Following a year marked by the COVID crisis, Brussels’ exports of goods and services bounced back in 2021, rising by 8.7% compared with 2020. Brussels’ imports also rose by 17.3% between 2020 and 2021, meaning that the Region’s trade balance stands at €-8 billion, 19% higher than in 2019 and 27% higher than in 2020.
Europe: the Region’s top trading partner
In 2021, Europe remained Brussels’ leading trading partner, accounting for 85.1% of Brussels’ exports (representing €6.8 million). It is followed by the American continent (7.8%) and Asia (4.6%). The main trading partners for Brussels’ goods exports and imports remain Germany, France and the Netherlands. Germany is the leading destination for the Region’s exports, with a 32% increase in exports to the country. For imports, neighbouring countries remain the most important, followed by Italy, Spain and Hungary. One notable trend is the increase in trade relations with Norway (+986%, up 35 places compared with 2020).
Transport equipment and the chemical industry
The largest sectors for goods exports remain the same, despite slight fluctuations in value. Transport equipment remains the largest category, accounting for 40.1%, followed by products of the chemical or allied industries, accounting for 25.3%, and machinery and electrical appliances, accounting for 7.4%. Furthermore, rubber and plastics rose to fourth place, accounting for 6.1% of total goods exports. It should be noted that exports of transport equipment fell significantly over the second half of 2021. This is largely due to the shortage of semiconductors, which has led to a fall in the production and sales of new vehicles.
With regard to imports of goods from Brussels, machinery and electrical appliances remain significant, accounting for 26% of imports (up 23.3% compared with 2020). Transport equipment is the second largest category at 24.6%, whilst products of the chemical or allied industries come in third, with a 14% market share.
Exports of services
In general, service exports represent over half of Brussels’ total exports (57.3%, or EUR 28.5 billion), and approximately 26.8% of service exports from Belgium as a whole. Scientific and technical activities (28%), financial and insurance activities (28%) and the information and communication sector (12%) account for the largest shares of Belgian service exports (no data is available at regional level). These services are mainly exported to the Netherlands, France and Germany. Outside Europe, the United States, Singapore, China, Russia and Japan were the main partners for service exports.
For more detailed data
Please take a look at the full report on Brussels’ foreign trade for 2021!
