EXIOBASE

Database Development, Current Applications, and Future Directions
exiobase.iedl.no

Konstantin Stadler
Richard Wood, Kajwan Rasul, Candy Deck, Silvan Goldenberg, Martin Dorber
EXIOBASE/BAMBOO/RAINFOREST consortium

NTNU Industrial Ecology Programme

2025-10-30

About me

Manager & Lead Researcher
Industrial Ecology Digital Lab
NTNU, Trondheim, Norway

PhD in Neuroscience
Charité Berlin/FU Berlin

RESEARCH FOCUS

Environmental and social impacts of economic activities through computational methods and database development

KEY PROJECTS

  • EE-MRIO EXIOBASE developer
  • Creator of Pymrio (Python for EE-MRIO analysis)
  • BAMBOO & RAINFOREST (EU Horizon projects)
  • Lead: HiTEA (Norwegian Research Council project)
  • Co-founder & Board Member, XIO-SA AS

From LCA to EE-MRIO

LCA framework

LCA framework

System of National Accounts

Following supply chains

Basic EE-MRIO structure

EXIOBASE heat map

EXIOBASE

EXIOBASE: a global Multi-Regional Environmentally Extended Supply-Use Table (MR-SUT) and Input-Output Table (MR-IOT) with a focus on environmental sustainability analysis.

  • Global: EU and main trading partners (90 % of global GDP) + 5 RoW regions
  • Industry (163 industries) and product classification (200 products)
  • Over 1000 satellite/impact accounts
  • Consistent time series 1995-2020 (2022 soon)

EXIOBASE History

EXIOBASE 1
EU FP6 project EXIOPOL • Base year: 2000

EXIOBASE 2
EU FP7 project CREEA • Base year: 2007

EXIOBASE 3 (to 3.4)
EU FP7 project DESIRE • Time series

Since EXIOBASE 3.4
Maintained by NTNU Industrial Ecology Programme and partners
Funding from various sources

Since 2024
Maintained by NTNU Industrial Ecology Programme and XIO SA • Yearly updates

Development within EXIOBASE 3

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gitGraph
    commit id: "3.1"
    commit id: "3.2"
    commit id: "3.3"
    branch EXIOBASE3sm
    commit id: "3.3sm" type: HIGHLIGHT tag: "2019"
    checkout EXIOBASE3
    commit id: "3.4" type: REVERSE tag: "2018"
    commit id: "3.5"
    commit id: "3.6"
    commit id: "3.7" tag: "2019"
    branch EXIOBASE3rx
    commit id: "3rx" type: HIGHLIGHT tag: "2019"
    checkout EXIOBASE3
    commit id: "3.8" tag: "2020"
    commit id: "3.8.1" tag: "2021"
    commit id: "3.8.2" tag: "2021"
    commit id: "3.9.6" type: HIGHLIGHT tag: "2025"
    commit id: "3.10beta" tag: "2025"
    commit id: "3.11alpha" tag: "2026"

  • ⨯: available on exiobase.eu
  • ◼: available on Zenodo
    • EXIOBASE 3: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3583070
    • EXIOBASE 3sm: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3533195
    • EXIOBASE 3rx: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.2654460
  • License: CC-BY-SA-NC 4.0 (with dual license option)

EXIOBASE 3.9.6 (current release)

  • Tables estimated up to 2020 with reliable data (Nowcasted to 2024)
  • Scaled to EUROSTAT FIGARO tables
  • New set of energy and emission accounts
  • Updated set of material flow accounts
  • New set of land use accounts
  • Updated labour accounts
  • Ongoing work for other extensions
  • Link to further developments
    • Capital endogenisation (now routinely updated)
    • Capital stock model (just developed)
    • Deforestation emissions

EXIOBASE 3.10 (beta)

  • Tables estimated up to 2022
  • Stressor in original classification and ILCD flow names
  • Link with regionalized impact assessment methods
    • UNEP-GLAM
    • PEF
    • LC-IMPACT 2.0 (3.11alpha)
  • Release late 2025/early 2026

EXIOBASE compilation

%%{init: {'theme':'base', 'themeVariables': {'fontSize':'22px', 'fontFamily':'Arial'}, 'flowchart':{'curve':'linear'}}}%%
flowchart TD
    %% Input Data Sources (Parallelograms)
    subgraph inputs[" "]
        A1[/UN SNA main agg/]
        A1t[/Taiwan NSA/]
        A2[/Industry output<br/>UN, NSA/]
        A3[/Physical production<br/>FAO, materialflow/]
        A4[/Energy data<br/>IEA/]
        A5[/BACI db/]
        A6[/UN service trade db/]
        A7[/EXIOBASE2<br/>technical coeff./]
        A8[/NSA/]
        A9[/FIGARO SUT/]
    end
    
