Information on data
National supply, use and input-output tables
National supply and use tables (SUTs) are matrices by product and industry showing how domestic production and imports of goods and services are used for intermediate consumption and final uses.
Input-output tables (IOTs) can be product-by-product or industry-by-industry matrices that combine both supply and use tables into a single matrix. IOTs depict inter-industry or inter-product relationships within an economy. In economics, input-output models help with policy impact analyses.
Input-output tables are sent to Eurostat T+36 months after the end of the reference period (T), according to the European system of accounts (ESA) 2010 transmission programme supply and use. EU countries have been required to send the following tables to Eurostat since 2010:
Annual tables
| ESA code | Title | Prices |
|---|---|---|
| Table 15 | Supply table at basic prices including a transformation into purchasers' prices | Current prices Previous year prices (for reference years from 2015 onwards) |
| Table 16 | Use table at purchasers' prices | Current prices Previous year prices (for reference years from 2015 onwards) |
5-yearly tables for reference years ending with 0 and 5
| ESA code | Title | Prices |
|---|---|---|
| Table 16 | Use table at basic prices | Current prices |
| Table 16 | Use table for domestic output at basic prices | Current prices |
| Table 16 | Use table for imports at basic prices | Current prices |
| Table 16 | Table showing trade and transport margins | Current prices |
| Table 16 | Table of taxes less subsidies on products | Current prices |
| Table 17 | Symmetric input-output table at basic prices | Current prices |
| Table 17 | Symmetric input-output table for domestic ouput at basic prices | Current prices |
| Table 17 | Symmetric input-output table for imports at basic prices | Current prices |
Consolidated European tables are compiled for the euro area and the European Union. They have a breakdown of 64 activities and products or 10 activities and products.
The tables are harmonised, using the Eurostat’s standardised template in line with the European system of accounts (ESA) 2010 transmission programme and the pre-defined SDMX data structure definitions. For more information on the tables, see the previous section 'Data release and dissemination'.
Since 2008, the questionnaire has distinguished between 64 products based on the statistical classification of economic activities (NACE Rev. 2).
The data received from EU countries are validated by applying agreed structure and content checks.
Some tables or variables required by the European system of accounts (ESA) 2010 transmission programme may be missing for some countries. In most cases, this is due to temporary derogations for the concerned countries.
The quality reporting carried out by Eurostat together with EU countries includes analysis of the quality of the tables provided. For more details, please consult the quality report on national and regional accounts.
FIGARO tables: EU inter-country supply, use, and input-output tables
The ‘Full international and global accounts for research in input-output Analysis' (FIGARO) tables represent the EU inter-country supply, use, and input-output tables (IC-SUIOT). They use official EU data with complementary information on the main non-EU trading partners.
With the help of the FIGARO tables, it is possible to analyse the socioeconomic and environmental effects of globalisation in the EU and help answer policy questions.
In addition to the FIGARO tables, results for 3 FIGARO applications are published annually. These concern:
- employment supported by EU exports to the rest of the world
- value added supported by EU exports to the rest of the world
- CO2 emissions linked to final consumption and investment in the EU (footprints).
The current release of FIGARO, namely the 2023 FIGARO edition, covers the whole time series of 2010 to 2021.
For information on the format of the FIGARO tables and their content, please consult the description of the FIGARO tables.
Please also watch our FIGARO video.
The FIGARO tables comprises the EU inter-country supply, use and input-output tables (EU IC-SUIOTs).
FIGARO tables are a statistical product for economic modelling. They have been produced annually since 2021. They link national accounts with data on business, trade, and jobs for EU members and 18 main EU trading partners (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, Türkiye, United Kingdom, United States). A ‘rest of the world’ region completes the FIGARO tables.
Projections are made to obtain estimates for year T-2, with T being the year of FIGARO release, to ensure timely provision of FIGARO tables for EU policy analysis.
The FIGARO tables are benchmarked against the most recent macroeconomic aggregates and respect the same quality standards as official statistics.
For information on how FIGARO tables are produced, please consult the methodology page.
FIGARO tables present transactions in nominal million euros, valued at basic prices.
FIGARO captures the supply and use relationships for the 27 EU countries (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden), 18 main EU trading partners (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, Türkiye, the United Kingdom and the United States), and a ‘Rest of the World’ region.
