Goods imports from Ukraine recover to pre-war level

© ANP / Julie Hrudova
The import value of Ukrainian goods was 2.3 billion euros in 2024, which means they have returned to the level last seen in 2021, before the war in that country began. More was imported in 2024 than in 2021, the year with the highest recorded import value until now (excluding re-exports and the transit trade). Maize remains the most important product imported into the Netherlands from Ukraine. Imports of steel and iron from Ukraine have not recovered since the Russian invasion. Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports this based on the latest figures.

In 2019, the Netherlands imported goods worth over 2.1 billion euros from Ukraine. Those imports consisted partly of goods destined for consumers or businesses in the Netherlands (1.6 billion euros) and partly of goods in transit (0.5 billion euros). 

The coronavirus pandemic led to a significant fall in trade in 2020, followed by a recovery in 2021. The war that began in 2022 led to a decline in trade that persisted into 2023.

Total imports from Ukraine amounted to over 2.3 billion euros in 2024, a rise of 51 percent relative to 2023. This included 305 million euros’ worth of goods in transit, with imports for consumers and businesses in the Netherlands accounting for over 2 billion euros of the total import value. This was not only a recovery to pre-war levels, but also a record high for imports from Ukraine.

Imports of iron and steel dwindle to almost nothing

Imports of iron and steel from Ukraine amounted to 162.1 million euros in 2019; by 2024, that had fallen by nearly 90 percent. Two of Ukraine's largest steel plants came under Russian control in 2022, and imports have not recovered to date.

Food and live animals worth 990.5 million euros were imported from Ukraine in 2024. Nearly two-thirds of this was maize, making it the main import from Ukraine. The import value of maize was 55.6 percent higher in 2024 than it was in 2023. Half of the maize imported into the Netherlands in 2024 came from Ukraine, compared with 25 percent in 2023.

Oilseed imports double

The import value of oil seeds – the second main import from Ukraine – doubled between 2023 and 2024. This category consists mainly of rape seed (65 percent) and soybeans (32 percent). In terms of oilseed imports, Ukraine was the third most important source, with a share of 16 percent. This share fell to 7 percent in 2023, when oilseed imports were sourced mainly from Argentina and Romania.

Vegetable oils and fats were the third largest import category from Ukraine, 97 percent of which consisted of sunflower seed oil. In 2024, 10 percent of all imported vegetable oils and fats came from Ukraine, while in 2023 this was 5 percent.


For all three of the main types of goods imported from Ukraine, the higher import value in 2024 compared to 2023 was entirely attributable to a higher import volume. Of these three, goods in transit only made up a substantial part of the import value of oil seeds (almost one-third).

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