands and Belgium.

Figure 5: Share of extra-EU and intra-EU trade within all imports of sporting goods, 2023
(%)
Source: Eurostat (sprt_trd_prd)

Trade in sporting goods by product

Boats and water sport equipment were the sporting goods most exported outside the EU
The list of sporting goods that are traded internationally contains the equipment necessary for doing sports (e.g. skis or balls), clothing (e.g. swimwear or footwear) and some articles that can be used for sport and leisure activities (e.g. boats and water sports equipment, bicycles or fishing equipment).

The 4 main groups of sporting goods, among those analysed here, are 'boats and water sport equipment', 'gymnastic, athletic and swimming equipment', 'sports footwear' and 'skis and related equipment'. In 2023, they generated three-quarters of the value of extra-EU exports, with 'boats and water sport equipment' accounting for 33.3% of the total value. 'Gymnastic, athletic and swimming equipment' (19.2%), 'sports footwear' (12.6%) and 'skis and related equipment' (10%) were the only other 3 categories of sporting goods with a 2-digit share in extra-EU exports in 2023 (see Table 3).

At national level, in 2023, taking into account both intra-EU exports and extra-EU exports:

'boats and water sport equipment' had the largest share in exports of sporting goods in 6 Member States, accounting for over half of total exports of sporting products value in Malta (82.6%) and Cyprus (53.8%);
'gymnastic, athletic and swimming equipment' was the main type of sporting good being exported in 9 Member States;
products in the 'sports footwear' category accounted for the largest share of total sporting goods exports in Luxembourg (97.9%), followed by Belgium (73.7%), Germany (36.0%) and Italy (23.7%);
'skis and related equipment' were the principal sporting goods exported from Austria (54.6%), Romania (39.1%) and Slovenia (24.0%);
'bicycles' were the most exported type of sporting good (in terms of trade value) from Portugal (54.8%), Lithuania (49.6%) and Bulgaria (46.3%);
the 'sportswear' category amounted to the highest share of total sporting goods export value in Croatia (48.2%);
in Estonia, products belonging to the 'fishing equipment' category accounted for 40.7% of the total value of national exports in sporting goods.

Table 3: Exports of sporting goods by group of products, 2023
Source: Eurostat (sprt_trd_prd)

Sports footwear and gymnastic, athletic and swimming equipment accounted for over half of the value of extra-EU imports of sporting goods
In 2023, the 2 main groups of sporting goods accounted for over half of the value of extra-EU imports (see Table 4). The 'sports footwear' category represented the highest share of imports with 29.8% of all imported sporting goods, followed by 'gymnastic, athletic and swimming equipment' (21.4%).

After analysing imports in individual Member States (taking into account both intra-EU imports and extra-EU imports), the following results were shown:

for 21 countries, imported 'sports footwear' goods generated the highest value, accounting for 76.7% of the total value of imports of sporting goods in Luxembourg;
gymnastic, athletic and swimming equipment imports had the highest value of all imported sporting goods in Hungary (30.5%), Sweden (30.2%) and Finland (27.5%);
Croatia (44.9%) and Malta (37%) imported more 'boats and water sport equipment' in terms of value than any other type of sporting good.

Table 4: Imports of sporting goods by group of products, 2023
Source: Eurostat (sprt_trd_prd)

The EU's principal partners for trade in sporting goods

The United States overtook the United Kingdom as the leading destination for EU exports of sporting goods
When considering the aggregate trade of all Member States, the European single market remains the major export destination and source of imports for sporting goods (see Figure 4 and Figure 5).

In 2023, in terms of value, the leading extra-EU destinations for sporting goods were the United States (23.4%), Switzerland and the United Kingdom (12.1% each), accounting for almost half of the total value of exports of sporting goods. Exports to any of the other extra-EU trade partners accounted for less than 10% (see Figure 6).

