Study reveals massive value of motorcycling in Europe

If you’re reading Visordown, the chances are you don’t need to be told that motorcycling is brilliant. You know that. What you might not know is the sheer value of what motorcycling is worth to the European economy. 

According to a new Oxford Economics study commissioned by the ACEM (Association des Constructeurs Européens de Motocycles), the total figure of what motorcycles and anything related to them added to the economies of the European Union and the UK in 2024 amounted to a whopping €35.1 billion, equivalent to just over £29bn.

Presented in Milan during the annual EICMA (Esposizione Internazionale Ciclo Motociclo e Accessori) trade and press show, the study also found that motorbikes supported some 481,600 jobs and drove €20.6 billion in tax revenue.

Roughly three-quarters or €26.7 billion in GDP/356,000 jobs that comes from what ACEM calls the “core industry” focused on the manufacture, sale and repair of motorcycles and components. 

It’s then another €5.7 billion plus 89,000 jobs for riding kit, and €2.7 billion plus 36,000 jobs spread across motorsport, trade fairs and other events. 

You can thank Italy and Germany for a good chunk of that spending, with each accounting for 23%. The UK accounted for 9%, just ahead of Spain at 7%. 

There’s more to it than that, though. The study labels these numbers “conservative,” because things like motorcycle tourism, rider training and insurance aren’t factored in. Hospitality in particular is presumably quite hard to track – who knows how many Black Forest Airbnb bookings and flammekueche purchases came from bikers on tours, for example. 

Although all of this sounds great, things could be better still. One thing highlighted is the trade deficit, which nearly doubled in 2025, with imports amounting to €3.9 billion, not far off €2 billion higher than exports. “Growth in registrations does not automatically translate into higher production and profitability,” says Mariano Roman of the ANCMA (Associazione Nazionale Ciclo Motociclo Accessori). It likely doesn’t help that imports to China, India and Thailand are subjected to higher tariffs than those to the EU. 

A large part of the report is devoted to highlighting the benefits of motorcycles to urban areas in terms of congestion and parking. The ACEM calls for the “full integration of motorcycles into urban mobility planning,” along with “fair and reciprocal access to global markets” and “conditions that keep manufacturers investing in Europe”.