EU countries imported €3,471 billion worth of services from non-EU countries in 2024, according to official statistics on international trade in services by modes of supply published by Eurostat.
The data from the EU’s statistics agency show that most of the services (58.9%; €2,044 billion) were imported through a commercial presence within the reporting country (mode 3). Cross-border supply (mode 1) accounted for 31.3% of imports (€1,087 billion), consumption abroad (mode 2) for 6.6% (€ 229 billion) and the presence of natural persons (mode 4) for 3.2% (€111 billion).
In 22 EU countries, the majority of service imports came through a commercial presence within their territory (mode 3). The highest shares of imports via commercial presence were in Bulgaria (81.7%), Hungary (78.1%) and Spain (74.5%).
Cross-border supply (mode 1) was the dominant mode in Greece, accounting for 68.8% of imports. Cyprus (43.8%), Sweden (37.7%) and Denmark (37.4%) also reported high shares.
Consumption abroad (mode 2) played a significant role in Denmark, where it accounted for 22.3% of imports. France (12.1%), Lithuania (10.8%), Croatia (10.4%) and Italy (10.3%) also recorded notable shares. For other EU countries, it accounted for less than 10% of the total imports.
The presence of natural persons (mode 4) was most pronounced in Cyprus, and Denmark, each with a 7.3% share, and in Belgium (5.4%).
Thematic section on international trade in services
Information on international supply of services by mode of supply
