EU trade in high-tech products up in 2022

In 2022, the EU imported €482 billion worth of high-tech products from extra-EU countries (+22% compared with 2021). Exports to these countries reached €446 billion (+16% compared with 2021).

More than half of imports from China and the United States

In 2022, over half of the EU’s high-tech imports from non-EU countries came from China (38%; €183 billion) and the United States (19%; €91 billion), with other top partners being Switzerland (6%; €30 billion), Taiwan (5%; €23 billion) and the United Kingdom and Vietnam (each 4%; €20 and €18 billion, respectively). 

The most significant category of high-tech products imported from non-EU countries was electronics-telecommunications (€202 billion).

Source dataset: DS-018995;  aggregated data

For three of the top six high-tech import partners, the largest imported category was electronics-telecommunications: Vietnam (74% of high-tech imports from Vietnam; €13 billion), Taiwan (69%; €16 billion) and China (55%; €101 billion). 

For Switzerland, the largest category was pharmacy (68% of high-tech imports from Switzerland; €20 billion). For the United States (35%; €32 billion) and the United Kingdom (28%; €6 billion), it was aerospace.

Pharmacy was the largest category in exports

For high-tech exports to non-EU countries, the United States was the top trading partner in 2022 (26%; €118 billion), with China second (12%; €53 billion). These countries were followed by the United Kingdom (9%; €42 billion), Switzerland (6%; €28 billion), Japan (4%; €19 billion) and Türkiye (3%; €12 billion).

The most significant category of high-tech products exported to non-EU countries was pharmacy (€145 billion).

Source dataset: DS-018995;  aggregated data

Pharmacy was the largest exported category for three of the top six high-tech export partners: Japan (56% of high-tech exports to Japan; €11 billion), Switzerland (50%; €14 billion) and the United States (49%; €57 billion). 

The largest category for China (38% of high-tech exports to China; €20 billion) and the United Kingdom (24%; €10 billion) was electronics-telecommunication. For Türkiye, it was aerospace (38%; €5 billion). 

For seven categories, the United States was the largest export destination for the EU. Different top partners were registered for electronics-telecommunications (China) and computers and office machines (the United Kingdom).