Figure 2 – EU-27 Total trade in medical products (2019)

In 2019, total EU trade (imports plus exports) in medical products represented 9.3 % of total EU trade. The EU is a net exporter of medical products overall, with net exports totalling €123 billion (0.9 % of EU gross domestic product – GDP). Total exports of medical products amounted to €251 billion (11.8 % of EU merchandise exports). In 2019, total imports of medical products amounted to €128 billion (6.6 % of EU merchandise imports).
Figure 1 shows that in 2019 more than half of the EU’s imports of medical products were pharmaceutical products, only 10 % were personal protection products. When it comes to exports of medical products, pharmaceuticals account for the largest share by far (66 %). Moreover, Table 2 shows that the EU is a net exporter in all four categories of medical products. The pharmaceutical industry is a major source of income, netting €95.4 billion and representing 85.1 % of the total trade surplus of medical products (0.7 % of EU GDP). Personal protection products represent 10.5 % of imports, but only 3.9 % of the EU’s total net exports of medical products.