EU imports of COVID-19 vaccines total $8.5B in 2021

By Ovunc Kutlu

ANKARA (AA) - The EU imports of COVID-19 vaccines from outside the region amounted to €7.8 billion ($8.5 billion) in 2021, the bloc’s statistical office said on Thursday.

Imports of COVID-19 vaccines came mostly from Switzerland with 65% and followed by the US with 29% and China with 3%, according to Eurostat.

The largest importer of COVID-19 vaccines among EU member states last year was Germany which constituted 30% of the total. It was followed by Spain with a 21% share and Belgium with 14%.

The EU's exports of COVID-19 vaccines in 2021 amounted to €20.1 billion, Eurostat said.

They were mostly sent to Japan with 21%, the UK 14%, South Korea 6%, and Turkey with 5%.

The largest exporters of COVID-19 vaccines among the EU member states were Belgium, constituting 61% of the EU total, followed by Germany with 21% and Spain with 11%.

More than 11.2 billion vaccine doses are administered around the world, according to the US-based Johns Hopkins University.

While global cases topped 507 million, the pandemic has claimed over 6.2 million lives in at least 192 countries and regions since December 2019.