Re-exports higher than domestic exports in 2022

In 2022, the value of re-exports was nearly 58 percent higher than in the pre-pandemic year 2019. As a result, the total export value also increased, by 236.5 billion euros (48 percent). Dutch companies traded more, but manufactured or processed relatively fewer goods themselves. As a result, the value of re-exports exceeded the export value of Dutch-made products by 50.4 percent. Re-exports generate considerably lower earnings per euro of exports (12 cents in 2021) than domestic exports (55 cents), because companies add less value in re-exports.

Re-export value of mineral fuels up sharply

The larger increase in the value of re-exports is partly due to the relatively sharp rise in re-exports of mineral fuels. These saw a substantial price increase in 2022, partly due to the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. For example, the export price of refined petroleum products rose by nearly 83 percent between 2021 and 2022, while the volume barely changed (+0.2 percent). Compared to the 2015-2021 average, the share of re-exports in mineral fuels therefore increased by 10 percentage points last year. Among chemical product, the percentage of re-exports rose slightly as well. In the other product categories, the re-export share declined.

Exports to European countries are largely re-exports

In 2022, more than half (55 percent) of Dutch goods exports were destined for the five main export partners: Germany, Belgium, France, the United Kingdom and the United States. Exports to nearby trading partners in particular consisted largely of re-exports. For Germany, France, Italy and Spain, the share amounted to more than 60 percent in 2022. Re-exports of crude petroleum and (liquefied) natural gas play a major role here. When looking at exports to the UK, domestic exports are most important, with re-exports accounting for 41 percent. Dutch goods exports to non-European destinations such as the US and China largely consist of products manufactured domestically. Distance is an important factor in this respect: the further away the destination country, the less logical it is for the Netherlands to act as a hub for trade and re-exports.

Dutch Trade in Facts and Figures 2023

Dutch Trade in Facts and Figures 2023: Exports, imports and investment is a publication that has been developed by the Expertise Centre for Globalisation at CBS, commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The publication covers the latest trade developments, trade in goods and services, foreign direct investment, export earnings for the Netherlands and the use of imports in the Dutch economy.