Trade accounts for almost half of the European Union's GDP.

Omissions

• The exact figure depends on the metric used: if all trade in both directions is counted (including intra-EU trade), it exceeds 100% of EU GDP, so 'almost half' is then an understatement; if only extra-EU exports of goods and services are counted, the share is about 21.4% of GDP (2024, Eurostat), and combining extra-EU exports and imports gives roughly 42-45% of GDP, consistent with 'almost half'.
• The Eurostat 'Statistics Explained' page (primary source) could only be consulted via search snippet; the full page context for the 21.4% figure was not retrieved.
• The TradingEconomics figure (49.7% of GDP for exports of goods and services, December 2025, citing Eurostat) includes intra-EU trade in its aggregate.

Sources

• PrimaryEurostat — Statistics Explained: World trade in goods and services - an overviewIn 2024, international trade in goods and services was equivalent to 21.4% of the EU's GDP. The EU's share of world exports of goods and services was 17.0%.
• SecondaryTrading Economics — European Union: Exports of goods and services in % of GDP (Eurostat data)European Union - Exports of goods and services in % of GDP was 49.70 % of GDP in December of 2025, according to the EUROSTAT.