ECONOMY-WIDE MATERIAL FLOW ACCOUNTS, 2019 – 2023

Economy-wide material flow accounts that include domestic extraction, intra-EU and extra-EU import and export as well as domestic processed output for the Republic of Croatia are presented for the period from 2019 to 2023.

In 2023, the value of the direct material input was 66 490 thousand tonnes (63.4% from domestic sources and 36.6% from import), which was 1.8% more than in 2022.

Domestic material consumption in 2023 was 48 655 thousand tonnes, which was 5.4% more than in 2022.

The import of materials in 2023 amounted to 24 331 thousand tonnes, which means it increased by 1.2% compared to 2022. The export of materials amounted to 17 835 thousand tonnes, which is a decrease of 6.5% compared to the previous year. The physical trade balance amounted to 6 496 thousand tonnes in 2023.

Raw material consumption in 2023 amounted to 59 910 thousand tonnes, which was a 3.6% increase compared to 2022.

NOTES ON METHODOLOGY

Sources and methods of data collection

The source of data on economy-wide material flow accounts is the Croatian Bureau of Statistics.

Economy-wide material flow accounts are one of the several physical modules of the Eurostat’s programme of European environmental economic accounts. They are covered by the Regulation (EU) No 691/2011 of the European Parliament and the Council of 6 July 2011 on European environmental economic accounts.

Economy-wide material flow accounts (EW-MFA) record flows of natural inputs (domestic extraction of materials) and products (import, export) in a detailed breakdown by approximately 50 material categories. Material flow data presented in this First Release employ the following main material categories:

1. Biomass and biomass products: crops and products thereof, crop residues and fodder crops
2. Metal ores and concentrates and products thereof
3. Non-metallic minerals and products thereof
4. Fossil energy material/carriers and products thereof (coal, petroleum, gas etc.)
5. Other products and waste.

Definitions

Biomass refers to the biodegradable components of products, waste and residue of agriculture (including plant and animal matter), forestry and wood industries, as well as biodegradable parts of municipal and industrial waste, the energy usage of which is allowed.

Minerals are natural homogeneous bodies of permanent chemical composition and determined physical characteristics that occur in specific geometric forms (crystals) or undetermined physical characteristics.

Ore is a mineral aggregate from which it is technically viable and economically justifiable to produce metals and/or other minerals usable in industry.

Concentrates are products of ore enrichment that have a significantly increased metal content compared to ore contents and are appropriate for further metallurgic processing and production of metal.

Non-metallic mineral raw materials are raw materials that do not produce new raw materials as a result of melting, and are usually integrated in sedimentary rocks (quartz raw materials, clay, gypsum, salt, dolomite, phosphorite, graphite, bauxite and cement raw materials).

Fossil energy materials/carriers are produced naturally beneath the Earth’s surface from biological remains. Fossil fuels are not renewable energy sources. There are three main forms of fossil fuels: coal, petroleum and natural gas.

Waste is every substance or object that was, is going to be or has to be discarded by its owner. Every discarded object and substance the gathering, transport and processing of which are necessary for the protection of the public interest is considered waste.

Domestic extraction used (DEU) is the annual amount of raw material (except for water and air) extracted from the natural environment to be used in the economy.

Domestic material consumption (DMC) is defined as the total amount of material directly used in the economy.

Domestic material consumption (DMC) = domestic extraction used + import – export

Direct material input (DMI) = domestic extraction used + import

Physical trade balance (PTB) is calculated by subtracting the amount of export in physical units from the amount of import in physical units, as follows:

Physical trade balance (PTB) = import – export.

Raw material consumption (RMC) captures the amount of domestic and foreign extraction of materials needed to produce the final products used by national economy. The material flow indicator RMC is also known as "material footprint."

Published by the Croatian Bureau of Statistics, Zagreb, Ilica 3, P. O. B. 80
Phone: (+385 1) 48 06 111
Press corner: press@dzs.hr

Persons responsible:
Edita Omerzo, Director of Spatial Statistics Directorate
Lidija Brković, Director General

Prepared by:
Darko Jukić, Gordana Lepčević, Željka Kovaček Čuklić and Bernarda Šimunić

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