The Netherlands is the EU’s third-largest exporter

The Netherlands exports far more goods and services than it imports. This means that international trade makes a positive contribution to GDP. For these figures, exports are defined by change of ownership. This means that legal ownership of goods and services is transferred from a person or entity located in the Netherlands to one located in another country. This is a different definition to that used for cross-border trade in goods. Statistics Netherlands (CBS) publishes separate figures on cross-border trade.

Main exports are business services and chemical and pharmaceutical products

Business services and chemical and pharmaceutical products made up the largest share of Dutch exports in 2023. The Netherlands also exported a high volume of food and beverage products, machinery and electrical equipment. This includes both products and services that were produced in the Netherlands and re-exports. Goods re-exports make up over 37 percent of Dutch exports of goods and services.

Compared to 2015, exports of machinery and electrical equipment, chemical and pharmaceutical products and other industrial products have increased, in particular. Mineral exports, on the other hand, were lower in 2023 than they were in 2015.

Share of services exports continues to rise

Exports of services have increased from nearly 15 percent of GDP in 2000 to over 25 percent of GDP in 2023. In neighbouring countries, too, service exports have risen as a share of GDP since the start of this century. The EU average has nearly doubled, from just over 8 percent in 2000 to 16 percent in 2023.

Since the Netherlands is a country that exports a relatively large volume of goods and services, its exports relative to GDP are well above the EU average. Goods exports amounted to over 63 percent of GDP, while total exports were nearly 89 percent of GDP. In the EU as a whole, exports amounted to 53 percent of GDP in 2023.