Maritime transport dominates international trade

In 2024, the EU imported 1.1 billion tonnes of goods from non-EU countries by sea, valued at €1 251 billion. Exports transported by sea totalled 0.5 billion tonnes, worth €1 126 billion.

Maritime transport was the main mode of transport for the EU international trade in goods in 2024. It dominated the physical volume of trade, accounting for 75.6% of all imports and 73.7% of all exports by weight. When it comes to value, it represented a smaller share, with 51.3% of import value and 43.6% of export value.

In rail transport the volume (3.1% imports and 2.9% exports) also exceeded the value (1.5% imports and 1.3% exports).

In contrast, air transport played a minor role in terms of volume but a more prominent role in terms of value. Just 0.2% of imports and 2.8% of exports were moved by air, yet these shipments made up 18.3% of the total import value and 27.1% of the total export value.

Road transport also registered a higher share in value (20.4% imports and 24.0% exports) than in volume (5.8% imports and 16.5% exports).

Source dataset: ds-059334

This news article marks World Maritime Day on 25 September.