EU imports by transport method 2000-2023 | Statista

The share of goods imported by the European Union that are transported by sea has risen from around 40 percent of imports in 2000 to over half in the early 2020s. At the same time, goods imported via air transport and road transport have experienced substantial year-on-year fluctuations, with air transport declining to less than a fifth of goods imported in the early 2020s, likely due to overall reduced air traffic because of the COVID-19 pandemic, while road transport experienced a boost in the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021.

Annual share of European Union goods imports from countries outside of the EU by transportation method from 2000 to 2023

Characteristic	Sea	Fixed Mechanism	Road	Unknown	Rail	Inland Waterway	Air	Self Propulsion	Post
2023	73.96%	13.82%	5.27%	3.18%	3.14%	0.4%	0.21%	0.02%	0%
2022	73.56%	13.99%	5.36%	2.43%	3.55%	0.69%	0.21%	0.2%	0%
2021	72.72%	14.99%	6.33%	0.33%	4.57%	0.57%	0.28%	0.2%	0%
2020	70.89%	15.88%	6.82%	0.94%	4.35%	0.77%	0.24%	0.1%	0.01%
2019	75.45%	14.62%	4.52%	0.41%	4.12%	0.5%	0.28%	0.1%	0%
2018	73.91%	15.86%	4.34%	0.57%	4.39%	0.51%	0.3%	0.11%	0%
2017	73.84%	15.91%	4.16%	0.73%	4.2%	0.76%	0.28%	0.12%	0%
2016	73.31%	16.62%	4.06%	0.65%	4.2%	0.82%	0.25%	0.09%	0%
2015	74.42%	15.66%	3.92%	0.85%	4.2%	0.63%	0.24%	0.08%	0%
2014	72.88%	15.13%	3.72%	2.97%	4.32%	0.53%	0.27%	0.19%	0%
2013	73.32%	14.31%	3.54%	3.71%	4.05%	0.65%	0.25%	0.18%	0%
2012	73.38%	14.43%	3.42%	3.87%	3.86%	0.67%	0.21%	0.16%	0%
2011	73.94%	14.37%	3.58%	2.67%	4.18%	0.74%	0.23%	0.29%	0%
2010	73.34%	15.32%	3.53%	2.82%	3.91%	0.74%	0.24%	0.09%	0%
2009	71.68%	16.12%	3.27%	4.66%	3.37%	0.64%	0.2%	0.05%	0%
2008	71.77%	15.28%	3.28%	4.56%	4.08%	0.72%	0.19%	0.12%	0.01%
2007	70.8%	15.47%	3.32%	4.88%	4.3%	0.93%	0.23%	0.07%	0%
2006	68.64%	16.62%	3.84%	5.29%	4.14%	0.72%	0.23%	0.51%	0%
2005	69.19%	16.94%	3.31%	5.31%	4.14%	0.68%	0.21%	0.23%	0%
2004	69.69%	15.22%	4.53%	4.5%	4.26%	1.3%	0.29%	0.2%	0%
2003	70.33%	13.41%	5.75%	5.13%	3.51%	1.56%	0.17%	0.14%	0.01%
2002	70.37%	13.43%	5.45%	5.29%	3.59%	1.61%	0.19%	0.06%	0%
2001	70.63%	13.33%	5.14%	5.27%	3.68%	1.7%	0.18%	0.09%	0%
2000	70.12%	14.56%	5.22%	4.03%	3.85%	1.94%	0.19%	0.08%	0%

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Release date

April 2024

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Region

Europe, EU

Survey time period

2000 to 2023

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