Steady growth in exports

In March, exports of transport equipment, metal products and chemical products rose noticeably. Exports of natural gas, on the other hand, were much lower than in March 2016.

Both re-exports and exports of Dutch products were higher than one year previously. The volume of imports was 7 percent up from March last year.

The CBS Exports Radar indicates that circumstances for exports are more favourable in May than in March.

Circumstances for Dutch exports more favourable in May

According to the CBS Exports Radar, circumstances for Dutch exports are more favourable in May than in March. Conditions are largely determined by recent developments on the major export markets for Dutch products and by the competitive position of the Netherlands.

In the Exports Radar of May, German producer confidence improved considerably compared to March. The development of Germany’s manufacturing output was also more favourable. On the other hand, the development of the real effective exchange rates was less favourable.

Goods exports account for approximately three-quarters of total exports. CBS does not publish monthly data on exports of services. Data on total exports are published on a quarterly and annual basis. The data in this publication are provisional and can be subject to adjustments.