Different variations of pasta

In 2023, 6.2 million tonnes of pasta were produced in the EU, worth €8.9 billion. While the volume was comparable with 2022 (6.1 million tonnes), there was an increase of €1.1 billion in terms of value. 

Italy was by far the leading EU producer of pasta, with 4.2 million tonnes produced last year, worth €6.2 billion. This accounts for 68% of the total EU production in terms of volume and 70% in terms of value. Italy was followed by Spain with almost half a million tonnes produced last year and Germany with more than 290 000 tonnes produced.

EU pasta production, 2023. Top 3 countries - Click below to see full dataset.

Source dataset: ds-056120

More than half of pasta exports go to other EU countries  

In total, almost 2.7 million tonnes of pasta were exported by EU countries in 2023, and more than half (57%) of this amount went to other EU countries. 

Italy was the top EU exporter of pasta, with 2.0 million tonnes exported in 2023, representing 76% of the EU total. It was far ahead of Spain, the second biggest exporting country, which exported around 130 000 tonnes or 5% of the total.

The 2 main importing EU members were Germany with 440 733 tonnes of pasta imported, with a 28% share of total EU members’ imports, and France, which imported 371 966 tonnes or 24% of the imports. 

The top 2 destinations for EU exports of pasta outside of the EU in 2023 were the United Kingdom (307 481 tonnes, or 26% of total extra-EU exports) and the United States (243 646 tonnes, or 21% of total extra-EU exports). 

This news item marks the World Pasta Day which takes place on 25 October. 

EU trade in pasta, 2023. Infographic. See link to full dataset below.

Source dataset: ds-045409 

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Methodological notes 

  • The figures on pasta production presented in this article are a sum of 2 PRODCOM products: 
    • 10731150 Uncooked pasta (excluding containing eggs, stuffed or otherwise prepared) 
    • 10731130 Uncooked pasta, containing eggs (excluding stuffed or otherwise prepared) 
  • The figures of pasta import and export are codes from the Combined nomenclature (CN): 
    • 19021100 Uncooked pasta, not stuffed or otherwise prepared, containing eggs 
    • 19021910 Uncooked pasta, not stuffed or otherwise prepared, not containing common wheat flour or meal or eggs 
    • 19021990 Uncooked pasta, not stuffed or otherwise prepared, containing common wheat flour or meal but no eggs 
  • Due to quasi-transit trade, adding intra-EU trade and extra-EU trade can result in double counting. For example, pasta imported from Turkey via the Netherlands is cleared by customs for free circulation before being dispatched to Germany. In this case, the same pasta would be counted as imports both by the Netherlands and Germany. Specifically, it would appear in the Netherlands' extra-EU imports from Turkey and its intra-EU exports to Germany, while also being recorded in Germany's intra-EU imports from the Netherlands.

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