EU high-tech trade: Exports up in 2023

In 2023, the EU imported €478 billion worth of high-tech products, a slight decrease compared with 2022 (-1%). At the same time, exports reached €461 billion (+3% compared with 2022).

Over half of the EU’s high-tech imports in 2023 came from China (32%; €155 billion) and the United States (23%; €108 billion), with other top partners being Switzerland (7%; €31 billion), Taiwan (6%; €28 billion) and the United Kingdom and Vietnam (each 4%; €20 and €19 billion respectively). 

Electronics-telecommunications accounted for the largest share of high-tech imports from non-EU countries (39%), for which China was the largest partner. Computers and office machines as well as pharmacy both accounted for 15% of high-tech imports, most of which came from China and the United States respectively. 

Source dataset: DS-018995;  Eurostat extraction

Electronics-telecommunications made up the largest share of imports from Vietnam (73% of high-tech imports from Vietnam; €14 billion), Taiwan and China (each 58%; €16 billion and €89 billion, respectively). 

For Switzerland, the largest category was pharmacy (70% of high-tech imports from Switzerland; €22 billion). 

For the United States (35%; €37 billion) and the United Kingdom (30%; €6 billion), it was aerospace.

Pharmacy comprised 30% of high-tech exports

In 2023, the United States was the top trading partner (28%; €128 billion) for high-tech exports to non-EU countries. China followed (11%; €49 billion), ahead of the United Kingdom (10%; €44 billion), Switzerland (6%; €28 billion), Japan and Türkiye (each 3%; €15 billion and €14 billion, respectively).

Pharmacy made up the largest share (30%) of overall high-tech exports to non-EU countries, with the United States being the top partner. Electronics-telecommunications (20%) and aerospace (18%) followed, with China and the United States as the leading partners in these sectors respectively.

Source dataset: DS-018995;  Eurostat extraction

Pharmacy was the largest exported category for Switzerland, the United States (both 48% of high-tech exports; €14 billion and €61 billion, respectively), and Japan (39%; €6 billion).

The largest category for China (31% of high-tech exports to China; €15 billion) and the United Kingdom (22%; €10 billion) was electronics-telecommunications. For Türkiye, it was aerospace (35%; €5 billion). 

For more information

• Statistics Explained article on international trade and production of high-tech products
• Thematic section on international trade in goods
• Database on international trade in goods
• Statistics 4 Beginners on trade 

Methodological notes

The data in this article uses the high-tech aggregation by SITC Rev. 4. This list, based on the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) definition, contains technical products of which the manufacturing involved a high intensity of R & D.

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