FIGARO tables are released annually. Eurostat projects national SUTs for the most recent year T-2 (with T being the year of FIGARO release) for each release. The projected data are benchmarked against the latest available macroeconomic aggregates at the level of 64 industries.
Any confidential national data are anonymized in the FIGARO compilation process, as agreed with the EU country that is concerned.
FIGARO tables are currently available from 2010 to 2021.
Since 2021, FIGARO tables have been released as a statistical product of Eurostat and will be updated annually with emphasis being given to the 3 most recent years (T-2, T-3, T-4, with T being the year of the FIGARO release).
The EU inter-country supply, use, and input-output tables capture global interdependencies of industries and national economies. They allow for the analysis of the economic, social, and environmental consequences of globalisation. Specifically, the FIGARO tables are suited to studying trade effects on value chains, competitiveness, growth, productivity, employment, and environmental footprints at various geographical scales. FIGARO aspires to be the EU reference tool for policy makers in the above areas.
FIGARO tables contribute to the ‘Global regional TiVA initiatives’ of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the compilation of OECD global inter-country input-output tables by providing data for the EU and its Member States.
Trade and employment policies are important elements of the 6 European Commission priorities for 2019-24. FIGARO can provide policymakers with empirical data in these domains.
According to FIGARO, exports to non-EU countries supported about 30 million jobs in the EU labour market in 2021, accounting for 15% of total EU employment. Since 2011, the total number of jobs supported by EU exports has increased at an average 2% annual rate.
The available data provide for the possibility for more detailed analysis, including:
- in 2021, manufacturing exports from Germany to non-EU countries supported 44 000 jobs in the manufacturing industry of Czechia, representing 0.8% of the country's total employment;
- in 2021, about 20 000 jobs in the Romanian manufacturing industry were supported by Italian manufacturing exports to non-EU countries, representing 0.2% of the total employment in Romania;
- in 2021, nearly half (45%) of all EU jobs supported by exports to non-EU countries were in 3 member countries, namely Germany (6.9 million), France (3.4 million), and Italy (3.4 million).
Further reading
The FIGARO research project will continue until 2026. The project, which is being carried out in collaboration with the Joint Research Centre (JRC), will provide new data and analyses, including:
- tables expressed in ‘previous year prices’
- new indicators for global value chain analyses
- a test compilation of extended inter-country supply and use tables, according to the recommendations of the OECD expert group on extended supply and use tables
- a test compilation of EU inter-country national (or social) accounting matrices
Differences between national SUIOTs and FIGARO tables
In the FIGARO tables, exports and imports are valued free on board (FOB) and transformed into basic prices. In the national SUIOT tables, imports data are valued cost, insurance and freight (CIF).
International trade statistics do not follow the same concepts for imports and exports as those used in the system of national accounts (SNA), which is the key accounting framework used in constructing official national tables. This is particularly the case with merchandise trade statistics, and often with services trade statistics.
The difference between ‘merchandise trade totals’ and ‘national accounts totals’ for goods can be significant. This is due to adjustments for non-residents’ domestic expenditures and residents’ expenditures abroad, which are captured in trade in services statistics but not in merchandise trade data. However, changes made in the 2008 SNA for goods sent abroad for processing and merchanting, meaning the purchase of a good by a resident from a non-resident and the subsequent re-sale of that good to another non-resident, imply significant changes and differences for some countries.
The FIGARO tables are consistent with national accounts macro-aggregates, such as total final consumption, gross fixed capital, etc. For transparency and statistical purposes, the FIGARO tables also include a variant of the inter-country use table (‘statistical’ use table) for the years ending in 0 and 5 (2010, 2015, etc.).
This table accounts for the explicit discrepancies between trade statistics and national accounts before adjusting for goods sent abroad for processing and merchanting. These adjustments are also provided by exporting country and by product.
The full set of national SUTs and IOTs, as well as a balanced view of trade flows for goods and services for each EU member with their trading partners and with the rest of the world, are key inputs to the FIGARO tables.
In the absence of official national tables submitted by EU countries, Eurostat applies an estimation procedure based on the analysis of European supply and use tables at basic prices and valuation matrices.
Users will find more national data in the FIGARO tables than in the Eurostat database.
In terms of bilateral trade data, estimating a country's domestic exports requires a methodological approach to decrease trade asymmetries, and identify quasi-transit trade, and re-exports. This gives a balanced view of trade, which gives different values than Eurostat's statistics on trade in goods and services.