The European Union (EU) exports over $6 trillion in products annually. The bloc boasts a diversified economy that encompasses fuel and mineral industries, cars, vaccines, and technology.

In this map, Visual Capitalist’s Bruno Venditti displays European Union countries’ top exports as of 2022.

Data for the map was sourced from The Observatory of Economic Complexity.

Cars and Petroleum Dominate EU Exports

Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Finland, Greece, Lithuania, Sweden, and the Netherlands have petroleum gas or refined petroleum as their top export product.

The Netherlands exported $68.1 billion worth of refined petroleum in 2022, ranking third among the largest exporters globally. The country is home to BP Rotterdam Refinery, the biggest oil refinery in Europe.

Country
Top Export (2022)
Value (USD Billions)
🇦🇹 Austria
Cars
$7.7B
🇧🇪 Belgium
Petroleum Gas
$54.7B
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
Refined Petroleum
$3.5B
🇭🇷 Croatia
Refined Petroleum
$1.5B
🇨🇾 Cyprus
Passenger and Cargo Ships
$1.3B
🇨🇿 Czech Republic
Cars
$25.5B
🇩🇰 Denmark
Packaged Medicines
$15.9B
🇪🇪 Estonia
Electricity
$1.1B
🇫🇮 Finland
Refined Petroleum
$6.9B
🇫🇷 France
Planes, Helicopters, and/or Spacecraft
$26.6B
🇩🇪 Germany
Cars
$149.0B
🇬🇷 Greece
Refined Petroleum
$16.4B
🇭🇺 Hungary
Cars
$12.3B
🇮🇪 Ireland
Vaccines
$47.3B
🇮🇹 Italy
Packaged Medicines
$34.4B
🇱🇻 Latvia
Sawn Wood
$1.2B
🇱🇹 Lithuania
Refined Petroleum
$5.5B
🇱🇺 Luxembourg
Iron blocks
$1.6B
🇲🇹 Malta
Integrated Circuits
$1.1B
🇳🇱 Netherlands
Refined Petroleum
$68.1B
🇵🇱 Poland
Cars (parts & accessories)
$15.3B
🇵🇹 Portugal
Cars
$4.4B
🇷🇴 Romania
Cars
$6.7B
🇸🇰 Slovakia
Cars
$26.9B
🇸🇮 Slovenia
Packaged Medicines
$12.5B
🇪🇸 Spain
Cars
$33.6B
🇸🇪 Sweden
Refined Petroleum
$12.9B

Besides petroleum, automobiles (and automobile parts) significantly contribute to the EU economy. Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Portugal, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Spain have automotive products as their top exports.

With well-known car brands such as Volkswagen, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and Porsche, Germany alone generates around $150 billion per year from car exports.

Other products help diversify the EU economy. France’s top export is planes, helicopters, and/or spacecraft, while Italy and Denmark excel in the packaged medicines industry. Ireland has a significant pharmaceutical industry, hosting major companies such as Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, and Novartis.