Data extracted: October 2025.
Planned article update: October 2026.
Highlights
In 2023, domestic production in the EU accounted for 91.5% of the total supply of products, while imports provided the remaining 8.5%.
In 2023, nearly half (48.1%) of all products in the EU were used for intermediate consumption (to make other products), while 32.1% were used for final consumption, 10.0% for exports, and 9.8% for gross capital formation.
EU imports fell by €330 billion between 2022 and 2023, while EU intermediate consumption and final consumption expenditure increased by €223 billion and €762 billion, respectively.
This article presents an analysis of the supply and use tables for the European Union (EU) and the euro area for the period 2010 to 2023. It is complemented by another article that examines supply and use relationships for individual EU, EFTA and enlargement countries.
Supply and use tables are the backbone of national accounts. Firstly, they balance data from different sources at a detailed level in a consistent framework, facilitating the compilation of a single and coherent estimate of gross domestic product (GDP) based on production, expenditure and income. Secondly, they facilitate an analysis by product using the statistical classification of products by activity (CPA 2.1). The fundamental equations behind the supply-use system can be expressed as:
- total supply = production + imports = intermediate consumption + final consumption + gross capital formation + exports = total use; this equation is satisfied for any given product category;
- value added = production – intermediate consumption = compensation of employees + gross operating surplus and mixed income + other taxes less subsidies on production; this equation is satisfied for any given economic activity.
The supply and use tables for the EU and euro area are derived from the FIGARO tables (full international and global accounts for research in input-output analysis) that present the EU's inter-country supply, use and input-output tables. The tables analysed in this article have some particularities compared with the supply and use tables for individual countries
- All transactions are measured at basic prices, not at purchasers' prices. Purchasers' prices can be derived by adding the taxes less subsidies on products.
- The EU and the euro area are considered as single entities/economies. Transactions between countries belonging to these economies are considered as domestic, rather than as exports and imports, and they are balanced.
- Exports and imports of goods and services exclude re-exported products imported from non-EU or non-euro area countries. For example, imports of Belgium from China that are re-exported to Norway won't be counted as exports from the EU to Norway or as imports into the EU from China, only a trade margin is recorded.
- Data for years 2022 and 2023 are not yet generally available in national supply use tables, which have a transmission deadline of t + 36 months. The data for these two reference years have been estimated through the FIGARO methodology using other national accounts indicators.
Overview of supply and use in the EU and euro area
In 2023, goods and services produced within the EU were valued at €33 715 billion, while imports from outside of the EU (therefore, excluding intra-EU trade) were valued at €3 147 billion. In the same year, production in the euro area amounted to €28 489 billion and imports from outside the euro area were valued at €3 189 billion. The sum of domestic production and imports represents the total supply of goods and services in the economy.
In the period 2010 to 2019, the share of domestic production in the total supply generally declined in the EU and euro area. It increased in 2020 but thereafter returned to a downward trend in 2021 and 2022. The decline in 2022 was particularly sharp, when the share of domestic production reached its lowest level in both the EU and the euro area (90.3% for the EU and 88.9% for the euro area) – see Figure 1. This drop can be explained by an increase in the value of imports in 2022, reflecting, at least in part, higher energy and commodity prices. In 2023, the trend reversed, as the share of domestic production in the total supply rose by 1.1 percentage points both in the EU and euro area, partly due to falling energy prices.
What use was made of these products? In value terms, nearly half (48.1% for the EU and 47.1% for the euro area) of all available products in 2023 were used for intermediate consumption, in other words, to produce other goods and services (Figure 2). The next largest share, just below a third (32.1% for the EU and 31.9% for the euro area), was used for final consumption, typically by households and the government sector. Approximately a tenth of the supply (9.8% for the EU and 9.6% for the euro area) was used for gross capital formation, mainly for investment. This share also includes any changes in the stock levels of products between the beginning and the end of the year as well as acquisitions less disposals of valuables. Exports of products were valued at €3 689 billion for the EU and €3 631 billion for the euro area (around 17% more than the value of imports in the EU and 14% more than for the value of imports in the euro area); exports accounted for 10.0% of total supply in the EU and 11.5% in the euro area.
Looking at the period 2010 to 2023, we observe that the share of intermediate consumption in total use peaked in 2022, while the share of final consumption expenditure fell that year to its lowest level in both the EU and the euro area.
Understanding 2023 developments in the EU
As shown above, between 2010 and 2023 imports and intermediate consumption recorded their highest shares in total supply/use in 2022, while domestic production and final consumption expenditure recorded their least shares in the same year. Table 1 provides an overview of the EU values for 2022 and 2023 as well as information on the change between these two years for the main components of the supply and use tables.
On the supply side, domestic production increased by €1 259 billion between 2022 and 2023, whereas EU imports fell by €330 billion, potentially linked to a decrease in the price of imported energy products, especially oil and gas. Altogether, total supply increased by €929 billion.
On the use side, intermediate consumption and final consumption expenditure (by households, government and NPISH) rose by €223 billion and €762 billion, respectively between 2022 and 2023. In contrast, exports decreased by €16 billion, which is considerably less than the decrease observed for imports. As a result, the EU's external trade surplus more than doubled from +€228 billion in 2022 to +€542 billion in 2023.
