The value of exports rose significantly last year, mainly due to higher prices

According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, the value of goods exported by the Netherlands exceeded 700 billion euros for the first time last year. The value of exports increased by 30 percent or more than 170 billion euros compared to 2021. The value of imported goods also rose sharply by 37 percent. Imports amounted to 182.2 billion euros.

The sharp increase was mainly due to the rise in commodity prices, especially fuel, food and materials. The amount of goods exported and imported increased by only a small percentage. About half of the additional export value was caused by higher fuel prices, such as oil and gas in particular.

Germany is the Netherlands’ largest export partner, followed by Belgium, France, the United Kingdom and the United States. Russia slipped from 18th to 29th last year, in part because of embargoes and company withdrawals from that country, but also because we voluntarily bought less Russian gas. More than a third of goods were exported to Russia compared to 2021, but on the other hand, more goods were exported to Russia’s neighboring countries such as Kyrgyzstan, Armenia and Kazakhstan. It is possible that the gray exports of goods to Russia are possible from there.