During the period 2007-2017, the value of European Union (EU) exports of chemicals remained significantly higher than the value of its imports. The resulting trade surplus has grown from € 76 billion in 2007 to € 138 billion in 2017, equivalent to an average annual growth of 6 %.
Looking at the major international players in the chemicals trade, the EU headed the list in 2017 with a total trade of € 528 billion. This consisted of € 333 billion of exports and € 195 billion of imports, resulting in the trade surplus of € 138 billion. The United States had higher imports than the EU (€ 200 billion), but less exports (€ 183 billion). China was both the third largest importer and exporter with values of € 148 billion and € 110 billion respectively.
Further information is provided in the Statistics Explained article Production and international trade in chemicals.
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