Exports up by 5.5 percent in May

In May 2026, the total volume of goods exported (adjusted for the number of working days) was up by 5.5 percent, year on year, as reported by Statistics Netherlands (CBS). In April , exports grew by 4.6 percent. In May, companies exported more petroleum products, in particular. In addition, exports of electrical machinery were also higher than a year earlier. The volume of goods imported was up by 5.4 percent on May 2025. This was mainly due to imports of petroleum products, machinery and chemical products.

Conditions for exports less unfavourable in July than in May

Every month, CBS publishes an update on the conditions for exports in its visualisation of Export Conditions. These conditions are largely determined by developments in the key sales markets for domestic exports and by the competitive position of the Netherlands. Although the indicators shown in the visualisation are closely linked to export activity, an improvement in conditions does not necessarily mean higher export growth.

The conditions for exports were less unfavourable in July than they were in May. That is mainly because the year-on-year contraction of German manufacturing output was smaller.