# Services Sector Export in Europe
## 4 Research and Discussion
### Share of Services in European Exports  
Along with changes in rates of service export growth, countries display changes in the rates of goods export growth. For this reason, absolute values of service export growth alone do not allow one to identify tendencies in the change in the share of service exports in total exports. Thus, in this subsection we analyse the changes in the share of services in total exports in the European countries under discussion. We also consider the number of European countries where the share of service exports of the total number of exports grew in the period of 2005-2016. The changes in the share of service exports in European countries are presented in Figure 3.  
The share of services in exports in European countries in 2005 was 24.0%. In 2016, the share of services in the exports of these countries grew by 3.4 percentage points and amounted to 27.4%. In 25 or 65.8% of the 38 countries considered, the share of services in exports increased. Respectively, in 13 or 34.2% of the considered countries, the share of services in exports decreased. In 2005, the share of services in the exports of the countries considered was in the range of 10.7-76.1; thus, the variation range amounted to 65.4 percentage points. In 2016, the share of services in the exports of the countries considered constituted 9.7-88.0, with a variation range amounting to 78.4 percentage points. To identify the differences in the tendencies of service export share change in total exports, we also considered the changes in the share of service exports by country groups within the four quartiles in descending order with respect to the rate of service export growth. As shown in Figure 3, the share of services in exports in European countries in 2005 was 24.0%. In 2016, the share of services in the exports of these countries grew by 3.4 percentage points and amounted to 27.4%. Based on UNCTAD [6] data, we have calculated that the share of service exports in the general volume of exports in the world economy was 24.8% in 2016. This means that the share of service exports in Europe was 2.6% higher than in the rest world. In 25 of the 38 (or 65.8%) countries considered, the share of services in exports increased. Respectively, in 13 or 34.2% of the countries considered the share of services in exports decreased. In 2005, the share of services in the exports of the countries considered was in the range of 10.7-76.1; thus, the variation range amounted to 65.4 percentage points. In 2016, the share of services  
Figure 3: Share of Services in European Exports in the period of 2005–2016. Data compiled by the authors based on data from the International Trade Centre UNCTAD/WTO [36], from the respective countries. in the exports of the countries considered constituted 9.7-88.0, with a variation range amounting to 78.4 percentage points. Having considered the changes in the share of service exports in total exports in European countries, we make the following conclusions:  
* The largest growth in the share of service exports and the highest value of the share of service exports in the period of 2005-2016 was demonstrated by the countries grouped into the fourth quartile. The fourth quartile includes many European countries with lower GDP per capita indicators. The tendency that we have identified contradicts the findings of [PERSON] et al. (2016) that high service export figures are linked to higher GDP per capita indicators. * In the period of 2005-2016, in European countries the share of service exports in total exports increased from 24% to 27.4%, which corresponds to the findings of numerous researchers regarding service export share growth in international trade ([PERSON], 2016; [PERSON], 2016; [PERSON], 2016; [PERSON], 2016). * In the period of 2005-2016, the variation range of the share of service exports in the total exports of different European countries increased by 13.0 percentage points, which is evidence of the growing heterogeneity between the export structure of service exports and goods exports in European countries.