Road vehicles are the main import for domestic usage

In 2022, goods with a total value of 78 billion euros were imported into the Netherlands for direct consumption. That was only 12 percent of total imports, because most imports are either re-exported elsewhere immediately or processed in the Netherlands before being either consumed domestically or exported.

After road vehicles, electronic goods (including computers and telephones) was the next most valuable category of imports for direct consumption in the Netherlands (at 10.7 billion euros). This was followed by processed foods, oil and gas, machinery and equipment, clothing and furniture.

The value of imports for direct consumption rose between 2020 and 2022, partly due to price increases. This was especially true for oil and gas.

Germany was the largest supplier of imports for direct consumption

Germany is our largest trading partner and also the largest supplier of goods for direct consumption in the Netherlands (16.0 billion euro in 2022). German cars, food, machinery and equipment were all major imports. Imports from Belgium were mainly vehicles and foodstuffs for consumption in the Netherlands, while imports from China were chiefly in the categories of electronics and furniture.

Meanwhile, the USA, the UK and Norway supplied relatively large quantities of fuels. Imports from the other countries in the top ten include a relatively large quantity of foodstuffs, such as olive oil from Italy, wine from France, chicken from Poland and fruit from Spain.

Cars from Slovakia, clothing from Bangladesh

Slovakia supplied the most goods for direct consumption in the Netherlands in 2022, in relative terms. Of all imports entering the Netherlands from Slovakia, 30 percent were for direct consumption, and these were mainly cars. Bangladesh was in second place, at 22 percent, and supplied mainly clothing. Goods imported from Turkey (including clothing), Czechia, South Korea and Hungary (mainly electronics and vehicles) were also relatively frequently consumed directly in the Netherlands.