    %% Intermediate Data Processing
    subgraph processing[" "]
        B1[Macro Economic Data]
        B2[Industry Output Data]
        B3[Bilateral Trade Data]
        B4[Technical Coeff. Data]
    end
    
    %% Data Integration
    C[Initial SUT Time Series]
    
    %% Prescaling Process
    subgraph prescaling[" "]
        F[Prescaling Process]
        G[Prescaled SUT]
    end
    
    %% Balancing Process
    subgraph balancing[" "]
        D[Balancing Process]
        E[Balanced SUT]
    end
    
    %% Connections
    A1 --> B1
    A1t --> B1
    A2 --> B2
    A3 --> B2
    A4 --> B2
    A4 --> B3
    A5 --> B3
    A6 --> B3
    A7 --> B4
    A8 --> B4
    
    B1 --> C
    B2 --> C
    B3 --> C
    B4 --> C
    
    C --> F
    A9 --> F
    F --> G
    
    G --> D
    D --> E
    
    style inputs fill:#F3E5F5,stroke:#7B1FA2,stroke-width:3px 
    style processing fill:#E1F5FE,stroke:#0277BD,stroke-width:3px
    style prescaling fill:#FFF9C4,stroke:#F57F17,stroke-width:3px
    style balancing fill:#DCEDC8,stroke:#558B2F,stroke-width:3px

Data sources - top level

%%{init: {'theme':'base', 'themeVariables': {'fontSize':'22px', 'fontFamily':'Arial'}, 'flowchart':{'curve':'linear'}}}%%
flowchart TD
    %% Input Data Sources (Parallelograms)
    subgraph inputs[" "]
        A1[/UN SNA main agg/]
        A1t[/Taiwan NSA/]
        A2[/Industry output<br/>UN, NSA/]
        A3[/Physical production<br/>FAO, materialflow/]
        A4[/Energy data<br/>IEA/]
        A5[/BACI db/]
        A6[/UN service trade db/]
        A7[/EXIOBASE2<br/>technical coeff./]
        A8[/NSA/]
        A9[/FIGARO SUT/]
    end

    style inputs fill:#F3E5F5,stroke:#7B1FA2,stroke-width:3px

  • UN SNA main agg
  • Taiwan NSA
  • Industry output: UN, NSA
  • Physical production: FAO, materialflow (WU)
  • Energy data: IEA
  • BACI Database
  • UN service trade
  • EXIOBASE2 technical coefficient data
  • National statistical accounts
  • Eurostat FIGARO SUT

Data pipeline

%%{init: {'theme':'base', 'themeVariables': {'fontSize':'22px', 'fontFamily':'Arial'}, 'flowchart':{'curve':'linear'}}}%%
flowchart TD

    A9[/FIGARO SUT/]
   
    %% Intermediate Data Processing
    subgraph processing[" "]
        B1[Macro Economic Data]
        B2[Industry Output Data]
        B3[Bilateral Trade Data]
        B4[Technical Coeff. Data]
    end
    
    %% Data Integration
    C[Initial SUT Time Series]
    
    %% Prescaling Process
    subgraph prescaling[" "]
        F[Prescaling Process]
        G[Prescaled SUT]
    end
    
    %% Balancing Process
    subgraph balancing[" "]
        D[Balancing Process]
        E[Balanced SUT]
    end
    
    %% Connections
    
    B1 --> C
    B2 --> C
    B3 --> C
    B4 --> C
    
    C --> F
    A9 --> F
    F --> G
    
    G --> D
    D --> E
    
    style processing fill:#E1F5FE,stroke:#0277BD,stroke-width:3px
    style prescaling fill:#FFF9C4,stroke:#F57F17,stroke-width:3px
    style balancing fill:#DCEDC8,stroke:#558B2F,stroke-width:3px

Sector detail and time series

  • EXIOBASE 3 originally followed NACE1.1 and CPA2002
  • Ongoing conversion to NACE2
  • Some changes in energy, agriculture, waste
  • Tried to have the sector numbers in EXIOBASE consistent with these classifications
    • letters indicating deviations (e.g. ‘w’ for waste products)
  • Main objective to capture environmental relevant economic activities
  • EXIOBASE energy flows are consistent with IEA energy balances
    • reconcile MSUT to energy balances by adding a 4th dimension (energy activity)

How is EXIOBASE used?

