Transport of goods in the Netherlands hits new record
The bulk of transported goods came from or were destined for other countries (565 versus 445 million tons). Cross-border transport has increased by nearly 30 percent since 2000, whereas the domestic flow of goods (goods loaded and unloaded in the Netherlands) has grown by only 3 percent since the turn of the century. Developments in international trade versus domestic spending account for the difference in these growth figures. Exports of goods have increased more than one and a half times since 2000, household spending rose by only 2 percent.
| Domestic transport | Cross-border transport | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 0.613 | 0.786 | 1.4 |
| 2001 | 0.625 | 0.802 | 1.43 |
| 2002 | 0.594 | 0.798 | 1.39 |
| 2003 | 0.637 | 0.795 | 1.43 |
| 2004 | 0.615 | 0.871 | 1.49 |
| 2005 | 0.617 | 0.893 | 1.51 |
| 2006 | 0.626 | 0.931 | 1.56 |
| 2007 | 0.654 | 0.973 | 1.63 |
| 2008 | 0.632 | 0.988 | 1.62 |
| 2009 | 0.634 | 0.871 | 1.5 |
| 2010 | 0.634 | 0.975 | 1.61 |
| 2011 | 0.633 | 0.95 | 1.58 |
| 2012 | 0.607 | 0.965 | 1.57 |
| 2013 | 0.617 | 0.977 | 1.6 |
| 2014 | 0.624 | 0.996 | 1.62 |
| 2015 | 0.632 | 1.01 | 1.64 |
Cross-border transport mostly overseas
The bulk of goods destined for other countries (nearly 59 percent) was transported by sea. In 2015 overseas transport increased by 23 million tons to 594 million tons. Goods carried across the border by road and inland waterways decreased. Inland vessels accounted for 20 percent of total cross-border transport, 17 percent was carried by road. Only a small part of goods were carried by railroad, mostly to destinations across the border. A total of 1.6 million tons of (often valuable) goods were shipped by air, a negligible amount compared to other modes of transport.
Within the Netherlands, 82 percent of goods were carried by road and nearly 18 percent by inland waterways. Railroads accounted for less than 1 percent.
Due to rounding off, the total may add up to 101 percent.