In 2021, the domestic material consumption of the EU economy stood at around 14.1 tonnes per person, up 4% compared with 2020 (13.6 tonnes per person).
Non-metallic minerals accounted for more than half of the domestic material consumption (53%) in 2021, biomass for almost a quarter (23%), fossil energy materials for close to a fifth (18%) and metal ores for 6%.
This information comes from data on material flows and resource productivity published by Eurostat today. The article presents a handful of findings from the more detailed Statistics Explained articles on material flow accounts and resource productivity, resource productivity statistics and physical imports and exports.
An analysis of domestic material consumption by material category conveys the relative importance of various materials and their potential for reuse, recovery or recycling. Over time, the consumption patterns of these material categories has evolved differently.
Source dataset: env_ac_mfa
Since the start of the millennium, domestic material consumption decreased from more than 15.4 tonnes per person to around 14.1 tonnes per person in 2021.
The consumption of biomass remained fairly stable during this period, unlike the consumption of metal ores and non-metallic minerals, which were both highly influenced by the financial and economic crisis of 2008-2009 and by the measures taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Notably, the consumption of non-metallic minerals was less affected by the COVID-19 pandemic than the consumption of metal ores.
Meanwhile, the consumption of fossil energy materials gradually decreased over the past two decades, mirroring reduced CO2 emissions. However, 2021 saw a small increase from the significant drop recorded in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Differences in material consumption across the EU
The level of domestic material consumption differed significantly across the EU Member States: from 7 tonnes per person in the Netherlands, to 35 tonnes per person in Finland in 2021. Domestic material consumption in each country is influenced by natural endowments with material resources, which may form an important structural element of each economy.
Source dataset: env_ac_mfa
Furthermore, consumption of the main material categories also varied across EU Member States.
In 2021, consumption of non-metallic minerals ranged from 2 tonnes per person in the Netherlands to 23 tonnes per person in Romania. Cross-country differences can be a result of varied levels of construction activities (investments), population densities and sizes of transport infrastructures, such as road networks.
Biomass consumption varied from a tonne per person in Malta to 8 tonnes per person in Ireland. Economies with high biomass consumption are often specialised in timber production (Finland) or certain livestock production (Ireland, Denmark).
Consumption of fossil energy material varied from a tonne per person in Latvia to 8 tonnes per person in Luxembourg.
For more information:
- Statistics Explained articles on:
- Dedicated section on material flows and resource productivity
- Metadata on material flow accounts
- Energy Union and Climate priority of the European Commission
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