Goods exports to the US down by 25 percent

The value of Dutch goods exports to the US fell by 4.3 billion euros in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period of 2025. As a result, Italy has overtaken the US and is now the fifth most important export market for Dutch goods. Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports this on the basis of newly released figures.

In February 2026, the Netherlands imported goods to the value of 13 billion euros from the US, 25 percent less than in 2025. This continues the downward trend that began in the second half of 2025. A general import tariff of 15 percent has applied to goods entering the US from the EU since August 2025.

Meanwhile, the value of goods imports from the US rose by 19 percent to 27.6 billion euros. Three-quarters of this increase was attributable to imports of mineral fuels. When the category of mineral fuels is excluded, the increase in goods imports from the US stood at 6.7 percent. The conflict in the Middle East has caused prices of crude oil and petroleum products to rise.

Italy overtakes US as the fifth most important export market for Dutch goods exports

While goods exports to the US fell, those to Italy were on the rise, and Italy has now overtaken the US as the fifth most important destination for Dutch goods exports. In the first half of 2026, 4 percent of the goods exports went to the US (by value). In 2025 the share was 5.5 percent. At the same time, the export value of goods exported to Italy was up by 1.2 billion euros. Spain, the seventh most important export market for Dutch goods, is also catching up with the US.

Exports of machinery and transport equipment down

Breaking down the fall in the value of exports to the US of 4.3 billion euros, 2 billion euros was due to a fall in exports of machinery and transport equipment. This means that, in absolute terms, this category of goods was the main cause of the decline.

In addition to the 25.8 percent drop in the value of exports of machinery and transport equipment, the export value of chemical products (-30.5 percent) and manufactured goods (-22.9 percent) was also down. In the case of chemical products, these were chiefly medicines and pharmaceutical products, while manufactured goods included medical instruments and prostheses, for example. The total export value of other goods fell by 21 percent, although the trend varied by product group.