Press Release: Services Trade by Enterprise Characteristics (STEC). Year 2023. Provisional data.

Main results

Companies in the Services sector accounted for the largest share of services exports and imports in 2023, with 76.5% and 64.5% of the total, respectively.
The companies that traded the most international operations in services were those with 250 employees or more. They accounted for 58.5% of total exports and 57.9% of imports by companies.
Company services exports were mostly carried out by domestically controlled enterprises (57.7%). Imports were mostly carried out by foreign-controlled companies (50.5%).

More information

The Services Trade by Enterprise Characteristics (STEC) statistic provides more detailed economic information relevant to the globalisation process and is compiled with data taken through the innovative techniques of cross-referencing microdata from existing statistics.

This technique is applied to the values of exports and imports from the Balance of Payments for services, compiled by the Banco de España. By its very design, a part of the information on the Balance of Payments for services does not come from companies or is estimated on the basis of aggregated data, so it is not possible to apply the micro-data crossing method. Therefore, this volume of exports and imports of services is included in the ‘Non-attributable’ category. This category includes important services as Travel (whose exports and imports account for 88.6% and 74.7% of the total of this category, respectively), as well as others that are not fully or partially estimated in the Balance of Payments on the basis of ITSS, or services of organizational units considered as ‘non-market producers’. It also includes the value of exports and imports of services of companies whose cross-referencing at the micro-data level with ITSS and CCD has not been successful for the assignment of any of the three variables.

The non-attributable portion accounts for 53.3% of exports and 40.2% of imports. The results included in this press release by economic activity, size and control type refer exclusively to services that can be assigned according to these characteristics.

Results by sector of the company's economic activity

Companies in the Services sector accounted for the largest share of services exports and imports in 2023, with 76.5% and 64.5% of the total, respectively. Behind them were companies in the Manufacturing and energy supply sector (with 11.0% of exports and 16.9% of imports) and Trade sector (with 10.1% and 17.1%).

Services exports and imports by sectors of economic activity of the company. Year 2023

Percentage over the total

Results by company size intervals

Companies with 250 employees and over were the most active in the international trade of services. In 2023, its exports accounted for 58.5% of the total, and its imports for 57.9% of the total attributable to companies.

Behind them were companies with 0 to 49 employees, with percentages of 22.3% in exports and 21.8% in imports.

Companies with 50 to 249 employees accounted for 19.2% of total exports and 20.3% of imports.

Results by type of control exercised over the company

Company services exports were mostly performed in 2023 by companies under national control. These companies accounted for 57.7% of exports and 49.5% of imports.

Foreign-controlled companies residing in Spain accounted for 42.3% and 50.5% of exports and imports, respectively.

Services exports and imports by type of control exercised over the company. Year 2023

Percentage over the total

Results by economic activity sector and type of service traded

Exports of almost all services products in 2023 were mainly carried out by companies in the Services sector. The only exception was Construction services, which was mainly included under Manufacturing and Construction.

Thus, companies in the Services sector exported Other business services totalling 29,663.3 million euros, Telecommunications, computer and information services 19,936.7 million euros and Transport services 11,767.9 million euros.

Service exports by economic activity sector of the company and type of service traded. Year 2023

Millions of euros

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In terms of imports, companies in the Services sector also led all categories, except for Construction services, which were concentrated under the Manufacturing and Construction sector.

Companies in the Services sector imported under the heading Other business services totalling 19,641.9 million euros, Telecommunications, computer and information services 10,443.7 million euros, and Charges for the use of intellectual property n.i.e. for 5,187.3 million euros.

Service imports by economic activity sector of the company and type of service traded. Year 2023

Millions of euros

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Data revisions and updates

The data published today are provisional. The definitive data for 2022 are also published today. All the results of this operation are available at INEbase.

Methodological note

The Services Trade by Enterprise Characteristics (STEC) is a structural set of statistics of synthesis and analysis, whose main aim is to characterise companies that engage in international trading of services in contrast to those that limit themselves to the domestic market, based on three main characteristics: Main economic activity of the company (according to the CNAE), size range measured in number of employees and type of control exercised over the company (domestic/foreign).

STEC is implemented in all EU countries in compliance with Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 on European Business Statistics, and its implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1197 laying down its technical specifications.

STEC disaggregates the values of exports and imports of services from the Balance of Payments for Services compiled by the Banco de España by the three already-mentioned company characteristics, whenever it is possible to cross-reference the Balance of Payments data at the micro-data level with those of the International Trade in Services Survey (ITSS) and the Central Companies Directory (CCD).

In those cases where the cross-referencing with ITSS and CCD is not possible, as they are the sources that provide the three variables activity, size and control, the category ‘Not attributable’ has been included for each variable, in order to include the value of the Balance of Payments data for services that are not distributable by the three company characteristics.

Type of operation:: annual continuous frequency.
Population scope:: institutional units resident in Spain included in the population scope of the Balance of Payments of services.
Geographical scope:: resident and non-resident units in the Spanish economic territory that are within the population scope.
Reference period:: the calendar year.
Collection method:: based on pre-existing sources of statistics: Balance of Payments for services, ITSS and CCD.

More information on the methodology and the standardised methodological report.

INE statistics are produced in accordance with the Code of Good Practice for European Statistics. More information on Quality at INE and Code of Best Practices.