On this page you can find the latest issue of the EAPA “Asphalt in Figures”, which summarises the production of the European asphalt sector in 2023.
The data refers to production, types of asphalt, applications, re-use/recycling rates, and the number of companies and production sites. These figures have been established with the assistance of the members of the European Asphalt Pavement Association, being at the moment the best available and most reliable data for the asphalt industry.
The figures were made available also in Excel format, making it easier for the reader to import and analyse the data in further studies.
EAPA members can also access the exclusive Members-Only Commented Version, in which not only the data, but the analysis of trends comparing countries and the data from previous years are also presented.
In 2023, the total production of Hot and Warm Mix Asphalt (HMA and WMA) reached 202,7 million tonnes for the EU-27 countries and 269,0 Mt considering further countries in Europe (e.g. Great Britain, Iceland, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland and Turkiye). Compared to the previous year, these figures represent decreases of 4,6% and 3,7% respectively, falling back to values lower than those registered in 2020, characterised by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Figure 1. Total Production of Asphalt in EU-27 and EU-27 plus Great Britain , Iceland, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland, and Turkiye, from 2008 to 2023
Figure 2. Figure 2. Application of reclaimed asphalt in European countries providing data
Figure 2 shows the percentage of available reclaimed asphalt, which was re-used for the manufacture of new mixes (including HMA, WMA, Half-WMA and CMA), recycled as unbound road layers and other civil Engineering applications, and utilized in other unknown applications or put to landfill. For the calculation of these values, only countries providing full data (total amount and use percentages) were considered. These countries were Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France (estimated from previous year), Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Ireland, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and Turkiye. In these countries, a total of 37,5 Mt of reclaimed asphalt was available, out of which, 76% was re-used, 20% was recycled and only 4% was used on unknown applications or put to landfill.
Figure 3 shows the percentage of total production done at Warm Mix Asphalt temperature for countries with complete data series available for the period 2013 – 2023. These are Czech Republic, Denmark, France (estimated from previous year), Great Britain, Hungary, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain. As it can be observed, in the mentioned countries, the market share of WMA significantly increased over the last years to an average value of 18,3% in 2023, with some countries reporting values close to 30%.
Figure 3. Percentage of total production done at Warm Mix Asphalt temperature in countries with complete data series available for the period 2011 – 2023
The latest data underscores the asphalt industry’s ongoing commitment to Europe’s decarbonisation and sustainability goals, evidenced by its integration of circular economy practices and adoption of innovative technologies, such as lower-temperature asphalt production. However, this year’s decline in total production to levels below those seen during the pandemic, and comparable even to the lowest point of the economic crisis in 2014, highlights a concerning trend for the road sector. The insufficient investment in the construction and maintenance of Europe’s road infrastructure poses serious potential consequences for the near future. This underlines the urgent needs for increased funding and strategic planning to sustain and enhance critical infrastructure effectively.