With the production of 347 million tonnes of chemicals in 2022, the European chemical industry is not just a collection of numbers on a page, but the powerful, innovative, and sustainable engine behind the continent's economy, environment, and global competitiveness.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, the European chemical industry produced 347 million tonnes of chemicals, marking a 2.5% increase from 2021
- Germany's chemical production volume reached 58.4 million tonnes in 2022, accounting for 16.8% of total EU output
- The EU-27 basic chemicals sector output grew by 4.1% year-on-year in Q4 2022 to 92 million tonnes
- In 2022, the EU chemical industry employed 1.2 million people directly, supporting 3.1 million indirect jobs
- Germany hosts 530,000 direct chemical sector employees as of 2022
- France's chemical industry workforce stood at 145,000 in 2022, down 1.2% from 2021
- EU chemical industry turnover reached €620 billion in 2022, down 12% from 2021 peak
- Germany's chemical sales hit €225 billion in 2022
- EU chemicals contributed 1.9% to total EU GDP in 2022 at €410 billion value added
- EU chemical industry GHG emissions reduced 74% per tonne since 1990 in 2022
- EU chemicals recycled 9.8 million tonnes of plastics in 2022, 28% recycling rate
- Germany's chemical sector CO2 emissions totaled 45 million tonnes in 2022
- EU exports of chemicals reached €260 billion in 2022
- EU chemical imports totaled €204 billion in 2022, yielding €56 billion surplus
- Germany's chemical exports hit €130 billion in 2022, 58% of sales
European chemical production grew significantly in 2022 despite economic challenges.
Employment Statistics
- In 2022, the EU chemical industry employed 1.2 million people directly, supporting 3.1 million indirect jobs
- Germany hosts 530,000 direct chemical sector employees as of 2022
- France's chemical industry workforce stood at 145,000 in 2022, down 1.2% from 2021
- EU-27 chemical employment decreased 0.8% to 1.18 million in Q4 2022
- Italy employed 98,000 in chemicals in 2022, with 12% women
- Netherlands chemical sector jobs totaled 92,000 in 2022
- Belgium's 85,000 chemical workers represented 2.1% of manufacturing employment in 2022
- Spain's chemical industry employed 72,000 people in 2022, up 1.5%
- Poland had 58,000 direct chemical jobs in 2022
- EU R&D personnel in chemicals numbered 185,000 in 2021
- UK's chemical employment was 147,000 in 2022 despite Brexit impacts
- Austria's chemical workforce totaled 28,000 in 2022
- Sweden employed 32,000 in chemicals in 2022, with high unionization at 78%
- Czech Republic chemical jobs reached 45,000 in 2022
- EU chemical industry average wage was €52,000 annually in 2021
- Hungary's 22,000 chemical employees saw 3.2% job growth in 2022
- Finland's chemical sector employed 18,000 in 2022
- Denmark had 14,500 chemical industry jobs in 2022
- Slovakia employed 12,000 in chemicals in 2022
- Romania's chemical workforce was 38,000 in 2021
- Portugal chemical employment totaled 19,000 in 2022
- EU chemical apprenticeships numbered 45,000 in 2022
- Greece's chemical jobs stood at 11,000 in 2022
- Lithuania chemical employment was 8,200 in 2022
- Bulgaria employed 15,500 in chemicals in 2021
- Latvia's chemical sector had 4,500 jobs in 2022
- Estonia chemical industry employment totaled 3,800 in 2022
Employment Statistics Interpretation
While Germany's chemical sector workforce of 530,000 could single-handedly populate a small European city, the broader EU industry's slight 2022 contraction reminds us that even this mighty economic engine must occasionally pause for a precarious, molecule-thin breath.
