The EU is the world’s most powerful trade entity, collectively responsible for 28.4% of the world’s exported goods valued at $24.487 trillion in 2022. The EU’s percentage share for 2022 reflects a decline from 29.2% of the global total in 2021.
The dollar value of the EU’s international sales of exports increased by 19.6% from a total $5.824 trillion 5 years earlier in 2018.
Year over year, the EU collected 7.8% more in revenues compared to exports valued at $6.46 trillion during 2021.
In 2022, the top 5 goods exported from the 27-member EU were cars, processed petroleum oils, medication mixes in dosage, blood fractions including antisera, then automobile parts or accessories. In aggregate, those 5 exported products approach one-fifth (19.4%) of the overall value for EU exports.
Please note that the metrics presented in this article focus exclusively on exports from the 27 countries that were EU members at the end of 2022. The United Kingdom formally exited from the EU on January 31, 2020.
European Union’s Top 10 Exports
The following export product groups represent the highest dollar value in EU global shipments during 2022. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from the EU.
- Machinery including computers: US$833.1 billion (12% of total exports)
- Vehicles: $706 billion (10.1%)
- Electrical machinery, equipment: $632.8 billion (9.1%)
- Mineral fuels including oil: $598.9 billion (8.6%)
- Pharmaceuticals: $538.3 billion (7.7%)
- Plastics, plastic articles: $297.3 billion (4.3%)
- Optical, technical, medical apparatus: $235.2 billion (3.4%)
- Iron, steel: $194.1 billion (2.8%)
- Organic chemicals: $185.5 billion (2.7%)
- Articles of iron or steel: $146.8 billion (2.1%)
By value, the EU’s top 10 exports accounted for 62.7% of the economic union’s global shipments.
Mineral fuels including oil represent the fastest-growing product category among the top 10 export categories, up by 80.8% from 2021 to 2022. That increase was propelled largely by higher sales of refined petroleum oils and petroleum gas shipped from the EU.
In second place were EU exports of organic chemicals via a 12.3% gain, ahead of the 8% increase for the EU’s revenues from exported pharmaceuticals.
Trade Surpluses for the European Union by Major Products
The following types of EU product shipments represent positive net exports or a trade balance surplus. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports.
In a nutshell, net exports represent the amount by which foreign spending on a home country’s goods or services exceeds or lags the home country’s spending on foreign goods or services.
- Pharmaceuticals: US$171.8 billion (Up by 18% since 2021)
- Vehicles: $131.8 billion (Up by 2.9%)
- Machinery including computers: $111.3 billion (Down by -10%)
- Optical, technical, medical apparatus: $42.9 billion (Down by -6.8%)
- Beverages, spirits, vinegar: $31.7 billion (Down by -5.2%)
- Perfumes, cosmetics: $30.8 billion (Up by 3.5%)
- Aircraft, spacecraft: $22 billion (Up by 10.7%)
- Paper, paper items: $20.9 billion (Down by -2%)
- Ships, boats: $19.9 billion (Up by 23.6%)
- Cereal/milk preparations: $19.2 billion (Up by 16.4%)
The has highly positive net exports in the international trade of pharmaceuticals and related products. In turn, these cashflows indicate the EU’s strong competitive advantages under the pharmaceuticals category.
Trade Deficits for the European Union by Major Products
The EU recorded an overall -US$334.2 billion deficit in its global trade for 2022. That shortfall reverses a $105.1 billion trade surplus for 2021.
Below are exports from the EU that result in negative net exports or product trade balance deficits. These negative net exports reveal product categories where foreign spending on EU-exported goods trail the European Union’s spending on imported products.
