The European Union’s 2025 Blue Economy Report shows that the Blue Economy is growing rapidly, and contributing significantly to the union’s overall economic and environmental well-being, but there’s plenty of room for improvement on sustainability and emissions reduction.
The report focuses primarily on data from 2021-2022, but explores the landscape for much of the last 10 years.
Blue Economy employment jumped 16% between 2021 and 2022 to 4.82 million people; overall revenues increasing 29% in the same period to €890 billion; and Gross Value Added (GVA) rising 33% to €250.7 billion. EU Blue Economy Sectors continued to grow after 2022, with 2023 estimates showing it employed 4.88 million and contributed €263 billion to the EU GVA.
Coastal tourism accounted for 33% of the EU Blue Economy’s GVA in 2022 and employed over half of the total workforce (54%). Over the same period, offshore wind energy experienced the highest growth at +1049%, followed by maritime transport (+99%), shipbuilding and repair (+73%), marine living resources (+44%), and port activities (+36%).
Ocean Energy
The EU now has a total offshore wind capacity of 18.9 gigawatts, spread across 11 countries, making it one of the fastest-growing parts of the EU economy. In 2022 alone, investment in ocean energy reached €48.53 billion—accounting for 53% of global investment in the sector.
The sector’s GVA increased to €5.3 billion in 2022, a 42% increase compared to 2021. This growth boosted the sector’s profits, which reached €4.1 billion in 2022, a 56% increase.
Fishing and Aquaculture
The EU fishing fleet achieved a 31% decrease in CO emissions. Further improvements are reflected in fuel efficiency: in 2022, the fleet used 17% less fuel compared to 2009. The adoption of more sustainable practices and technologies not only enhances the sector’s competitiveness but also strengthens the EU blue economy’s resilience to climate-related shocks.
By the first quarter of 2026, the report said, the European Commission will develop a roadmap for the energy transition of the EU fisheries and aquaculture sector towards climate neutrality by 2050. In implementing the strategic guidelines for a more sustainable and competitive EU aquaculture, the European Commission published a staff working document to provide information on energy efficiency and on the use of renewable sources of energy in aquaculture production. It provides an overview of the energy used in different production systems, the technologies that can be applied, and good practices.
Maritime Transport
Sea and coastal freight water transport recorded a 10% reduction in emissions per ton of freight between 2013 and 2022. Emissions of sulphur oxide (SOx) reduced 70% since 2014 thanks to the introduction of the sulphur emission control areas in northern Europe and IMO regulations establishing a maximum sulphur limit globally.
However, the report also notes that the sector’s overall environmental footprint remains high. The sector’s GHG emissions have worsened, with CO2 emissions increasing steadily since 2015, nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions rising by 10% across the EU in 2015-2023, and methane (CH4) emissions doubling between 2018 and 2023.