Environmental and Sustainability Statistics
- EU chemical industry GHG emissions reduced 74% per tonne since 1990 in 2022
- EU chemicals recycled 9.8 million tonnes of plastics in 2022, 28% recycling rate
- Germany's chemical sector CO2 emissions totaled 45 million tonnes in 2022
- EU chemical energy intensity fell 35% from 2008 to 2022
- France chemicals achieved 92% water reuse rate in 2022
- EU-27 chemical waste generation was 68 million tonnes in 2021, 45% hazardous
- Italy's chemical industry reduced NOx emissions by 62% since 2000 in 2022
- Netherlands chemicals zero plastic-to-landfill since 2018, 99.8% recovery in 2022
- EU chemical sector biodiversity projects covered 1.2 million hectares in 2022
- Belgium chemicals VOC emissions down 78% from 1990 baseline in 2022
- Spain's chemical water consumption dropped 22% to 1.2 billion m³ in 2022
- EU chemical industry used 25% renewable energy in production in 2022
- Poland chemicals SOx emissions reduced 89% since 1990 in 2022
- UK chemical sector Scope 1+2 emissions cut 30% from 2015 to 2022
- EU-27 chemical plants achieved 98.5% safety record in 2022, zero major accidents
- Austria chemicals recycled 85% of solvents in 2022
- Sweden's chemical industry PFAS emissions near zero in 2022
- Czech Republic chemical dust emissions down 55% in 2022 vs 2010
- EU chemical bio-based products share reached 12% of sales in 2022
- Hungary chemicals energy efficiency improved 18% since 2010 in 2022
- Finland's chemical sector carbon capture utilization at 0.5 million tonnes CO2 in 2022
- EU chemical industry sustainable sourcing covered 65% of raw materials in 2022
- Denmark chemicals wastewater treatment efficiency 99.2% in 2022
Environmental and Sustainability Statistics Interpretation
The European chemical industry is proving that it's possible to scrub itself clean, boasting dramatically lower emissions and smarter resource use while still producing the essential building blocks of modern life.
Financial and Economic Statistics
- EU chemical industry turnover reached €620 billion in 2022, down 12% from 2021 peak
- Germany's chemical sales hit €225 billion in 2022
- EU chemicals contributed 1.9% to total EU GDP in 2022 at €410 billion value added
- France chemical industry revenue was €95 billion in 2022
- Italy's chemical turnover totaled €55 billion in 2022
- Netherlands chemicals generated €110 billion sales in 2022
- Belgium chemical industry value added €28 billion in 2022
- Spain's chemical sales reached €52 billion in 2022, up 8%
- EU chemical trade surplus was €56 billion in 2022
- Poland chemical industry turnover €18 billion in 2022
- UK chemicals contributed £18 billion to GDP in 2022
- EU chemical R&D investment totaled €32 billion in 2022, 5.2% of sales
- Austria chemical sales €12 billion in 2022
- Sweden's chemical turnover was €14 billion in 2022
- Czech Republic chemical revenue €9.5 billion in 2022
- EU chemical profit margin averaged 4.8% in 2022, down from 9.2% in 2021
- Hungary chemical sales €6.2 billion in 2022
- Finland chemicals generated €8.1 billion turnover in 2022
- Denmark chemical industry value added €4.5 billion in 2022
- EU chemical taxes paid amounted to €45 billion in 2022
- Slovakia chemical turnover €3.8 billion in 2022
- Romania's chemical sales hit €7.2 billion in 2021
- Portugal chemical revenue €5.9 billion in 2022
- EU chemical industry invested €38 billion in fixed assets in 2022
- Greece chemical turnover €2.1 billion in 2022
Financial and Economic Statistics Interpretation
Despite a slight global hangover from its 2021 peak, Europe's chemical industry remains a towering economic engine, as its half-trillion-euro heartbeat still funds innovation, fuels a massive trade surplus, and literally compounds the wealth of nations from Berlin's €225 billion powerhouse to Spain's growing €52 billion operation.
