Value exports to Australia worth 4.2 billion euros

© ANP
Last year, the Netherlands exported goods and services worth 4.2 bn euros to Australia. The value of goods exports rose by 60 percent to 2.3 bn euros between 2010 and 2015. The Netherlands also exported services worth nearly 2 bn euros to Australia as reported by Statistics Netherlands (CBS) in anticipation of the state visit to Australia and New Zealand.

The major part of Dutch exports to Australia consists of medicines. Australia accounts for 0.5 percent of total Dutch exports of goods, occupying 32nd position on the list of export destinations. With 1.3 bn euros, last year’s trade surplus with Australia was very large. Some 20 thousand Dutch companies are engaged in goods exports to Australia, nearly twice as many as in 2010.

The export of goods to New Zealand has doubled since 2010 to more than 370 million euros, on a total of 530 million euros. New Zealand’s share in Dutch exports (0.1 percent) puts it in a very modest 71st position. The number of export firms has doubled over the past half decade to 7,400.

Substantial exports despite huge distance

The huge distance between the Netherlands and Australia and New Zealand is a very unfavourable factor. If distance and size of the economies are taken into account, Dutch exports to these countries are quite substantial. In 2015 Dutch exports to both countries were twice as big as might be expected on the basis of economic size and distance.



Australia mainly imports medicines. Exports of medicines have increased by 130 percent in the past five years to 331 million euros. Approximately one-third of medicines exported to Australia are manufactured in the Netherlands, the remainder are re-exports.

2 billion worth of services

In addition to goods, the Netherlands exported 2 bn euros worth of services to Australia last year, i.e. 1.2 percent of total exports of services. This puts Australia in 12th place on the list of export destinations. More than one-quarter of all services exported to Australia concerns transport services, mainly maritime transport services. Exports of services to New Zealand are much smaller.

Imports mainly include agricultural products

The Netherlands accounts for 1 and 2 percent respectively of total goods exports from Australia and New Zealand, primarily agricultural products. Last year, the Netherlands imported Australian goods worth 1 bn euros. Australia is the major supplier of vegetable seeds (220 million euros) for the Netherlands.

The value of New Zealand goods imported into the Netherlands amounted to 350 million euros last year. New Zealand is the main supplier of mutton (86 million euros).

The Netherlands is the most important market in the European Union for both countries after the United Kingdom. A significant part of Dutch imports concerns re-exports.

Tourist and business travel services take up an important share of imports of services: in 2015 Australian tourists spent nearly 150 million euros in the Netherlands, versus more than 20 million euros for visitors from New Zealand.

Sources