BRUSSELS, BELGIUM / EuroWire / — EU imports of iron ore from non member countries fell 11.3% between 2020 and 2025, declining from 77.9 million tons to 69.0 million tons, according to industry data published on June 1. The figures show a smaller external supply base for a core steelmaking raw material, while domestic ore output in the bloc also declined over the same period and remained concentrated mainly in Sweden.
The import decline followed a sharp rise in 2021, when shipments reached 93.6 million tons, the highest level in the six year series. Imports then fell 12.8% in 2022 and another 10.5% in 2023, bringing the total to 73.0 million tons. A limited recovery in 2024 lifted imports by 2.6% to 74.9 million tons before volumes dropped again by 7.8% in 2025.
Unagglomerated ore made up most of the bloc’s iron ore purchases in 2025, totaling 51.1 million tons, or nearly 74% of overall imports. Sintered raw materials, including pellets, accounted for about 18.0 million tons, or 26% of the total. The data show imports of sintered material fell 17.1% in 2025, while non agglomerated raw material imports declined 4.1% in the same year.
Supplier mix remains concentrated
Canada was the largest external source of iron ore for the European Union in 2025, supplying 24.1 million tons and accounting for 34.9% of imports. Brazil supplied 19.1% of total volume, down from 23.0% in 2020. Ukraine shipped 11.0 million tons in 2025, maintaining a share of about 15.9%, while South Africa supplied 7.8 million tons after volumes had reached 12.1 million tons in 2021.
The four leading suppliers together accounted for 81.3% of imports in 2025, compared with 74.8% in 2020. Their combined share reached 86.5% in 2024 before easing the following year. The figures indicate that the decline in overall import volumes occurred alongside a high level of supplier concentration, with Canada, Brazil, Ukraine and South Africa remaining the main external sources of iron bearing raw materials for European steel producers.
Domestic output also declined
Exports of iron ore raw materials from the bloc to non member countries also fell during the six year period, dropping from 16.7 million tons in 2020 to 10.5 million tons in 2025. The steepest annual fall came in 2024, when exports declined 25.4% to 9.3 million tons. Export volumes then recovered 13.2% in 2025, but remained well below the level recorded at the start of the period.
Domestic iron ore production declined 4.7% between 2020 and 2025, from 29.2 million tons to 27.8 million tons. LKAB remained the main producer, with 25.9 million tons in 2025, while Kaunis Iron produced 1.9 million tons of concentrate. Apparent consumption of iron ore raw materials in the bloc stood at 86.3 million tons in 2025, down 4.4% from 2020 after several years of uneven annual movements.