EU27 chemical export value rises 11% in 2025, driven by unit-value gains despite volume contraction
Key takeaway
The EU27 chemical industry posted mixed performance in 2025, with export value rising 11.2% to 288.92 bn€ despite a 3.0% volume decline, reflecting higher unit prices rather than increased demand. Chemical output edged up 0.9% to reach an index level of 80.5 in December 2025, yet remains 16.8% below pre-crisis levels (2014-2019 average), underscoring persistent structural challenges since March 2022. The trade balance narrowed to 1.09 bn€, down 3.3 bn€ from 2024, as import growth of 6.6% to 230.65 bn€ outpaced the value gains in exports. Producer prices declined 1.3% year-on-year to 116.6, with the Netherlands experiencing the steepest decrease at 5.2%, while Italy was the only major economy to record a price increase at 0.5%.
EU27 chemical output edges up 0.9% in December 2025, remaining 17% below pre-crisis levels
Sector context
EU27 chemical output reached an index level of 80.5 in December 2025, up 0.9% compared to December 2024. For the full year 2025, chemical output averaged 80.5, down 1.1% compared to 2024. The sector remains 16.8% below pre-crisis levels (2014-2019 average), underscoring the persistent structural challenges facing European chemical production since March 2022.
EU27 chemical producer prices decreased by 1.3% in December 2025 compared to December 2024, reaching an index level of 116.6. For the full year 2025, chemical prices averaged 118.0, down 0.2% from the 2024 average of 118.2. Chemical prices underperformed total manufacturing, which posted a 0.2% increase in December 2025.
EU27 chemical sales declined by 5.7% in 2025, with the turnover index reaching 91.9 (2021=100) in December. Chemical sales underperformed total manufacturing, which grew by 2.1% to 118.8, leaving the sector 26.9 index points below the broader industrial average.
Country output, YoY
Demand issue or price issue: where each EU27 chemical major sits in February 2026
The four-quadrant view pairs the year-on-year producer price change (horizontal) with the year-on-year production volume change (vertical) for the seven top EU27 chemical producers. Countries in the upper-right quadrant combine rising prices with rising volumes, a synchronised expansion. Lower-left points combine falling prices and falling volumes, a synchronised contraction. The off-diagonal quadrants distinguish demand-side from supply-side stress.
Most EU27 majors cluster in the lower-left in February 2026, with both prices and volumes declining. The exception is France, the only country pairing a modest volume gain with a small price decline. The dispersion on the price axis is wider than on the volume axis, indicating that price softness is broader than the volume retreat across the panel.
Source: Cefic analysis based on Eurostat sts_inppd_m (I21, NSA) and sts_inpr_m (I21, SCA), February 2026 vs February 2025 (2025)
EU27 chemical export value rises 11% in 2025, driven by unit-value gains despite volume contraction
- Basic pharmaceutical products 0.52 bn€
- Other organic basic chemicals 0.44 bn€
- Perfumes and toilet preparations 0.43 bn€
- Other chemical products 0.41 bn€
- Perfumes and toilet preparations 0.28 bn€
- Plastics in primary forms 0.26 bn€
- Perfumes and toilet preparations 0.35 bn€
- Other chemical products 0.33 bn€
- Plastics in primary forms 0.21 bn€
Trade context
EU27 chemical exports increased by 11.2% in value in 2025 compared to 2024. Exports amounted to 288.92 bn€ in 2025, up from 259.83 bn€ in 2024.
This figure reflects a pronounced divergence between value and volume trends, driven by unit-value gains and product-mix shifts. EU27 chemical exports rose by 11.2% in value and fell by 3.0% in volume in 2025, indicating higher average unit prices rather than increased demand. The movement is concentrated in a narrow set of bilateral flows, with 82.6% of the absolute variation explained by 2 partners: the United States (-2.72 bn€) and South Korea (+0.46 bn€).
With 3.78 bn€, essential oils and resinoids is the largest export chapter, followed by miscellaneous chemical products (3.05 bn€) and organic chemicals (2.99 bn€). Organic chemicals posted the steepest decline at 32.0%, followed by inorganic chemicals (31.1%) and mineral fuels (42.0%). Pharmaceuticals gained 19.2%, while fertilisers climbed 21.8%.
Exports to the United States decreased by 2.72 bn€ (51.1%), driven by basic pharmaceutical products (0.52 bn€) and other organic basic chemicals (0.44 bn€). Exports to the United Kingdom increased by 0.04 bn€ (2.0%), led by perfumes and toilet preparations (0.35 bn€, 19.7% of the total). Exports to China rose by 0.05 bn€ (4.0%), with other chemical products accounting for 0.41 bn€ (26.7% of the total).
From January to December 2025, EU27 chemical imports increased by 6.6% in value in comparison to the same period in 2024. EU27 chemical imports amounted to 230.65 bn€ in 2025, up by 14.36 bn€ compared to 2024. EU27 chemical imports rose by 12.5% in volume and 6.6% in value between January and December 2025, reflecting a shift toward lower-value categories.
With 3.14 bn€, China is the primary source of imports of the EU27 area for chemicals, followed by the United States (3.08 bn€) and Switzerland (1.69 bn€).
Imports from China decreased by 6.8%, driven by other organic basic chemicals (1.1 bn€, 35% of the total) and basic pharmaceutical products (0.78 bn€, 25% of the total). Imports from the United States increased by 12.1%, driven by basic pharmaceutical products (1.12 bn€, 36% of the total) and other organic basic chemicals (0.57 bn€, 18% of the total). 5 CN 8-digit products explain 55% of the change in US imports between 2020 and 2025: 29371900 (polypeptide hormones), +0.914 bn€; 38221900 (diagnostic or laboratory reagents), +0.264 bn€; 29371200 (insulin and its salts), -0.083 bn€; 30024900 (toxins, cultures of micro-organisms), +0.065 bn€; 30019091 (heparin and its salts), -0.039 bn€. Imports from the United Kingdom decreased by 10.4%, driven by other organic basic chemicals (0.26 bn€, 20% of the total) and other chemical products (0.22 bn€, 17% of the total).
Fertilisers posted the largest increase at 271%, followed by nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances (279%) and animal or vegetable fats and oils and their cleavage products (62%). Organic chemicals, the largest import category, declined by 4.5%.