- Mineral fuels including oil: -US$678.1 billion (Up by 88.3% from 2021)
- Electrical machinery, equipment: -$126 billion (Up by 34.3%)
- Organic chemicals: -$55.6 billion (Up by 86.3%)
- Knit or crochet clothing, accessories: -$34.2 billion (Up by 39.2%)
- Ores, slag, ash: -$27.8 billion (Down by -14.2%)
- Iron, steel: -$22.5 billion (Up by 43.1%)
- Clothing, accessories (not knit or crochet): -$22.1 billion (Up by 41.9%)
- Fish: -$19.7 billion (Up by 10%)
- Aluminum: -$16.1 billion (Up by 91%)
- Fruits, nuts: -$15.7 billion (Down by -0.5%)
The EU has highly negative net exports and therefore deep international trade deficits under the mineral fuels category particular for crude oil and, to a lesser extent, petroleum gases and coal.
Major EU Export Companies
Ranking among the top 100 listed under Forbes Global 2000 are about 20 corporations with headquarters located in the EU.
Below are selected examples of top EU companies engaged in exports-related activities.
- Anheuser-Busch InBev (beverages)
- BASF (diversified chemicals)
- BMW Group (automobiles)
- Daimler (automobiles)
- Enel (electricity, gas)
- Royal Dutch Shell (oil, gas)
- Siemens (industrial/technology conglomerate)
- Total (oil, gas)
- Volkswagen Group (automobiles)
EU Top 100 Most Valuable Exported Products
The following searchable database displays 100 of the most in-demand goods shipped from European Union members during 2022. Shown beside each product label is its total export value then the percentage increase or decrease since 2021.
| Rank | EU Export Product | Value (US$) | 2021-2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cars | $375,562,408,000 | +5.5% |
| 2 | Processed petroleum oils | $292,662,506,000 | +56% |
| 3 | Medication mixes in dosage | $282,395,918,000 | +7.7% |
| 4 | Blood fractions (including antisera) | $223,712,944,000 | +6.1% |
| 5 | Automobile parts/accessories | $177,472,327,000 | -3% |
| 6 | Petroleum gases | $93,453,784,000 | +148% |
| 7 | Phone devices including smartphones | $90,068,987,000 | +8.3% |
| 8 | Electrical energy | $80,783,280,000 | +100% |
| 9 | Computers, optical readers | $76,318,302,000 | -1.4% |
| 10 | Electro-medical equip (e.g. xrays) | $63,638,440,000 | -1.5% |
| 11 | Integrated circuits/microassemblies | $58,984,437,000 | +1.3% |
| 12 | Aircraft, spacecraft | $56,025,559,000 | +0.3% |
| 13 | Insulated wire/cable | $48,181,270,000 | +2.6% |
| 14 | Trucks | $46,267,446,000 | -2.6% |
| 15 | Heterocyclics, nucleic acids | $43,410,731,000 | +20.9% |
| 16 | Lower-voltage switches, fuses | $42,710,352,000 | -0.2% |
| 17 | Miscellaneous furniture | $42,064,744,000 | -3.4% |
| 18 | Taps, valves, similar appliances | $40,445,944,000 | -4.6% |
| 19 | Electrical converters/power units | $40,415,745,000 | +11.9% |
| 20 | Turbo-jets | $40,379,505,000 | +9.7% |
| 21 | Miscellaneous machinery | $38,930,089,000 | -4% |
| 22 | Centrifuges, filters and purifiers | $38,623,829,000 | +1.5% |
| 23 | Electric storage batteries | $37,782,058,000 | +17.2% |
| 24 | Tractors | $37,538,350,000 | +5.9% |
| 25 | Miscellaneous plastic items | $35,821,148,000 | -4.1% |
| 26 | Orthopedic appliances | $35,379,204,000 | -0.3% |
| 27 | Electrical/optical circuit boards, panels | $33,654,882,000 | +4.3% |
| 28 | Rubber tires (new) | $32,231,535,000 | +4.8% |
| 29 | Biodiesel | $32,006,956,000 | +33.8% |
| 30 | Cases, handbags, wallets | $32,005,327,000 | +7.9% |
