The total value of imported goods was 2 percent higher than in the first half (H1) of 2024, CBS said in a press release.
More goods were traded in each month of the first quarter of 2025 than in the same month of 2024. In April and May, trade decreased compared to last year, but in June it increased again.
Dutch international trade in goods increased in the first half (H1) of 2025 compared to the first half of 2024, according to Statistics Netherlands (CBS). Exports rose 1.9 percent and imports 2 percent year-on-year. While trade in mineral fuels declined, exports of other goods remained largely stable or increased. Trade with Belgium, France and the United Kingdom weakened, while exports to Germany and the United States and imports from China grew.
Imports and exports of mineral fuels decreased in the first half of 2025: the value of imports was 11 percent lower, while the value of exports was 15 percent lower. In other product categories, exports were higher than the previous year or decreased less than those of mineral fuels.
There has been geopolitical turbulence around the world in recent months, and trade with certain neighboring countries appears to have suffered particularly in the first half of 2025. The value of imports from Belgium and the United Kingdom decreased, for example, as did the value of exports to Belgium and France, the statement added.
Exports to the Netherlands’ main trading partner, Germany, saw an increase, while imports from China increased by 5 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2025. Exports to the United States increased by 11 percent, with the most notable growth coming in February, March and April.
Fiber2Fashion News Desk (SG)