Carbon and other Environmental Footprints – households/nations/product groups

Assessment • Determinants • Agency • Inequality

Corporate Reporting

Scope 1/2/3 and financed emissions

Supply-Chain & Trade

Carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM)

Disaster/Impact Assessment

Current projects involving EXIOBASE

Ongoing EXIOBASE work - BAMBOO

  • BAMBOO Horizon project (https://bamboo-horizon.eu)
    • Mitigating the impacts of non-food trade on biodiversity
    • Linking EXIOBASE to FABIO
    • Linking stressors to ILCD flows/GLAM
    • Linking stressors to GLOBIO

Ongoing EXIOBASE work - RAINFOREST

  • RAINFOREST Horizon project (https://rainforest-horizon.eu)
    • Mitigating the impacts of food trade on biodiversity
    • Linking EXIOBASE to LC-IMPACT
    • Implementing “transformative change”

Ongoing EXIOBASE work - HiTEA

  • HiTEA NRC project https://hitea.iedl.no
    • Uncertainty analysis for MRIO
    • Focus on the data/computational pipeline

GLAM/LC-IMPACT - EXIOBASE coupling

  • GLAM (UN Global Guidance for Life Cycle Impact Assessment) uses ILCD+ (EPLCA extended) elementary flows
  • LC-IMPACT 2.0 will follow these
  • New satellite account for EXIOBASE

Bridge Example:

In total 63 ILCD flows included as a new satellite account in EXIOBASE (3.10beta)

GLAM structure

Upcoming GLAM based Impact Categories in EXIOBASE

Ecosystem Quality (EQ)

  • Climate Change (Freshwater, Marine, Terrestrial)
  • Ecotoxicity (Freshwater, Terrestrial)
  • Eutrophication (Freshwater, Marine)
  • Terrestrial Acidification
  • Land Use
  • Water Consumption

Human Health (HH)

  • Climate Change
  • Fine Particulate Matter
  • Human Toxicity
  • Water Scarcity

Socio-Economic Assets (SEA)

  • Abiotic Energy
  • Mineral Resource Use
  • Land Use Services (Erosion, Groundwater, Filtration, Soil Carbon)

GLAM Area of Protection Footprints

PRELIMINARY RESULTS

GLAM Area of Protection Development

PRELIMINARY RESULTS

GLAM Area of Protection Development

Dynamics of Ecosystem Quality Footprint and GDP growth

PRELIMINARY RESULTS

Planetary boundaries

Emerging economies footprints

Advanced economies footprints

Planetary Boundaries Footprints from 1995-2022

PRELIMINARY RESULTS

Planetary boundaries

PRELIMINARY RESULTS

LC-IMPACT/GLOBIO - EXIOBASE coupling

Regionalized (continent, eco-region, grid) LCA Impact Assessment Methods

  • Potential disappeared fraction of species (PDF) by taxonomic group
  • Biodiversity/Ecosystem Quality
  • Human Health (DALYs)
  • Resources
  • Experimental work on plastic entanglement, invasive species, seabed damage, micro-plastic

  • Mean species abundance (MSA) by pressure (nitrogen deposit, land use, etc)
  • Habitat fragmentation
  • etc.

Coupling with LC-IMPACT 2.0

Currently in progress, will be included in EXIOBASE 3.11

🌊 Marine Ecosystem Quality (9 new)

  • Ocean acidification
  • Marine eutrophication (N)
  • Marine plastic entanglement
  • Marine invasive species
  • Microplastics (physical effect)
  • Plastic ingestion
  • Plastic additives (toxicity)
  • Overexploitation (2 endpoints)
  • Seabed damage

🌳 Terrestrial Ecosystem Quality (4 new)

  • Climate change (MSA)
  • Land use (MSA)
  • Terrestrial invasive species
  • Powerlines

🌍 Ecosystem Quality - General (3 new)

  • Climate change (FD)
  • Noise

Coupling with PEF

Currently in progress, will be included in EXIOBASE 3.10

  • Acidification
  • Climate change
  • Ecotoxicity
  • Eutrophication
  • Human toxicity
  • Ionising radiation
  • Land use
  • Ozone depletion
  • Particulate matter
  • Photochemical ozone formation
  • Resource use, fossils
  • Resource use, minerals and metals
  • Water use

EXIOBASE 3.10: Environmental & Social Flows/Stressors

Air Emissions
35 emissions • 418 activities
Combustion/non-combustion separated

Land Use
6 categories • 30 types
Cropland types, pasture, forest, etc.

Water Use
3 categories • 194 activities
Consumption (Blue, Green), Withdrawal (Blue)

Nutrients
2 types (N/P) • 6 categories
Agricultural and other sources

Materials
61 material flows
Biomass, metals, minerals, fossil fuels

Employment
2 categories (hours/persons)
By gender & skill level: 12 total

Value Added
9 categories (wages, surplus, taxes, etc.)

ILCD+ Elementary Flows
63 flows for impact assessment linkage

EXIOBASE 3.10: Impact Assessment Coverage

Aggregated Indicators

43 Total Aggregates

Total land use, total material use, etc.

