Dutch trade focuses on a limited number of countries and goods

Dutch trade focuses on a limited number of countries and goods. The five most important trading partners of the Netherlands account for more than half of the total value of Dutch trade. Trade also focuses on a limited number of goods; 200 goods ((2 percent of the total) account for more than half of total imports and exports.

Five countries account for more than half of trade value

The five countries exporting most goods to the Netherlands are Germany, Belgium, China, the United States and the United Kingdom. Together, these countries account for 51 percent of total Dutch imports.

Top 5 countries Dutch imports, 2010

Germany, Belgium, France, the United Kingdom and Italy together account for no less than 57 percent of total Dutch exports.

Top 5 countries Dutch exports, 2010

Apart from the top 5 trading partners, the Netherlands imports goods from and exports goods to many other countries; 50 out of a total of 243 trading partners account for almost the entire trade value.

Share trading partners in total value of Dutch imports and exports, 2010

Limited variety of goods represent high trade value

The Netherlands have a limited number of trading partners and the variety of goods is also fairly limited. Only 200 commodities out of a total of nearly 9,500 account for more than 50 percent of total imports and exports.
A substantial part of imported goods are subsequently exported (re-exports), e.g. medicines, routers, printers and laptop computers and products extracted or manufactured in the Netherlands and subsequently exported, like natural gas, petroleum derivatives and machinery. The remainder are goods first imported into the Netherlands and subsequently consumed, e.g. crude oil and cars.

Share traded goods in total value of Dutch imports and exports, 2010

Pascal Ramaekers