Watch the video - EU high-tech exports recover: Here are the biggest trading partners

The European Union's high-tech commercialized balance is backmost successful the black. These see technologies ranging from semiconductors and AI-powered machinery to renewable vigor technologies and aesculapian equipment.

In 2024, its planetary marketplace exports reached much than €501 billion, marking an 8% summation from 2023, Eurostat figures showed.

By comparison, the United States exported €447 cardinal worth of high-tech goods successful 2024.

Meanwhile, EU imports remained unchangeable astatine €478 cardinal pursuing a marginal 0.2% drop.

This means that aft 4 consecutive years of deficit, EU high-tech businesses tin yet station a surplus, totalling €23 billion.

The US was the bloc's largest export spouse by a wide margin.

Washington pumped astir €156 cardinal into the EU high-tech economy, followed by Beijing (€49 billion) and London (€48 billion).

Pharma rises to top, but tin it past US tariffs?

The pharmaceutical assemblage gets astir of the recognition for the commercialized surplus.

In 2024, it became the astir invaluable high-tech merchandise exported by the EU, grossing astir one-third of each EU-exported products successful this class (€166 billion).

The US was the main purchaser of EU pharmaceuticals, importing products worthy €84 billion, followed by Switzerland (€15 billion) and Japan (€5 billion).

However, US imports of EU pharma products did driblet by 30% successful 2024.

Exports mightiness autumn further successful 2025 and 2026 pursuing the implementation of 15% tariffs connected EU products by the US.

Experts reason that EU pharma companies whitethorn effort to offset the interaction by raising prices successful Europe.

"Some companies person begun to respond to US demands to set prices," says the Atlantic Council. "Eli Lilly, which produces a starring diabetes medication, has said it volition rise prices successful Europe, presumably with the extremity end of lowering them successful the US."

"Europe’s regulators volition person to face these and akin practices successful the European market."

Which different tech sectors are driving the EU surplus?

The 2nd astir profitable assemblage for EU high-tech exports wide was electronics and telecommunications, grossing €94 billion. However, this is fractional the fig recorded successful 2023 erstwhile exports reached a worth of €187 billion.

The class electronics and telecommunications was the best-selling successful China, representing 32% of its high-tech purchases from the EU.

Aerospace was the third-highest grossing niche with €88 billion, acknowledgment to a singular 57% leap successful marketplace value, and the best-selling class successful Turkey (37%) and the United Kingdom (22%).

Scientific instruments ranked 4th (€77 billion), with astir products (14%) being exported to the US.

Imports: China inactive leads acknowledgment to electronics & telecomms

In 2024, the full worth of high-tech goods bought by EU countries from China was €141 billion.

China frankincense confirmed itself arsenic the bloc's largest high-tech seller with a 30% marketplace share, down 2% from 2023.

There was small alteration successful US imports too, with the state retaining the second-largest high-tech marketplace share, astatine €111 billion.

Switzerland (€31 billion), Taiwan (€26 billion), Vietnam (€24 billion) and the UK (€21 billion) were different important import partners.

In presumption of marketplace sectors, electronics and telecommunications were the largest stock of high-tech imports successful the EU (36%), with China being the largest provider.

Computers and bureau machines covered 18% of imports from non-EU countries, portion pharmacy products accounted for 15%, mostly provided by the US (€34 billion) and Switzerland (€22 billion).