Compared with 2018, in 2023, the United States' share of the total value of exports of sporting goods increased by 7 percentage points (pp), while for the United Kingdom it decreased by 13.9 pp (it should be noted that the United Kingdom was part of the EU in 2018). The majority of the other main partners were able to increase their share of exports of sporting goods from 2018 to 2023, notably the Cayman Islands by 5.3 pp and Türkiye by 2.4 pp; the only exceptions were Norway (down by 1.4 pp) and Japan (down by 0.4 pp).

Figure 6: 2023 main partners for extra EU exports of sporting goods, EU, 2018 and 2023
(%)
Source: Eurostat (sprt_trd_prt)

Almost half of EU imports of sporting goods came from China
Figure 7 shows the extra-EU's 10 main partners for imports of sporting goods. In 2023, almost 40% of the total value of EU imports of sporting goods was generated by imports from China (39.6%), increasing by 0.7 pp since 2018. The second highest share belonged to Vietnam (17.8%), which had the highest increase by 2.9 pp from 2018, followed by Indonesia with 5.8%. As for exports, the United Kingdom's share in the total value of EU imports of sporting goods significantly decreased, falling from 11.6% in 2018 (third highest partner of the EU) to 4.1% in 2023. In addition to the United Kingdom, Taiwan was the only other main partner experiencing a decrease in its share of imports of sporting goods from 2018 to 2023 (5.1% in 2023 from 5.6% in 2018).

Figure 7: 2023 main partners for extra EU imports of sporting goods, EU, 2018 and 2023
(%)
Source: Eurostat (sprt_trd_prt)

Extra-EU sporting goods' trade flows by category of product

Exports to leading countries by category
In 2023, as shown in Figure 8, boats and water sport equipment were the most exported sporting products outside the EU. In terms of value, the United States was the first extra-EU country to which these products were directed, while other important trade EU partners for these products were the Cayman Islands, Türkiye and the United Kingdom. With a value of over €2.5 billion euros, boats and water sport equipment accounted for one-third of the total extra-EU exports of sporting goods.

While the United States, Switzerland and the United Kingdom were the largest EU trade partners for all categories of products, exports of sporting goods in 2023 were directed towards a high number of countries. As shown in the chart, a value of almost €2 billion was from sporting goods exported to countries that were not among the top 10 main EU partners (categorised as 'others'). This value was mostly from boats and water sport equipment, gymnastic, athletic and swimming equipment and sport footwear.

While most of the categories of sporting goods were distributed to several extra-EU countries, the case of sporting shotguns and skis and related equipment was characterised by a concentration of exports towards the United States. In addition, the exports of sporting goods to the Cayman Islands consisted almost exclusively of boats and water sport equipment.

Figure 8: Value of extra-EU exports of sporting goods by main partners and by category, EU, 2023 (€ million)
Source: Eurostat (sprt_trd_prt)

Imports from leading countries by category
Figure 9 illustrates the categories of sporting products by country of import. In 2023 China was the major EU trade partner for the imports of sporting goods. The chart shows that almost 40% of the value of the products imported from China was from gymnastic, athletic and swimming equipment, while the rest was distributed among all the other categories.

In contrast to the composition of exports, imports from some extra-EU countries showed a more pronounced product-specific structure. Almost the entire value of the imports from Vietnam and Indonesia in 2023 was from sport footwear, while for Taiwan and Cambodia significant shares of imported sporting products consisted of bicycles.

Figure 9: Value of extra-EU imports of sporting goods by main partners and by category, EU, 2023 (€ million)
Source: Eurostat (sprt_trd_prt)

Source data for tables and graphs

International trade in sporting goods: tables and figures

Data sources

International trade statistics are stored in COMEXT, Eurostat's database for international trade in goods. Comext contains statistics on goods traded between Member States (intra-EU trade) and goods traded by Member States with non-EU countries (extra-EU trade). The trade values for other political or geographical entities, such as the EFTA and candidate countries are also collected. The Comext database is built around 6 main dimensions:

• reporter (country declaring commercial transactions);
• partner (trade partners of the declaring country — all countries of the world);
• flow (exports and imports);
• product (items by HS, CN or SITC, BEC and CPA depending on the dataset);
• time (annual and monthly data);
• type of indicator (the value or quantity of traded products).

