World News Briefs – December

E-Bikes Reach 30% Market Share by Volume, More by Value

30% of all bikes now sold in Europe are e-bikes according to a new report published by Bike Europe.

Total analogue bicycle sales for the 27 European Union countries plus the UK were 11.7 million units in 2023, down from 14.7 million units in 2022.

Meanwhile e-bike sales were also down, from 5.5 million in 2022 to 5.1 million in 2023. But because they fell less than analogue bike sales, their market share by units increased from 27.2% in 2022 to a record high 30.3% in 2023.

The combined value of both bike category sales was €19.3 billion (A$31.5 billion) down from €21 billion (A$34.2 billion) in 2022.

Despite falling slightly from 2022 to 2023, e-bike sales are still up over 50% in units compared their immediately pre-covid levels.

4.6 million e-bikes were made in Europe during 2023 – although many components for these e-bikes, including frames in some cases, are imported from outside of Europe.