Export Share Across EU Member States
Exports of goods and services as share of GDP
Export share measures the value of exported goods and services as a percentage of GDP, capturing how integrated a country's economy is with global markets. High export shares, particularly in manufacturing-intensive economies like Germany, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic, create exposure to global demand cycles but also deliver strong current account positions. EU trade policy directly shapes the markets open to member state exporters.
All 27 EU Member States Ranked
↑ HIGHER IS BETTERData for this indicator is not yet available. Check back soon as we update our database regularly.
What This Indicator Means
Export intensity reflects how integrated an economy is with global demand. Small, open economies — Luxembourg, Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands — have exceptionally high export shares partly because their geographic size means they must look externally for markets. Large continental economies like France and Spain have lower export shares relative to GDP while running much larger absolute export volumes.
The EU's single market enables seamless intra-EU trade, meaning a large share of recorded "exports" by member states are sales to fellow EU partners rather than to third countries. Net trade with the rest of the world is therefore a better gauge of global competitiveness, and EU trade agreements with Canada (CETA), Japan, South Korea, and others have expanded market access significantly.
For businesses, export share data identifies which EU markets have strong outward-facing manufacturing and services sectors — typically the best locations for suppliers to existing export chains. For investors, high export-share economies tend to run current account surpluses and carry lower sovereign funding risk during periods of domestic economic weakness.