In 2022, over half (55%) of Brussels’ service exports were generated by:
- Professional, scientific and technical activities (29.2%)
- Financial and insurance activities (25.7%)
- Information and communication technologies (11.2%)
Brussels services in demand
Over three years (2019 to 2022), the Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply, Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities, and Transportation and storage sectors have both seen strong growth (93% and 67% respectively), with the growth between 2021 and 2022 of particular note (141% and 67% respectively).
Further down the ranking, the following service sectors performed well:
- Human health and social work (+122% in 2022 – a level of growth not seen in 10 years, +61% over three years)
- Education (+119% in 2022 after three years of relatively sharp decline, +13% over three years)
- Accommodation and catering (+31% in 2022)
- Construction (+30% in 2022)
These last two sectors seem to be picking up again, after a palpable slowdown in 2020 (around -40%) and a fairly strong recovery in 2021 (-4% for the former and +24% for the latter).
Not forgetting the goods
With an export volume of over €4.4 billion, the transport equipment category retains its number-one position. Exports of this type of goods rose by 15% from 2022 to 2023. These are primarily passenger cars and other motor vehicles principally designed for the transport of persons (€4.2 billion, up 16%).
Pharmaceuticals come in second with a significant share of 18%, and an increase of no less than 48% compared to 2022.
Prepared foodstuffs are slightly less well placed, but they are now the fourth most exported goods from Brussels (+25.2%), after machinery and mechanical appliances.
A few other key milestones
- Exports of Brussels products to Germany have recently shown a very positive trend (a share of 26.1%, compared to 21.5% in 2022). Exports rose by 50%, mainly due to a significant increase in “Products of the chemical or allied industries” (+215%, €1.8 billion vs. €564 million in 2022), particularly pharmaceuticals (+702%).
- A significant increase was observed for exports of Brussels products from the chemical and allied industries (+57%). This is particularly true for the Brussels Region’s biggest customers, such as Germany, France, Luxembourg, Italy, Poland, Spain, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Canada.
Among the Brussels Region’s main trading partners (Top 25), the sharpest increases in goods exports between 2022 and 2023 were recorded in the Czech Republic (+174%), Hungary (+153%), Turkey (+123%), Finland (+98%), Canada (+91%), Israel (+85%) and Sweden (+83%).
