Basque industry is still pulling most of the region’s economic weight, with 7.1 billion euros in industrial production value tied to manufacturing exports and activity in recent foreign trade totals. At the same time, the pulse of the sector is changing fast, since industrial production was up 2.3% year-on-year in April 2024 while industrial turnover rose 7.1% in Q1 2024. What looks like steady momentum in the headline indicators turns into much sharper contrasts once you look at exports by country, where automotive components sit, and how investment and R and D funding are distributed across firms and sectors.
Key Takeaways
- 3.6% of Basque GDP growth in 2022 (baseline, after rebasing) according to Eustat’s quarterly accounts estimates
- 9.8% of Basque Government employment in 2022 was in industry and energy (CNAE-based classification in Eustat labor/industry tables)
- 2.3% increase in Basque Industrial production index (IPI) year-on-year in April 2024 (Eustat monthly IPI press release)
- €420 million Basque industrial exports to the European Union in 2023 under HS84 machinery (customs/Eustat foreign trade dataset summary)
- €6.0 billion Basque industrial research expenditure in 2022 (BERD/industry R&D by sector; Eustat science & technology statistics)
- 58% of Basque firms performing R&D do so in manufacturing sectors (Eustat enterprise R&D by sector distribution for 2021-2022)
- 2.8% GERD/GDP intensity for the Basque Country in 2022 (Eustat science and technology indicators; regional R&D intensity)
- €4.3 billion revenue from Basque manufacturing exports in 2023 (Eustat foreign trade + industrial classification total)
- €1.6 billion Basque exports to Germany in 2023 (Eustat by country dataset summary)
- €1.4 billion Basque exports to France in 2023 (Eustat by country dataset summary)
- €3.2 billion Basque industrial production value added contribution in 2022 (Eustat regional accounts breakdown for industry and construction)
- 1.8 TWh electricity consumed by Basque manufacturing in 2022 (Eustat energy balance for industry by sector)
- 10.2% share of the Basque Country workforce in manufacturing and construction-related industrial activity (2023 employment distribution by macro-sector)
- €29.4k average annual salary in the Basque manufacturing sector (2023)
- 41.3% share of renewable electricity in Basque electricity generation in 2023 (renewables share)
Basque industry is expanding, with stronger production, sizable machinery exports, and major R&D and decarbonization investment.
Related reading
01 · Category
Economic Output11 stats
01
3.6% of Basque GDP growth in 2022 (baseline, after rebasing) according to Eustat’s quarterly accounts estimates
02
9.8% of Basque Government employment in 2022 was in industry and energy (CNAE-based classification in Eustat labor/industry tables)
03
2.3% increase in Basque Industrial production index (IPI) year-on-year in April 2024 (Eustat monthly IPI press release)
04
8.4% of total Basque exports were classified under machinery/industrial equipment in 2023 (Basque Customs/Eustat foreign trade classification by chapter)
05
€50.4 billion Basque Country GDP at current prices in 2022 (Eustat regional accounts)
06
11.9% of Basque employment was in industry (manufacturing + energy) in 2023 (Eustat labor force/occupation by sector)
07
7.1% year-on-year increase in Basque Industrial turnover index in Q1 2024 (Eustat short-term indicators)
08
15.2% of Basque industrial employment is in automotive components (Eustat sectoral employment breakdown for automotive supply chain)
09
€1.2 billion Basque Country industrial investment in 2022 (gross fixed capital formation in industry; Eustat investment accounts)
10
26,900 industrial companies operate in the Basque Country in 2023 (Eustat company demography/firm counts by CNAE)
11
24.7% of Basque enterprises are in manufacturing (CNAE-aggregation from DIRCE enterprise statistics used by Eustat)
Interpretation
Economic Output Interpretation
For the Economic Output angle, Basque industry is showing both scale and momentum, with industrial turnover up 7.1% year on year in Q1 2024 and industrial production rising 2.3% year on year in April 2024, while industry-related segments already account for 11.9% of employment and 8.4% of exports in machinery and industrial equipment.
02 · Category
Industry Trends1 stats
01
€420 million Basque industrial exports to the European Union in 2023 under HS84 machinery (customs/Eustat foreign trade dataset summary)
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
In 2023 Basque industry sold €420 million worth of HS84 machinery to the European Union, showing a clear Industry Trends momentum toward strong export demand for advanced industrial equipment in the EU market.
