ICT service exports
How much of the services economy is digital, a sign of a modern tradable tech sector.
Where Europe stands now
ICT service exports
How much of the services economy is digital. A sign of a modern, tradable technology sector.
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EU vs US vs China vs D9+ over time
% of service exports
The story
Here is a number that surprises: ICT services make up close to a fifth of the EU's service exports, more than double the US share. Europe sells a lot of digital services abroad. The caveat is that a meaningful slice of that lead is booked through Ireland by multinationals for tax reasons, which flatters the aggregate.
Why it matters
Digital services are the tradable layer of the modern economy, the part that scales without shipping anything. A high share signals a services sector selling software and data work to the world, not just haircuts to itself.
Policy context
The policy question is whether the headline reflects European-owned digital capability or foreign capability routed through European tax law. Deepening the single digital market grows the first; only tax arbitrage grows the second.