The relatively low increase in intermediate consumption compared with domestic production resulted in a nominal increase in the EU's gross value added by €1 048 billion between 2022 and 2023, with the following developments for its constituent parts: compensation of employees increased by €549 billion, gross operating surplus and mixed income rose by €460 billion, and other taxes less subsidies rose by €39 billion.
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Source: Eurostat (naio_10_cp15) and (naio_10_cp1610)
Domestic production, imports and total supply in the EU
Domestic production
In 2023, the EU produced goods and services valued at €33 715 billion. The domestic production quadrant of the supply table shows which NACE sections (columns) produced different CPA products (rows). Table 2 presents a synthesis of the supply table for the EU in 2023 for 10 economic activities (NACE) and 10 CPA products. The domestic production of the industrial activities amounted to €10 394 billion, of which €9 698 billion corresponded to industrial products (CPA Sections B "mining and quarrying", C "manufactured products", D "electricity, gas, steam and conditioning" and E "water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation services") and €696 billion (€10 394 billion minus €9 698 billion) to other products.
As activity and product classifications are linked, industries mainly produce products related to their primary activity. On average, 94.4% of total output in the EU was produced in 2023 by activities specialised in their corresponding products. However, this share depends on the level of aggregation, as a highly aggregated classification typically concentrates most of the production along the diagonal of the supply table while a more detailed classification results in a greater proportion of production being allocated outside the diagonal. Using a 64 product and activity classification, about 90% of total production in the EU was accounted for by products along the diagonal of the matrix.
Imports
Next to domestic production, the supply table shows a column of imports by product category. Of the €3 147 billion of goods and services that were imported into the EU in 2023, more than half (58.1%) corresponded to industrial products (Table 2). Comparing imports with total supply, it is possible to obtain a dependency ratio by type of product. For industrial products, this ratio was 15.4% (€1 829 billion of imports compared with €11 863 billion of total supply). By comparison, the import dependency ratio was just below 9% for agricultural, forestry and fishing products (€59 billion of imports compared with €663 billion of total supply) and distributive trades, transport, accommodation and food services (€597 billion of imports compared with €6 847 of total supply). The import dependency was 3% or less for constructions and construction works as well as for several service products, including real estate services and arts, entertainment and other services.
Total supply
Adding domestic production and imports gives the total supply of goods and services, which was €36 861 billion across the EU in 2023. Almost a third (32.2%) corresponded to industrial products and a fifth (18.6%) to distributive trades, transport, accommodation and food services.
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Source: Eurostat (naio_10_cp15)
Intermediate consumption in the EU
The intermediate consumption quadrant of the use table (Table 3) shows the value and type of inputs used in the production processes of different activities. The columns show the intermediate consumption of activities, and the rows show the respective products. The EU used €17 725 billion of intermediate products to produce €33 715 billion of goods and services in 2023. As such, more than half (52.6%) of the domestic production was used for intermediate purposes to produce other goods and services. More than a third (36.5%) of the EU's intermediate consumption corresponded to industrial products (€6 478 billion in the total of €17 725 billion for all products), with the next largest share representing distributive trades, transport, accommodation and food services (19.7%). The relative importance of intermediate consumption varies widely across activities. For example, intermediate consumption was valued at 69.1% of total output for industry, while for real estate activities the share was only 19.4%.
It is possible to add an extra row and an extra column to the table in order to provide information on the origin (domestic or imported) of intermediate inputs. Table 3 shows that in 2023 some 13.0% of the products used for intermediate consumption in the EU were imported (€2 310 billion of imports in relation to €17 725 billion of intermediate consumption for all products). The largest share of imported products in intermediate consumption was recorded for industrial products (18.8%) followed by financial and insurance services (16.9%).
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Source: Eurostat (naio_10_cp1610)
Final uses in the EU
Products that aren't used within the economy for intermediate consumption are available for final use, either as final consumption expenditure, gross capital formation or exports. Final consumption expenditure can be broken down by sector into households, non-profit institutions serving households and general government. Gross capital formation, in turn, can be broken down into gross fixed capital formation, on one hand, and changes in inventories and acquisition less disposals of valuables, on the other.
Final consumption represented 32.1% of total use across the EU in 2022. By far the largest component of final use was final consumption expenditure by households (21.7%), followed by exports (10.0%), final consumption expenditure by government (9.8%), and gross fixed capital formation (9.6%).
Across economic activities, there were considerable differences in the relative importance of final use components
- household final consumption expenditure was concentrated in industrial products (covering for example manufactured goods but also electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning; water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation services; and less importantly in this case mining and quarrying; €2 231 billion), followed by distributive trades, transport, accommodation and food services (€2 202 billion) and real estate services (€1 521 billion); together these 3 product sections accounted for 74.4% of household final consumption expenditure (note that the purchase of dwellings is classified as an investment not as a consumption expenditure);
- government final consumption was concentrated in public administration, defence, education, human health and social work (€3 079 billion);
- gross fixed capital formation was concentrated in constructions and construction works (€1 506 billion);
- exports of goods and services were concentrated in industrial products (€2 073 billion).