Based on the number of dimensions available in the Comext database, the following indicators are compiled for imports and exports of sporting goods:

• value of trade in thousands of euros (THS_EUR);
• percentage of country's total trade (PC_TOT);
• percentage of total EU trade (PC_EU27_2020);
• percentage of total sport trade — at country and EU level (PC).

The data are compiled for the following trade partners:

• intra-EU;
• extra-EU;
• world (intra-EU and extra-EU);
• main extra-EU trading partners.

Unit of measure

Trade values are expressed in millions (10⁶) of euros. They correspond to the statistical value, i.e. the amount which would be invoiced in the case of sale or purchase at the national border of the reporting country. It is called an FOB value (free on board) for exports and a CIF value (cost, insurance, freight) for imports.

Identification of sporting goods

The identification of the list of sporting goods is based on the Vilnius Definition of sport, the Study on the Contribution of Sport to Economic Growth and Employment in the EU and the 2009 UNESCO Framework for Culture statistics (which considers sport as a domain related to culture). Internationally traded sports-related items are selected using the HS classification. They are then aggregated into meaningful groups according to sporting disciplines or specific sports equipment and accessories.

The groups of products (covered by HS 6-digit codes) are the following: i) skis and related equipment; ii) skates; iii) boats and water sport equipment; iv) golf equipment; v) racket sports (tennis and badminton) equipment; vi) balls; vii) gymnastic, athletic and swimming equipment; viii) fishing equipment; ix) bicycles; x) parachutes; xi) sportswear; xii) footwear; and xiii) sporting shotguns.

Regarding 'the boats and water sport equipment' category, the CN codes 8903 92, 8903 31, 8903 32 and 8903 33 (Motorboats, other than outboard motorboats for pleasure or sports) have been excluded due to anomalies in trade exchanges identified for these codes.

For a detailed list of aggregates of sport products, see Table 5 and the metadata on international trade in sporting goods.

Table 5: Detailed list of sporting goods by aggregate
Source: Eurostat (International trade in sporting goods (sprt_trd)) (ESMS metadata file — sprt_trd)

The impact of quasi-transit 'Rotterdam effect'

The trade flows of EU Member States may be overvalued because of the quasi-transit trade. However, the trade balance of the Member State concerned is not affected, as quasi-transit should increase by the same amount as the intra- and extra-EU trade flows (extra-EU imports followed by dispatches to the Member State of actual destination or arrivals from the Member State of actual export followed by extra-EU exports to the country of actual destination). Quasi-transit is known to affect mostly the Member States with large ports located at the EU's external border, particularly the Netherlands, which is why its impact on figures is known as the 'Rotterdam effect'. In the case of imports, the goods destined for other Member States arriving in Dutch ports are recorded, according to EU rules, as extra-EU imports by the Netherlands (the country where goods are released for free circulation) and as dispatches from the Netherlands to the Member States of actual destination, even though there is no link with the Dutch economy. Quasi-transit is known to influence more the imports, but exports are also affected. In exceptional cases, the customs clearance occurs not in the actual Member State of export but in the Member State of exit, i.e. the Member State from which the goods are taken out of the EU customs territory.

Context

The multiannual work programme (EU work plan for Sport for 2024-2027) agreed by the EU Council, sets the priorities and principles for cooperation on sport between the European Commission and the Member States.

Several expert groups have been set up to achieve concrete results. Among them, the Expert Group on the Economic Dimension of Sport (XG ECO) and the Expert Group on Health-Enhancing Physical Activity (XG HEPA) play a key role in implementing evidence-based policies in the sports sector. XG ECO, for example, has developed an economic definition of sport ('Vilnius definition'), and made progress towards developing Sport Satellite Accounts in some EU countries. XG HEPA is working on implementing the Council recommendations on physical activity adopted in 2013. These include a monitoring framework with indicators both for the level of physical activity and for policies to promote physical activity in EU countries. Eurostat comparable data on international trade, employment in sport, participation in sporting activities, etc. make a valuable contribution to the monitoring and development of the EU's policies in this area.