| 31 | Cheese, curd | $31,015,093,000 | +11% |
| 32 | Liquid pumps and elevators | $30,826,050,000 | -4.3% |
| 33 | Air or vacuum pumps | $29,591,121,000 | -3.6% |
| 34 | Wine | $29,174,643,000 | -3.2% |
| 35 | Transmission shafts, gears, clutches | $28,767,001,000 | -2% |
| 36 | Miscellaneous iron or steel items | $28,276,617,000 | +6.1% |
| 37 | Footwear (leather) | $28,065,899,000 | +7.5% |
| 38 | Piston engine parts | $27,962,102,000 | -1.9% |
| 39 | Ethylene polymers | $27,876,662,000 | -0.6% |
| 40 | TV receivers/monitors/projectors | $27,733,688,000 | -6.1% |
| 41 | Miscellaneous iron and steel structures | $27,637,864,000 | +2% |
| 42 | Seats (excluding barber/dentist chairs) | $27,592,840,000 | -12.5% |
| 43 | Plastic plates, sheets, film, tape, strips | $27,365,619,000 | +1.8% |
| 44 | Beauty/makeup/skin care preparations | $27,344,834,000 | +1.7% |
| 45 | Machinery for making semi-conductors | $27,071,097,000 | +7.2% |
| 46 | Polyacetal/ether/carbonates | $26,566,744,000 | +1.8% |
| 47 | Bread, biscuits, cakes, pastries | $26,372,576,000 | +7.5% |
| 48 | Coal tar oils (high temperature distillation) | $26,255,921,000 | +31.7% |
| 49 | Machinery parts | $26,090,504,000 | +3.8% |
| 50 | Plastic packing goods, lids, caps | $25,725,368,000 | +3.9% |
| 51 | Miscellaneous animal feed preparations | $24,725,777,000 | +5.5% |
| 52 | Electric motors, generators | $24,383,639,000 | +5.5% |
| 53 | Hot-rolled iron or non-alloy steel products | $23,906,572,000 | +7.5% |
| 54 | Printing machinery | $23,830,676,000 | -9.1% |
| 55 | Iron or steel scrap | $23,655,823,000 | -6.6% |
| 56 | Flat-rolled iron or non-alloy steel products (plated/coated) | $23,381,613,000 | +8.1% |
| 57 | Other food preparations | $22,458,411,000 | +0.6% |
| 58 | Women's clothing (not knit or crochet) | $22,116,667,000 | +5.4% |
| 59 | Sawn wood | $21,996,664,000 | -6.5% |
| 60 | Electric water heaters, hair dryers | $21,641,680,000 | -3.4% |
| 61 | Chocolate, other cocoa preparations | $21,501,021,000 | -0.6% |
| 62 | Other diagnostic/lab reagents | $21,473,606,000 | +0.2% |
| 63 | Dishwashing, clean/dry/fill machines | $21,438,969,000 | -8.6% |
| 64 | Aircraft or spacecraft parts | $21,324,638,000 | 0% |
| 65 | Gold (unwrought) | $21,320,367,000 | +11.2% |
| 66 | Refrigerators, freezers | $21,216,381,000 | +3.8% |
| 67 | Jewelry | $20,924,228,000 | +12.5% |
| 68 | Cruise/cargo ships, barges | $20,728,138,000 | +14.8% |
| 69 | Swine meat | $20,557,718,000 | -7.4% |
| 70 | Temperature-change machines | $20,461,743,000 | -2.3% |
| 71 | Wheat | $20,427,528,000 | +33.1% |
| 72 | Chemical industry products/residuals | $20,353,161,000 | +0.6% |
| 73 | Solar power diodes/semi-conductors | $20,057,746,000 | +10.4% |
| 74 | Physical/chemical analysis tools | $19,906,635,000 | -5.6% |
| 75 | Flat-rolled stainless steel items | $19,889,510,000 | +8.7% |
| 76 | Propylene/olefin polymers | $19,529,755,000 | -5.4% |
| 77 | Engines (diesel) | $19,182,467,000 | -7.1% |
| 78 | Jerseys, pullovers (knit or crochet) | $19,137,190,000 | +3.5% |
| 79 | Coated paper | $18,969,010,000 | +11.7% |
| 80 | Piston engines | $18,810,466,000 | +0.9% |
| 81 | Aluminum plates, sheets, strips | $18,666,357,000 | +14.2% |
| 82 | Other organic cleaning preparations | $18,649,127,000 | -3.4% |
| 83 | Lifting/loading machinery | $18,460,782,000 | +1.2% |
| 84 | Scents used for beverage or industrial manufacturing | $18,370,136,000 | +3.5% |