It is also possible to add extra rows and an extra column to show the origin (domestic or imported) of final uses. For example, imported goods and services accounted for 4.4% of total final use within the EU in 2023.
Value added
To complete the use table with value added components (from which GDP can be calculated), it is necessary to convert intermediate consumption and final uses from basic prices to market prices by adding taxes less subsidies on products, as shown at the bottom of Table 4.
Final consumption expenditure by households paid more than half (56.8% or €942 billion) of these taxes in the EU in 2023, followed by intermediate consumption (26.8% or €444 billion) and gross fixed capital formation (15.2% or €252 billion). The implicit tax rate for households in the EU was 11.8% (calculated as €942 billion divided by €8 002 billion), much higher than for gross fixed capital formation (7.1%) or intermediate consumption (2.5%).
Following this adjustment, gross value added can be calculated using the output approach as domestic production at basic prices minus intermediate consumption of all products at purchasers' prices. Alternatively, gross value added may be calculated using the income approach as the sum of the compensation of employees, gross operating surplus and mixed income, and other taxes less subsidies on production, thereby completing the use table.
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Source: Eurostat (naio_10_cp1610)
Source data for tables and graphs
Data sources
Supply, use and input-output tables form part of the national accounts as defined in the European system of accounts (ESA 2010). The concepts and definitions in ESA 2010 are fully consistent with the United Nation's System of national accounts (SNA 2008).
Eurostat collects, validates and publishes supply, use and input-output tables for the EU, EFTA, and enlargement countries. The scope and modalities of the data collection are defined in the ESA 2010 transmission programme. Countries transmit data on a mandatory basis each year for i) the supply table at basic prices including transformation into purchasers' prices and ii) the use table at purchasers' prices. Every five years (years ending with a '0' or '5'), the transmission also includes i) the use table at basic prices, ii) a table for trade and transport margins, iii) a table for taxes less subsidies on products and iv) input-output tables at basic prices. All tables have to be delivered no later than three years after the reference period. Eurostat welcomes voluntary data transmissions and publishes data as they become available.
The tables distinguish 64 product and industry categories according to CPA 2.1 and NACE Rev.2; all transactions are valued in monetary units.
Context
Supply and use tables are matrices that depict monetary transactions within the economy presented by product (in rows) and industry (in columns). The supply table captures domestic production or output (by product and industry) and imports (by product). It also includes data on trade and transport margins and taxes less subsidies on products such that total supply can be transformed from basic prices into purchasers' prices. The use table reveals how domestic production and imports are used for intermediate consumption (depicted by product and industry) and final uses (depicted by product and disaggregated for final consumption expenditure, gross capital formation and exports). The use table also provides information on gross value added by industry (disaggregated into compensation of employees, consumption of fixed capital, other net taxes on production, net operating surplus and mixed income).
Supply and use tables are central to national accounts. They adhere to a common set of definitions for all products, activities and institutional sectors to show a consistent picture of how goods and services are brought into the economy, how they are used up, and how value is created in the process. Supply and use tables respect the following identities:
- total supply = total use – the supply of goods and services (either through domestic production or imports) must be equal to the use of goods and services (either through intermediate consumption, final consumption, gross capital formation or exports);
- total output = total input – for each industry, the output of goods and services produced must be equal to intermediate and primary inputs (products for intermediate consumption, compensation of employees, consumption of fixed capital, other taxes less subsidies on production, and net operating surplus).
Supply and use tables help determine a single and consistent estimate of GDP, which can be calculated based on 3 approaches considering production, expenditure and income within an economy:
- production approach – GDP is the sum of gross value added of all industries, plus taxes less subsidies on products (which aren't allocated to industries);
- expenditure approach – GDP is the sum of final uses of goods and services (including final consumption expenditure by households, general government and non-profit institutions serving households, gross capital formation and exports) minus imports of goods and services;
- income approach – GDP is the sum of income earned by individuals and businesses (including the compensation of employees, consumption of fixed capital, taxes on production and imports less subsidies, net operating surplus and mixed income).
Supply and use tables provide the basis for input-output tables that capture the supply and use of products in a single matrix. Input-output tables are obtained by transforming either the products in the rows into industries or the industries in the columns into products. The transformation involves several assumptions and results in a symmetric, intermediate consumption matrix, showing only products or industries in both rows and columns. Input-output tables thereby depict the supply and use of goods and services with a single classification, by product or by industry.
Together, supply, use and input-output tables help determine input-output coefficients and multipliers for Leontief-type input-output modelling. They underpin a wealth of macro-economic and econometric analyses, for example, general equilibrium models. Supply, use and input-output tables capture the value chains of goods and services produced and consumed within an economy as well as import and export flows from and to other countries. Moreover, the tables can be extended to trace the economic transactions of specific domains (e.g., tourism, the digital industry or the space economy) or to assess the environmental impacts of the economy (e.g., resource use, deforestation. or emission footprints). #
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Database
- Supply, use and Input-output tables - current prices (naio_10_cp)