4 big rolls of metal is ready to get transported by a truck in the background

In 2023, the total trade value (imports plus exports) of raw materials between the EU and the rest of the world was €165 billion. Exports (€68 billion) were lower than imports (€97 billion), resulting in a trade deficit of €29 billion. 

Between 2013 and 2023, the total EU trade in raw materials grew by 37%, equivalent to an average annual growth of 3.2%. In this period, exports grew faster (3.8%) than imports (2.8%).

EU trade in raw materials, € billion, 2013-2023. Line/bar chart. See link to full dataset below.

Source dataset: ds-018995

Raw materials can be subdivided into 3 main groups: animal and vegetable raw materials, wood, paper and textiles, and rubber, metals and minerals. 

In terms of export value in 2023, the largest group was rubber, metals and minerals (€26 billion, 38% of all exports), followed by animal and vegetable raw materials (€22 billion, 32%) and wood, paper and textiles (€21 billion, 30%). 

Rubber, metals and minerals accounted for nearly half of the imports (€48 billion, 49%), followed by animal and vegetable raw materials (€35 billion, 37%) and wood, paper and textiles (€14 billion, 14%).

EU exports and imports of raw materials by product category, % of value, 2023. Infographic. See link to full dataset below.

Source dataset: ds-018995

For more information

Methodological notes

  • EU data comes from Eurostat’s COMEXT database. COMEXT is the Eurostat reference database for international trade in goods, which provides access not only to recent data but also to historical data from EU members, as well as statistics from a significant number of non-EU countries.
  • Raw materials are defined according to the fourth revision of the Standard international trade classification (SITC). They include sections 2 ‘Crude materials, inedible, except fuels’ and 4 ‘Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes’.

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