| 85 | Flat-rolled other alloy steel products | $18,092,140,000 | +15.3% |
| 86 | Other measuring/testing machines | $17,872,226,000 | -4.6% |
| 87 | Packaged insecticides/fungicides/herbicides | $17,827,566,000 | +3.7% |
| 88 | Electric circuit parts, fuses, switches | $17,649,302,000 | +2.4% |
| 89 | Trailers | $17,648,370,000 | +2.7% |
| 90 | Platinum (unwrought) | $17,598,093,000 | -14% |
| 91 | Miscellaneous heterocyclics | $16,739,198,000 | +24.1% |
| 92 | Iron and steel screws, bolts, nuts, washers | $16,612,889,000 | +3.1% |
| 93 | Alcohol (including spirits, liqueurs) | $16,504,013,000 | +5.7% |
| 94 | Footwear (textile) | $16,368,796,000 | +7.1% |
| 95 | Harvest/threshing machinery | $16,262,627,000 | +4.5% |
| 96 | Plastic plates, sheets, film, tape, strips | $16,240,078,000 | +1.9% |
| 97 | Perfumes, toilet waters | $16,078,750,000 | +12% |
| 98 | Plastic tubes, pipes, fittings | $15,815,040,000 | +0.4% |
| 99 | Paper containers, cellulose wadding | $15,659,560,000 | +5.3% |
| 100 | Base metal mountings, fittings | $15,321,938,000 | -5.8% |
These 100 exported goods were worth a subtotal of $4.11 trillion or almost three-fifths (58.2%) by value for all products exported from the EU during 2022.
Expanding the scope to the 100 most valuable exported products, the fastest-growing exports from the EU are petroleum gases (up 148% from 2021), electrical energy (up 100%), refined petroleum oils (up 56%), biodiesel (up 33.8%), then wheat (up 33.1%).
Other Key Facts About the EU and its Exports
From a continental perspective, almost three-quarters (72.9%) of EU exports by value were delivered to other European countries.
Fellow EU member countries bought 61.7% of the total value for EU exported goods in 2022 from fellow EU members, up from 61.2% for 2021.
The EU shipped another 12.7% worth of goods to buyers in Asia plus another 9.3% to North America.
Smaller percentages went to Africa (2.8%), Latin America (1.6%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, and Oceania (0.7%) led by Australia and New Zealand.
Given the European Union’s population of 448.4 million people, its total $6.965 trillion in 2022 exports translates to roughly $15,500 in international trade product sales for every EU resident. That per capita average exceeds the $14,400 per person one year earlier.
The EU’s average unemployment rate was 5.9% at May 2023, up from 7.3% at April 2022 per Trading Economics.
Headquarters for the European Union are located in Belgium’s capital city, Brussels.
Please note that metrics for the United Kingdom are reported in our separate article specific to UK exports.
See also Top EU Export Countries, Top EU Import Countries, Germany’s Top 10 Exports, France’s Top 10 Exports and Italy’s Top 10 Exports
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Europe: European Union. Accessed on July 26, 2023
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on July 26, 2023
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on July 26, 2023
Wikipedia, Demographics of the European Union. Accessed on July 26, 2023
Wikipedia, European Union. Accessed on July 26, 2023
Wikipedia, List of Companies of the European Union. Accessed on July 26, 2023
Wikipedia, List of European countries by population. Accessed on July 26, 2023
Wikipedia, Member State of the European Union. Accessed on July 26, 2023
World’s Capital Cities, Capital Facts for Brussels, Belgium. Accessed on July 26, 2023