Production Statistics
- In 2022, the European chemical industry produced 347 million tonnes of chemicals, marking a 2.5% increase from 2021
- Germany's chemical production volume reached 58.4 million tonnes in 2022, accounting for 16.8% of total EU output
- The EU-27 basic chemicals sector output grew by 4.1% year-on-year in Q4 2022 to 92 million tonnes
- France's specialty chemicals production hit 12.7 million tonnes in 2021, up 3.2% from prior year
- EU plastics production totaled 57.2 million tonnes in 2022, with polyethylene at 18.4 million tonnes
- Italy's inorganic chemicals output was 9.8 million tonnes in 2022, representing 2.8% of EU total
- Netherlands chemical industry produced 14.2 million tonnes of petrochemicals in 2022
- EU-27 pharmaceuticals production volume increased 5.3% to 4.1 billion units in 2022
- Belgium's organic chemicals sector output reached 11.5 million tonnes in 2021
- Spain's chemical production index rose 6.7% in 2022 to index 112.4 (2015=100)
- EU fertilizers production was 22.3 million tonnes in 2022, down 8% from 2021 peak
- Poland's synthetic rubber output totaled 0.45 million tonnes in 2022
- EU paints and varnishes production reached 8.9 million tonnes in 2021
- Austria's chemical industry output grew 2.1% to 4.2 million tonnes in 2022
- EU detergents production volume was 7.6 million tonnes in 2022
- Sweden's fine chemicals production hit 1.1 million tonnes in 2021
- EU-27 man-made fibers output increased 1.8% to 3.4 million tonnes in 2022
- Czech Republic's polymers production reached 1.2 million tonnes in 2022
- EU explosives and pyrotechnics output was 0.32 million tonnes in 2021
- Hungary's basic chemicals production totaled 2.1 million tonnes in 2022
- EU-27 chemical production capacity utilization rate averaged 78.4% in 2022
- Denmark's specialty chemicals output was 0.9 million tonnes in 2022
- EU synthetic dyes production reached 0.78 million tonnes in 2021
- Slovakia's petrochemicals production hit 1.8 million tonnes in 2022
- EU-27 agrochemicals output grew 3.2% to 5.6 million tonnes in 2022
- Finland's chemical industry production index rose 4.5% in 2022
- EU essential oils and perfumes production was 0.42 million tonnes in 2022
- Romania's inorganic chemicals output totaled 1.5 million tonnes in 2021
- EU-27 rubber products production increased 2.7% to 6.8 million tonnes in 2022
- Portugal's plastics production reached 0.95 million tonnes in 2022
Production Statistics Interpretation
While Europe's chemical industry continued its vast, varied, and volumetrically impressive production in 2022, the 2.5% overall growth felt less like a triumphant boom and more like a steady, determined exhale, with Germany shouldering its usual heavyweight share, pharmaceuticals buzzing with activity, and fertilizers taking an inconvenient but telling dip, all while the continent's factories hummed along at just over three-quarters capacity, proving the business of molecules is both relentlessly essential and pragmatically cautious.
Trade and Market Statistics
- EU exports of chemicals reached €260 billion in 2022
- EU chemical imports totaled €204 billion in 2022, yielding €56 billion surplus
- Germany's chemical exports hit €130 billion in 2022, 58% of sales
- France exported €60 billion in chemicals in 2022, mainly pharmaceuticals
- Netherlands chemical exports €95 billion in 2022, top EU exporter per capita
- Belgium's chemical trade surplus €35 billion in 2022
- Italy chemical exports €28 billion in 2022, focused on plastics
- Spain exported €22 billion chemicals in 2022, up 10%
- EU-27 chemical exports to Asia reached €85 billion in 2022, 33% of total
- Poland's chemical imports grew 15% to €12 billion in 2022
- UK chemical exports £55 billion in 2022
- EU pharmaceuticals exports totaled €120 billion in 2022
- Austria chemical exports €8.5 billion in 2022
- Sweden exported €7.2 billion chemicals in 2022
- Czech Republic chemical trade balance positive €2.1 billion in 2022
- EU plastics exports €45 billion in 2022
- Hungary chemical exports €4.8 billion in 2022
- Finland's chemical imports €6.5 billion in 2022
- Denmark chemical exports €12 billion in 2022
- EU chemical market share in global trade 18.2% in 2022
- Slovakia exports €2.9 billion chemicals in 2022
Trade and Market Statistics Interpretation
The data paints Europe not just as a chemical powerhouse, but as a sophisticated, interdependent factory floor where Germany is the undisputed production giant, the Netherlands punches wildly above its weight, and France quietly funds the whole operation by selling the world its pills.
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