03 · Category
R&d And Innovation6 stats
01
€6.0 billion Basque industrial research expenditure in 2022 (BERD/industry R&D by sector; Eustat science & technology statistics)
02
58% of Basque firms performing R&D do so in manufacturing sectors (Eustat enterprise R&D by sector distribution for 2021-2022)
03
2.8% GERD/GDP intensity for the Basque Country in 2022 (Eustat science and technology indicators; regional R&D intensity)
04
€1.1 billion of Horizon Europe project funding for the Basque Country in the first calls through 2023 (European Commission result/portfolio dashboard totals)
05
12,000 researchers in the Basque Country in 2022 (Eustat human resources in R&D staffing table)
06
27% of Basque R&D personnel are in engineering and technical fields (Eustat R&D personnel by field classification)
Interpretation
R&d And Innovation Interpretation
With €6.0 billion in industrial research expenditure in 2022 and 58% of R and D-performing firms concentrated in manufacturing, the Basque Country shows that its innovation capacity is strongly rooted in industry, supported by 12,000 researchers and 2.8% R and D intensity of GDP.
04 · Category
Export Competitiveness10 stats
01
€4.3 billion revenue from Basque manufacturing exports in 2023 (Eustat foreign trade + industrial classification total)
02
€1.6 billion Basque exports to Germany in 2023 (Eustat by country dataset summary)
03
€1.4 billion Basque exports to France in 2023 (Eustat by country dataset summary)
04
€2.9 billion Basque machinery and industrial equipment exports in 2023 (Eustat foreign trade chapter totals for HS84/85 class)
05
€1.1 billion Basque iron/steel and metal products exports in 2023 (Eustat foreign trade chapter totals)
06
€0.9 billion Basque plastics/rubber products exports in 2023 (Eustat foreign trade chapter totals)
07
52% of Basque exporters ship to the EU-27 in 2023 (Eustat foreign trade by market grouping)
08
€0.6 billion Basque exports to the UK in 2023 (Eustat foreign trade country totals)
09
3.1% Basque export unit value increase in 2023 (Eustat export price index change)
10
€140 million Basque exports of scientific instruments in 2023 (Eustat foreign trade HS90/precision equipment summary)
Interpretation
Export Competitiveness Interpretation
Basque manufacturing export competitiveness in 2023 looks especially strong as total exports reached €4.3 billion and grew in unit value by 3.1%, while machinery and industrial equipment led at €2.9 billion and 52% of exporters sold into the EU-27.
More related reading
05 · Category
Cost And Energy2 stats
01
€3.2 billion Basque industrial production value added contribution in 2022 (Eustat regional accounts breakdown for industry and construction)
02
1.8 TWh electricity consumed by Basque manufacturing in 2022 (Eustat energy balance for industry by sector)
Interpretation
Cost And Energy Interpretation
In 2022, Basque manufacturing relied on 1.8 TWh of electricity while generating €3.2 billion in industrial production value added, underscoring how tightly economic output and energy use are linked in the region’s cost and energy landscape.
06 · Category
Employment & Wages2 stats
01
10.2% share of the Basque Country workforce in manufacturing and construction-related industrial activity (2023 employment distribution by macro-sector)
02
€29.4k average annual salary in the Basque manufacturing sector (2023)
Interpretation
Employment & Wages Interpretation
In 2023, manufacturing and construction-related activity accounted for 10.2% of the Basque workforce, and with an average annual salary of €29.4k in manufacturing, the Employment and Wages picture shows a meaningful share of jobs paired with relatively strong pay.
07 · Category
Energy & Decarbonization2 stats
01
41.3% share of renewable electricity in Basque electricity generation in 2023 (renewables share)
02
€14.5 million Basque Country industrial decarbonization investment aid awarded in 2022 (public support)
Interpretation
Energy & Decarbonization Interpretation
In 2023, renewables accounted for 41.3% of Basque electricity generation, and with €14.5 million in industrial decarbonization support awarded in 2022, the Energy and Decarbonization push is clearly pairing cleaner power with targeted public investment.
08 · Category
Innovation & R&d2 stats
01
72.0% of Basque industrial firms participated in at least one collaborative R&D activity in 2022 (survey)
02
€6.6 billion global industrial R&D spending by region covered in OECD STI Scoreboard 2023 (OECD regional reference)
Interpretation
Innovation & R&d Interpretation
In the Innovation and R&D landscape, 72.0% of Basque industrial firms engaged in at least one collaborative R&D activity in 2022, underscoring how widespread cooperation is driving regional innovation efforts.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Catherine Wu. (2026, February 13). Basque Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/basque-industry-statistics
MLA
Catherine Wu. "Basque Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/basque-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Catherine Wu. 2026. "Basque Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/basque-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
36 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+31 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)