China is leading supplier of 7 critical raw materials to the Netherlands
Seven of the eight most critical raw materials for the Dutch economy are processed mainly in China before arriving in the Netherlands in the form of raw materials or products. Among these materials, gallium ranks the highest in terms of criticality. Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports this on the basis of new research.
The economic importance to the Netherlands, the high risk of supply disruption and the expected growth in demand were assessed for all critical materials on the official EU list. The Netherlands is highly dependent on China for seven of the eight highest-scoring materials: gallium, rare earth minerals, germanium, natural graphite, lithium, cobalt and silicon metal.
These materials are crucial for the semiconductor and defence industries, as well as the energy transition. Demand is rising due to increased needs for advanced mobility, computing power, and efficient energy and defence systems. However, geopolitical tensions continue to threaten import stability.
At least 74 percent of these seven materials are processed in China. Gallium is the most imported critical raw material from China, followed by natural graphite (94 percent) and rare earth minerals (84 percent). The eighth most critical raw material, niobium, is the only exception, because it is supplied primarily by Brazil.
| Materiaal | China’s share of global processing (2025) (%) |
|---|---|
| Gallium | 99 |
| Rare earth metals | 84 |
| Germanium | 74 |
| Graphite | 94 |
| Lithium | 74 |
| Cobalt | 76 |
| Niobium | 0.5 |
| Silicon metal | 79 |
| Source: CBS, IEA | |
Gallium is the most important critical raw material to the Dutch economy
Gallium receives the highest criticality score for three reasons. First, there is a high risk of supply disruption associated with gallium, because China controls almost the entire global production and uses export restrictions as a tool of geopolitical leverage.
Second, gallium is essential for producing microchips and high-tech products, key drivers for the Dutch economy.
Third, the shift to AI, electric vehicles and faster networks requires chips that are much more powerful and energy-efficient than the current silicon-based solutions, driving rapid demand for gallium.
Other materials scored slightly lower due to either lower supply risks (e.g. lithium), lower relative economic importance (i.e. germanium), or slower expected demand growth (e.g. niobium).
| Materiaal | Criticality | Expected growth in demand | Supply risk | Economic importance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gallium | 9.7 | 9.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 |
| Rare earth materials | 7.7 | 9.0 | 5.1 | 9.9 |
| Germanium | 7.7 | 8.0 | 8.4 | 6.7 |
| Graphite | 7.5 | 9.0 | 5.5 | 8.6 |
| Lithium | 7.4 | 10.0 | 4.3 | 9.3 |
| Cobalt | 7.3 | 8.0 | 6.0 | 8.2 |
| Niobium | 7.1 | 5.0 | 8.3 | 8.5 |
| Silicon metal | 7.1 | 7.0 | 6.8 | 7.4 |
| 1) Rated on a scale of 1 (lowest-scoring material) to 10 (highest-scoring material). | ||||
Critical raw materials make up a large share of Dutch imports
While some of these critical raw materials are less familiar to the general public, these materials are in high demand due to their specific and unique physical properties and applications.
In 2025, the Netherlands imported 17.2 billion euros worth of critical raw materials and 123.9 billion euros worth of products containing these materials from non-EU sources. Together, these categories account for almost one-third of the total value of Dutch imports from outside the EU. The graph below shows the scoring of all critical raw materials in terms of economic importance, supply risk and future demand.
Hover your mouse over the figure to view the materials and data.
Expected growth
High
Average
Low
Criticality
| Material | Supply risk | Economic impact | Growth | Criticality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gallium | 10.0 | 10.0 | 9.0 | 9.7 |
| Rare earth metals | 5.1 | 9.9 | 9.0 | 7.7 |
| Germanium | 8.4 | 6.7 | 8.0 | 7.7 |
| Graphite | 5.5 | 8.6 | 9.0 | 7.5 |
| Lithium | 4.3 | 9.3 | 10.0 | 7.4 |
| Cobalt | 6.0 | 8.2 | 8.0 | 7.3 |
| Niobium | 8.3 | 8.5 | 5.0 | 7.1 |
| Metallic silicon | 6.8 | 7.4 | 7.0 | 7.1 |
| PGM | 3.6 | 9.8 | 8.0 | 6.6 |
| Tantalum | 3.0 | 9.5 | 7.0 | 5.8 |
| Tungsten | 3.9 | 8.9 | 5.0 | 5.6 |
| Magnesium | 4.4 | 6.7 | 6.0 | 5.6 |
| Nickel | 3.0 | 8.4 | 7.0 | 5.6 |
| Helium | 5.0 | 5.7 | 6.0 | 5.6 |
| Beryllium | 4.3 | 6.3 | 6.0 | 5.5 |
| Vanadium | 5.0 | 4.6 | 7.0 | 5.4 |
| Borate | 3.1 | 7.9 | 6.0 | 5.3 |
| Arsenic | 5.1 | 5.6 | 5.0 | 5.2 |
| Manganese | 2.5 | 9.3 | 6.0 | 5.2 |
| Phosphorus | 7.4 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 5.1 |
| Aluminium | 2.7 | 7.0 | 6.0 | 4.8 |
| Titanium | 2.6 | 6.6 | 6.0 | 4.7 |
| Fluorspar | 4.7 | 6.0 | 3.0 | 4.4 |
| Bismuth | 6.4 | 2.3 | 4.0 | 3.9 |
| Strontium | 3.5 | 7.7 | 2.0 | 3.8 |
| Copper | 1.0 | 6.4 | 8.0 | 3.7 |
| Antimony | 2.8 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 3.6 |
| Feldspar | 2.3 | 7.9 | 2.0 | 3.3 |
| Phosphate ore | 3.0 | 2.9 | 4.0 | 3.3 |
| Barite | 2.5 | 5.4 | 2.0 | 3.0 |
| Hafnium | 3.5 | 1.0 | 5.0 | 2.6 |
| Coking coal | 4.6 | 2.8 | 1.0 | 2.3 |
Sources
- Publication - Imports of critical raw materials