European iron imports have declined by 11% since 2020

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Brussels, June 1, 2017 – The European Union reduced iron ore imports from outside the bloc by 11.3% between 2020 and 2025, falling from 77.9 million tons to about 69 million tons, despite continued structural dependence on external supplies. Data published today showed that

Imports peaked in 2021 at 93.6 million tons, driven by a recovery in demand in the steel sector after the 2020 pandemic, before the market entered a correction phase with a continuous decline over the following years, reaching a new decline of 7.8% in 2025.

The data show that non-agglomerated iron ore accounted for the largest share of imports by approximately 74% in 2025, while agglomerated materials such as pellets accounted for about 26%, amid noticeable fluctuations in the latter type compared to the gradual decline in unprocessed ore.

On the other hand, European Union exports of raw materials to third countries declined from 16.7 million tons in 2020 to 10.5 million tons in 2025, despite a partial recovery in the last year.

The apparent consumption of raw materials within the Union also remained volatile, as it decreased to 86.3 million tons in 2025, i.e. 4.4% less than in 2020, after a strong rise in 2021 followed by a continuous decline.

In terms of suppliers, Canada topped the list of exporters to the European Union with a share of 34.9% in 2025, followed by Brazil, Ukraine and South Africa, with the total share of these four suppliers rising to more than 81%.

Despite the decline in imports, iron ore production within the Union remains limited and concentrated almost entirely in Sweden, which is led by LKAB, while the contributions of other countries such as Austria, Germany and Spain remain limited.

The data indicate that the European market will remain dependent on foreign imports in the near term, in light of the inability of local production to meet demand, while direct reduced iron (DRI) imports are still at low levels that do not significantly affect the market structure.

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