Exports up by over 12 percent in June

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© Hollandse Hoogte / Lex van Lieshout
In June 2021, the total volume of goods exports was up by 12.3 percent year-on-year, as reported by Statistics Netherlands (CBS). The increase was mainly seen in exports of machinery, chemical products, metal products and transport equipment. Compared to June 2019, exports were 9.3 percent higher. The volume of imports in June was up by 8.1 percent year-on-year and by 3.2 percent relative to June 2019.

The CBS Exports Radar indicates that circumstances for exports are less favourable in August than they were in June.

Exports of goods (volume, adjusted for working days)
Year Month%-change (year-on-year %-change)
2017July7.1
2017August7.3
2017September7.9
2017October7
2017November7.1
2017December6.2
2018January4.8
2018February4.3
2018March3.1
2018April6.2
2018May5.3
2018June0.4
2018July2.7
2018August4
2018September3
2018October3.4
2018November0.4
2018December0.6
2019January2.2
2019February-0.3
2019March1.5
2019April1.7
2019May-0.1
2019June0.7
2019July-0.1
2019August3.4
2019September1.4
2019October6.3
2019November2.3
2019December4.5
2020January3.2
2020February1
2020March-4.7
2020April-12.7
2020May-11.6
2020June-2.9
2020July0
2020August-3.4
2020September0.8
2020October2.7
2020November1.3
2020December-0.8
2021January2.2
2021February3
2021March11.2
2021April24
2021May20.4
2021June12.3

Conditions for exports less favourable in August

Every month, CBS also publishes updates on the circumstances for exports in the Exports Radar. Conditions are largely determined by developments on the main export markets for Dutch domestic products and in the competitive position of the Netherlands. Although the Radar indicators show a strong correlation with export activity, improved circumstances are not necessarily translated into increased export growth.

According to the CBS Exports Radar, circumstances for exports in August are less favourable than in June. This is mainly because the year-on-year growth in German manufacturing output was considerably lower in August’s radar. The other indicators did improve.

Goods exports account for approximately three-quarters of total exports. As for data on exports of services, these are not published monthly. Data on total exports are published quarterly and annually. Figures published in this news release are provisional and subject to revision.