Climate Indicators

21 GWP100 AR6 Indicators

Extension ongoing (GWP20,500, GTP)

Comprehensive Impact Methods

UNEP-GLAM

  • 28 Impact Categories
  • 3 Areas of Protection

Product Environmental Footprint (PEF)
In development

LC-IMPACT 2.0
In development

Policy use of EXIOBASE

Obstacles for policy use of EE-MRIOs

📊 Data Harmonization Required

EE-MRIO requires integrating and harmonizing data from multiple sources across countries

🔄 Values Must Change

Trade data, national accounts, and country statistics are reconciled and adjusted
→ Final numbers differ from official national reports

🚫 National Statistical Agencies Object

“These aren’t our numbers anymore”

Reluctant to endorse or use modified versions of their official statistics

EXIOBASE linking with National IO

  • Keeping official national IO data within a MRIO
  • Simplified Single-country National Accounts Consistent (SNAC) approach
  • Accounts fully consistent with national IO data, but considering global supply chains
  • Implemented for Norway (CafEAN project) and Sweden (Prince project)
  • Substantial differences for small trade exposed countries

Commercial applications of EXIOBASE

Spend-based emission/impact factors

  • GHG Protocol emissions factors in CO2eq/Euro
    • In scope 1-2-3(upstream) format
    • Separation in GHG gases
    • Downstream emissions coming soon
    • Based on the latest EXIOBASE data
    • Outliers removed and data harmonized
  • Impact factors for all other stressors/flows/impacts
    • Biodiversity
    • Land/Water/Material use
    • PEF in beta development status
    • etc.
  • Contact us for further info

How you can use EXIOBASE

Where to get it

  • EXIOBASE license: modified CC-BY-SA-NC
    • Free to use for academic research
    • Dual license option available via XIO-SA
  • DOI latest version: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3583070
  • DOI for each version available on Zenodo

How to work with EXIOBASE

Open Source Python package Pymrio for handling MRIO data

  • Harmonizes the handling of (EE-MR)IO databases
  • EXIOBASE, OECD, WIOD, EORA26; GLORIA/FIGARO coming soon
  • Ideal for data pipelines processing (multiple) MRIO databases
  • Integration with other Python packages
  • Common format for saving MRIOs (txt or binary/parquet)
  • Close to 90% test coverage
  • “Fully” documented: https://pymrio.readthedocs.io/
  • Collaborative development / LGPL license
  • Citable: Stadler 2021, JORS, DOI: 10.5334/jors.251
  • More info at: https://pymrio.iedl.no

Pymrio data model

├── A.txt
├── L.txt
├── Y.txt
├── Z.txt
├── file_parameters.json
├── unit.txt
├── x.txt
├── air_emissions
│   ├── D_cba.txt
...
│   ├── F.txt
│   ├── file_parameters.json
│   └── unit.txt
├── factor_inputs
│   ├── D_cba.txt
│   ├── D_cba_rep.txt
...

Example

Install via pip, uv or conda.

import pymrio
pymrio.download_exiobase3(mrio_folder="/some/folder", system="pxp", years=[2015, 2016])
exio = pymrio.parse_exiobase3("/some/folder/IOT_2015_pxp.zip")
print(exio)
#IO System with parameters: Z, Y, x, A, unit, meta, air_emissions, ...
print(exio.air_emissions)
# Extension Satellite Accounts with parameters: name, F, F_Y, S, S_Y, unit
  • calc_all function
    • checks available variables and calculates the “remaining” ones for a basic IO analysis
    • e.g. F and x available, calculates footprints D_cba, D_cba_reg etc.
exio.calc_all()
print(exio)
#IO System with parameters: Z, Y, x, L, A, unit, meta, air_emissions, ...
print(exio.air_emissions)
# Extension Satellite Accounts with parameters: name, F, F_Y, S, S_Y, M, D_cba, D_pba, unit, D_cba_reg, D_pba_reg, D_imp_reg, D_exp_reg

Other functions

  • diagonalize stressors (where do impacts occur)
  • region/sector specific characterization function
  • aggregate stressors based on names
  • merge satellite accounts
  • archive MRIOs
  • see https://pymrio.readthedocs.io/

Collaboration

  • Contributions are very welcome
    • reporting issues
    • improving documentation
    • adding new features
  • Issue/ticket driven development
    • discuss ideas via github issue tracker
    • contribute code via pull requests
  • Code and test standards
  • see Contriubuting guidelines

Ongoing development in Pymrio

  • HiTEA (High Throughput Environmental Assessment Pipeline)
    • Monte Carlo sampling
    • Pymrio on multi-node and cloud systems
    • GPU-acceleration
  • Leontief inverse alternatives (Taylor series etc.)
  • Downloader/parsers for GLORIA, Figaro (and fix WIOD)
  • Linking/characterization
    • Region/sector specific impact factors

IO Software and Data tools

What’s next

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