Where do children’s toys come from?

The holiday season is here, and for many, toy shopping is a crucial activity on the to-do list.  

In 2024, the EU was a net importer of toys from the rest of the world, with €7.1 billion worth of toys imported from extra-EU countries (+€0.6 billion compared with 2023), while extra-EU exports amounted to €2.5 billion (+€0.2 billion). 

China was the biggest supplier of toys to the EU with 80% (worth €5.6 billion) of toy imports, far ahead of Vietnam with 6% (€418 million) and the United Kingdom (3%, €188 million). 

Germany and the Netherlands were the largest EU importer of toys from countries outside the EU, each with 17%, while France accounted for 14% of total imports by value.

The main extra-EU export destination was the United Kingdom (33%, €838 million), followed by Switzerland (13%, €315 million) and the United States (10%, €245 million). 

Data show that 3 EU countries accounted for almost 60% of extra-EU exports by value. Czechia (28%) was the main exporter of toys from the EU to the rest of the world, ahead of Germany (17%) and Belgium (13%).

Via Eurostat