The Netherlands is the world’s leading exporter of cocoa products
- The Netherlands is now the world’s leading exporter of cocoa products.
- In 2025, cocoa products worth 12.4 billion euros were exported.
- The Netherlands is also the world’s largest importer of cocoa beans.
In 2025, the Netherlands overtook Germany as the world’s leading exporter of cocoa products, such as chocolate, cocoa mass, cocoa butter and cocoa powder. The Netherlands is also the world’s largest importer of cocoa beans and the most important trader in cocoa beans and cocoa products. Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports this on the basis of newly released figures.
In 2025, the Netherlands exported goods worth 12.4 billion euros, of which 11.4 billion euros were re-exports. Between 2010 and 2025, Germany dominated the cocoa export market. Before 2010, the Netherlands held that position.
Germany exports around two-thirds of its cocoa products, which consist mainly of chocolate. The Netherlands exports around a quarter of its cocoa products, in the form of chocolate and three-quarters as semi-manufactured goods.
Export value of cocoa products almost tripled
Between 2020 and 2025, Dutch export value of cocoa products almost tripled, from 4.2 billion to 12.4 billion euros. In 2025, the Dutch economy earned around 3 billion euros from exports of cocoa products.
The export value of cocoa products has risen significantly due to the price increase of cocoa beans. The high cocoa price reflected several years of poor harvests in West Africa due to unfavourable weather conditions.
| Jaartal | Germany (billion euros) | Netherlands (billion euros) |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 1.454 | 1.886 |
| 2003 | 1.494 | 2.138 |
| 2004 | 1.635 | 2.052 |
| 2005 | 1.690 | 2.091 |
| 2006 | 1.985 | 2.112 |
| 2007 | 2.287 | 2.401 |
| 2008 | 2.502 | 2.648 |
| 2009 | 2.619 | 2.661 |
| 2010 | 3.133 | 3.330 |
| 2011 | 3.497 | 3.243 |
| 2012 | 3.587 | 3.152 |
| 2013 | 3.803 | 3.174 |
| 2014 | 4.388 | 3.764 |
| 2015 | 4.798 | 4.074 |
| 2016 | 5.113 | 4.288 |
| 2017 | 5.054 | 4.343 |
| 2018 | 5.227 | 4.072 |
| 2019 | 5.492 | 4.299 |
| 2020 | 5.227 | 4.223 |
| 2021 | 5.652 | 4.537 |
| 2022 | 6.354 | 4.933 |
| 2023 | 7.170 | 5.836 |
| 2024 | 9.625 | 9.383 |
| 2025 | 11.389 | 12.418 |
| Source: CBS, Eurostat | ||
Dutch imports and exports are closely correlated
If cocoa beans are taken into account (re-exports), the Netherlands is also the world’s largest exporter in this market. In 2025, the Netherlands exported cocoa beans and cocoa products worth 13.3 billion euros. That was more than the exports from Germany, Ivory Coast, Belgium and France.
Dutch cocoa exports are highly dependent on cocoa imports. Cocoa beans arrive in large quantities in Amsterdam, the world’s largest port for the cocoa trade. They are then processed in the cocoa-manufacturing sector in the Zaan region. Semi-manufactured goods are made from these cocoa beans. These cocoa beans are used to make semi-finished goods, which are used in other countries for the production of chocolate, but the Netherlands also exports chocolate produced domestically. However, Germany and Belgium export larger quantities of chocolate.
The Netherlands is the second-largest importer of cocoa beans and cocoa products
The Netherlands imported goods worth 11.4 billion euros and is therefore the world’s second-largest importer of cocoa beans and cocoa products, after the US (11.8 billion) and ahead of Germany (10.8 billion). The Netherlands is the world’s leading importer of cocoa beans.
In terms of total trade (imports and exports combined), the Netherlands is the most important trader in cocoa beans and products, followed by Germany, Belgium and the US.
| Land | Beans (billion euros) | Semi-manufactured goods (billion euros) | Chocolate (billion euros) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exporters | |||
| Netherlands | 0.9 | 9.4 | 3.0 |
| Germany | 0.1 | 3.8 | 7.6 |
| Côte d'Ivoire | 6.7 | 3.8 | 0.4 |
| Belgium | 2.1 | 0.4 | 5.9 |
| France | 0.0 | 2.3 | 2.1 |
| Importers | |||
| US | 2.7 | 4.2 | 5.0 |
| Netherlands | 6.2 | 2.9 | 2.3 |
| Germany | 2.5 | 4.1 | 4.2 |
| Belgium | 2.7 | 3.4 | 2.1 |
| France | 1.2 | 2.6 | 3.9 |
| Source: CBS, Eurostat, Census, OEC | |||
A quarter of cocoa exports go to Germany
25 percent of the Netherlands’ exports of cocoa beans and cocoa products go to Germany and 13 percent go to Belgium. France and the UK also receive a relatively large share of Dutch cocoa exports. Outside Europe, the main destination is the US.
Exports to the top ten destinations consist mainly of Dutch semi-manufactured cocoa products. Dutch chocolate is exported mainly to our neighbouring countries and France. A relatively small share of the cocoa beans imported by the Netherlands is re-exported directly to Germany.
Over the past five years, the shares between the various destination countries have hardly changed.
| Land | Beans (billion euros) | Semi-manufactured goods (billion euros) | Chocolate (billion euros) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 0.547 | 2.200 | 0.645 |
| Belgium | 0.006 | 1.460 | 0.308 |
| France | 0.089 | 0.620 | 0.273 |
| UK | 0.001 | 0.563 | 0.315 |
| US | 0.000 | 0.567 | 0.091 |
| Poland | 0.009 | 0.474 | 0.093 |
| Switzerland | 0.107 | 0.308 | 0.042 |
| Italy | 0.028 | 0.359 | 0.068 |
| Turkey | 0.000 | 0.319 | 0.024 |
| Russia | 0.000 | 0.336 | 0.002 |
Most imports come from Côte d’Ivoire, and some emerging markets
27 percent of cocoa beans and cocoa products imports come from Côte d’Ivoire. The Netherlands also sources many cocoa beans from other West African countries: Ghana, Cameroon and Nigeria. These are followed by Belgium and Germany, from which the Netherlands imports chocolate, in particular.
Dutch cacao imports from Cameroon have increased since 2020, from 8 percent to 11 percent in 2025. The share from Nigeria has increased from 5 percent to 11 percent. Ecuador and Guinea are also emerging cocoa suppliers. Côte d’Ivoire, Belgium, Germany and France have become relatively less important as cocoa suppliers.
| Landen | Beans (billion euros) | Semi-manufactured goods (billion euros) | Chocolate (billion euros) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Côte d'Ivoire | 1.873 | 1.225 | 0.000 |
| Ghana | 0.664 | 0.578 | 0.000 |
| Cameroon | 1.008 | 0.204 | 0.000 |
| Nigeria | 1.153 | 0.055 | 0.000 |
| Belgium | 0.034 | 0.046 | 1.003 |
| Germany | 0.011 | 0.227 | 0.461 |
| Ecuador | 0.366 | 0.011 | 0.000 |
| France | 0.001 | 0.152 | 0.145 |
| Guinea | 0.273 | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Poland | 0.000 | 0.008 | 0.205 |