High-technology exports (current US$) - Country Ranking - Europe

Definition: High-technology exports are products with high R&D intensity, such as aerospace, computers, pharmaceuticals, scientific instruments, and electrical machinery. Data are in current U.S. dollars.

Source: United Nations, Comtrade database through the WITS platform.

See also: Thematic map, Time series comparison

Find indicator:
Rank Country Value Year
1 Germany 182,352,000,000.00 2020
2 Netherlands 87,143,360,000.00 2020
3 France 87,120,400,000.00 2020
4 United Kingdom 58,143,800,000.00 2020
5 Ireland 42,490,860,000.00 2020
6 Czech Republic 39,603,320,000.00 2020
7 Italy 34,663,650,000.00 2020
8 Belgium 34,420,440,000.00 2020
9 Switzerland 29,244,240,000.00 2020
10 Poland 19,966,820,000.00 2020
11 Hungary 18,155,660,000.00 2020
12 Sweden 17,724,960,000.00 2020
13 Austria 15,986,050,000.00 2020
14 Spain 15,725,220,000.00 2020
15 Denmark 10,492,370,000.00 2020
16 Slovak Republic 7,860,066,000.00 2020
17 Romania 6,984,613,000.00 2020
18 Finland 4,419,533,000.00 2020
19 Turkey 4,172,700,000.00 2020
20 Norway 4,101,874,000.00 2020
21 Portugal 3,370,855,000.00 2020
22 Lithuania 2,619,107,000.00 2020
23 Slovenia 2,542,422,000.00 2020
24 Bulgaria 2,153,930,000.00 2020
25 Estonia 2,150,753,000.00 2020
26 Greece 2,006,302,000.00 2020
27 Latvia 1,837,827,000.00 2020
28 Ukraine 1,175,952,000.00 2020
29 Croatia 1,084,083,000.00 2020
30 Belarus 801,645,500.00 2020
31 Malta 791,982,500.00 2020
32 Luxembourg 618,589,000.00 2020
33 Serbia 458,079,500.00 2018
34 North Macedonia 232,386,300.00 2020
35 Bosnia and Herzegovina 212,050,900.00 2020
36 Iceland 144,572,400.00 2020
37 Cyprus 62,939,860.00 2020
38 Andorra 33,913,480.00 2018
39 Moldova 18,904,900.00 2020
40 Montenegro 9,914,687.00 2020
41 Albania 5,055,767.00 2020

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Development Relevance: The OECD has developed a four-way classification of exports: high, medium-high, medium-low and low-technology. The classification is based on the importance of expenditures on research and development relative to the gross output and value added of different types of industries that produce goods for export. Examples of high-technology industries are aircraft, computers, and pharmaceuticals; medium-high-technology includes motor vehicles, electrical equipment and most chemicals; medium-low-technology includes rubber, plastics, basic metals and ship construction; low-technology industries include food processing, textiles, clothing and footwear.

Limitations and Exceptions: Because industrial sectors specializing in a few high-technology products may also produce low-technology products, the product approach is more appropriate for international trade. The method takes only R&D intensity into account, but other characteristics of high technology are also important, such as knowhow, scientific personnel, and technology embodied in patents. Considering these characteristics would yield a different list (see Hatzichronoglou 1997). The indicator is based on data reported by countries to COMTRADE. The export values presented in the World Development Indicators represent Gross Exports less Re-Exports. The values may be impacted in cases of reporting errors or missing data, for example if countries do not report Re-Exports for one or more periods.

Statistical Concept and Methodology: High technology products are defined according to SITC Rev.4 as the sum of the following products: Aerospace, Computers-office machines, Electronics-telecommunications, Pharmacy, Scientific instruments, Electrical machinery, Chemistry, Non-electrical machinery, Armament. The following product codes are used: Aerospace: (714 – 71489 -71499)+7921+7922+7924+7925+79291+79293+87411; Computers-office machines: 75194+75195+752+75997; Electronics-communication: 76331+7638+(764-76493-76499)+7722+77261+77318+77625+77627+7763+7764+7768+89844+89846; Pharmacy: 5413+5415+5416+5421+5422; Scientific instruments: 774+871+87211+(874-87411-8742)+88111+88121+88411+88419+(8996-89965-89969); Electrical machinery: (7786-77861-777866-77869)+7787+77884; Chemistry: 52222+52223+52229+52269+525+531+57433+591; Non-electrical machinery: 71489+71499+7187+72847+7311+73131+73135+73142+73144+73151+73153+73161+73163+73165+73312+73314+73316+7359+73733+73735; Armament: 891 The list can also be accessed on the Eurostat website. This list, based on the OECD definition, contains technical products of which the manufacturing involved a high intensity of R&D. The original high-tech products classification is based on SITC Rev. 3 and is taken from Table 4 of Annex 2 of the 1997 working paper of Thomas Hatzichronouglou, OECD. In September 2019 the definition in the World Development Indicators database was updated to SITC Rev.4 from SITC Rev. 3. The data are in current U.S. dollars and are sourced from the UN's Comtrade database.

Aggregation method: Sum

Periodicity: Annual