Italy fifth export destination for the Netherlands

© ANP
The value of Dutch exports to Italy amounted to 18 billion euros in 2016, i.e. 2 percent more than in 2015. This makes Italy the fifth largest destination for Dutch exports, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports on the basis of figures recently published in response to media questions about the state visit to Italy.

The value of food exports to Italy surged by 12 percent in 2016 to almost 2.8 billion euros. The food products most frequently exported to Italy are meat, vegetables, fruit and fish. The export of baby milk powder accounted for 95 million euros. Italy is the second export destination for Dutch baby milk powder after China.
Approximately 115 thousand Dutch businesses exported goods to Italy last year. Just over half of these goods were manufactured in the Netherlands, the other half were re-exports. In addition to food products, machinery and chemical products accounted for 25 and 21 percent respectively. Last year, trade with Italy created a surplus for the Netherlands of almost 8.7 billion euros, the highest surplus after Germany, France and the United Kingdom.

Most important destinations for Dutch exports, 2016
 Exports
Germany98.3
Belgium43.6
UK39.2
France35.4
Italy18
US17.8
Spain12.8
Poland10.6
China9.9
Sweden8.7

Netherlands essential for Italian imports

From the Italian perspective, the Netherlands is the fourth largest source of imports. The largest source is Germany, followed by France and China.

Countries importing most Italian goods, 2016
 Imports
Germany59
France33
China27
Netherlands20
Spain20

Italian exports mainly manufactured products

Italy's exports are driven by the manufacturing industry. Five in every six euros of export revenu concern manufactured products. Machinery accounts for over one-quarter of Italian exports.
The Netherlands is the tenth biggest export market for Italy at 2.3 percent of total exports. In 2016, Italy exported goods worth 9.3 billion euros to the Netherlands, marking an increase of nearly 340 million euros relative to the previous year. More than half of this increase was due to rising imports of machinery.
Italy's main export products, 2016
 Imports
Manufactured goods2.5
Machinery2
Chemical products1.5
Food and drinks1.2
Clothes and shoes0.7
Other1.3

Sources