In 2023, freight transported via the EU’s inland waterways dropped by 4.6% (equivalent to 6 million tonne-kilometres) compared to 2022.
According to the latest data published by Eurostat, from 2013 to 2023, inland waterway transport in the EU showed fluctuating trends. Activity declined yearly from 2014 to 2016, with a modest rise in 2017 (+0.5%).
This was followed by a significant drop in 2018 (-10.9%) and a recovery in 2019 (+6.6%). Another steep decline occurred in 2022, with a 9.8% reduction.
In terms of freight volume per inhabitant, the EU average was 1.0 tonnes transported via inland waterways.
The Netherlands led with 18.4 tonnes per person, followed by Belgium (13.6 tonnes) and Luxembourg (7.2 tonnes). All other countries transported less than 2.5 tonnes per inhabitant in 2023.
Metal ores made up the majority of inland shipping freight volumes in 2023
Eurostat has also published data concerning the distribution of inland waterway freight transport in the EU in 2023, categorised by the type of goods.
Metal ores made up the largest share, accounting for 23.7% of the total. This was followed by coke and refined petroleum products at 15.8%, and chemicals, rubber, plastic, and nuclear fuel at 13.0%. Agricultural products constituted 12.9%, while unidentifiable goods represented 8.5%.
Other notable categories included coal and crude petroleum at 7.3%, basic metals and fabricated metal products at 6.1%, and food products, beverages, and tobacco at 4.4%. Secondary raw materials and wastes accounted for 3.2%, with the remaining 5.2% classified as other goods. There is nonetheless one important caveat in that the graph does not include data from Italy.