Goods transport; modes and flows of transport to and from the Netherlands
| Transport modes | Periods | Total goods transport (x mln ton) | Domestic goods transport (x mln ton) | Cross-border goods transport Total (x mln ton) | Cross-border goods transport Incoming goods transport (x mln ton) | Cross-border goods transport Outgoing goods transport (x mln ton) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total all transport modes | 2023* | 1,900 | 824 | 1,076 | 595 | 481 |
| Maritime transport | 2023* | 545 | 6 | 539 | 377 | 161 |
| Inland shipping | 2023* | 284 | 111 | 174 | 61 | 113 |
| Road transport | 2023* | 729 | 534 | 194 | 92 | 103 |
| Rail transport | 2023* | 36 | 2 | 34 | 10 | 24 |
| Air transport | 2023* | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Pipeline transport cross-border | 2023* | 301 | 167 | 134 | 54 | 80 |
| Source: CBS. | ||||||
Table explanation
This table contains figures on transported loading weight of domestic (national) and cross-border (international) goods transport (excluding transport via the Netherlands). Figures are available for all transport modes (maritime transport, inland shipping, road transport, rail transport, air transport and pipeline transport).
Data available from: 1998
Status of the figures:
All figures up to and including 2012 are definitive, except figures on inland navigation for the years 2007-2009. Data on 2013 up to and including 2023 are of a preliminary nature.
Since data were compiled based on various statistics, in which there may have been slight adjustments, the figures may show minor deviations from the results published previously.
Figures on goods transport on Dutch roads by foreign vehicles are based on Eurostat data. Figures over the 4th quarter of 2020 on foreign road transporters from the United Kingdom have been estimated based on the data over the first three quarters.
Figures on maritime transport up to and including 2010 are based on gross-gross weight. As of 2011, this is gross weight, i.e. excluding the tare weight of the transport unit (e.g. containers).
As of 3 April 2024 the figures on pipeline transport from 2013 onwards have been adjusted. A new observation and processing method on pipeline transport has started resulting in adjusted figures on cross-border pipeline transport from 2013 to 2022, and data on domestic pipeline transport has been added. For the years 1998 to 2012, international pipeline transport data is based on the old processing method and can only be used as an indication of the transport.
On 2 October 2024 the provisional figures for 2023 are added and the figures from 2013 up to 2022 have been revised if aplicable for the seperate transport modes.
Changes as of 4 October 2024:
The provisional figures on pipeline transport for 2023 have been revised.
When will new figures be published?
New figures will become available in the third quarter following the end of the previous calendar year.
Description topics
- Total goods transport
- The total transported loading weight in domestic and cross-border goods transport.
This concerns goods transport with both Dutch and foreign means of transport in relation to the Dutch territory with a loading or unloading place in the Netherlands.
This also includes domestic transport by foreign vehicles (cabotage by foreigners).
Cross-border goods transport does not include transport by Dutch vehicles that takes place entirely abroad (cabotage transport and cross-trade transport).
The loading weight of the transported goods is the gross-gross weight of goods:
The total weight of the goods carried, all packaging, and including the tare weight of the transport unit (e.g. (air) containers, swap bodies and pallets for containing goods, as well as road goods vehicles, wagons or barges carried on or in the vehicle, vessel or aircraft). - Domestic goods transport
- Goods transport where both the place of loading and the place of unloading are in the Netherlands.
This also includes domestic transport by foreign vehicles (cabotage by foreigners).
The loading weight of the transported goods is the gross-gross weight of goods:
The total weight of the goods carried, all packaging, and including the tare weight of the transport unit (e.g. (air) containers, swap bodies and pallets for containing goods, as well as road goods vehicles, wagons or barges carried on or in the vehicle, vessel or aircraft). - Cross-border goods transport
- Goods transport between the Netherlands and abroad, where either the place of loading or the place of unloading is outside the Netherlands.
Cross-border goods transport does not include transport by Dutch vehicles that takes place entirely abroad (cabotage transport and cross-trade transport).
The loading weight of the transported goods is the gross-gross weight of goods:
The total weight of the goods carried, all packaging, and including the tare weight of the transport unit (e.g. (air) containers, swap bodies and pallets for containing goods, as well as road goods vehicles, wagons or barges carried on or in the vehicle, vessel or aircraft).- Total
- Goods transport between the Netherlands and abroad, where either the place of loading or the place of unloading is outside the Netherlands.
Cross-border goods transport does not include transport by Dutch vehicles that takes place entirely abroad (cabotage transport and cross-trade transport).
The loading weight of the transported goods is the gross-gross weight of goods:
The total weight of the goods carried, all packaging, and including the tare weight of the transport unit (e.g. (air) containers, swap bodies and pallets for containing goods, as well as road goods vehicles, wagons or barges carried on or in the vehicle, vessel or aircraft).
- Incoming goods transport
- International goods transport between a foreign place of loading and a Dutch place of unloading.
The loading weight of the transported goods is the gross-gross weight of goods:
The total weight of the goods carried, all packaging, and including the tare weight of the transport unit (e.g. (air) containers, swap bodies and pallets for containing goods, as well as road goods vehicles, wagons or barges carried on or in the vehicle, vessel or aircraft).
- Outgoing goods transport
- International goods transport between a Dutch place of loading and a foreign place of unloading.
The loading weight of the transported goods is the gross-gross weight of goods:
The total weight of the goods carried, all packaging, and including the tare weight of the transport unit (e.g. (air) containers, swap bodies and pallets for containing goods, as well as road goods vehicles, wagons or barges carried on or in the vehicle, vessel or aircraft).