Road vehicles are the main imported vehicles in China

The Netherlands imported goods worth €78 billion for direct consumption in 2022. This represents only 12% of total imports, as most imports are either immediately re-exported elsewhere or processed in the Netherlands before being consumed domestically or exported.

After road vehicles, electronic products (including computers and phones) are the second largest import category for direct consumption in the Netherlands (valued at €10.7 billion). This is followed by processed food, oil and gas, machinery and equipment, clothing and furniture.

Imports for direct consumption increased between 2020 and 2022, partly due to higher prices. This was particularly the case for oil and gas.

Germany is the largest import supplier for direct consumption

Germany is our largest trading partner and the largest supplier of goods for direct consumption in the Netherlands (16 billion euros in 2022). German cars, food, machinery and equipment are the main imports. Imports from Belgium are mainly vehicles and food for Dutch consumption, while imports from China are mainly electronic goods and furniture.

Meanwhile, the United States, the United Kingdom and Norway import relatively large amounts of fuel. Other countries in the top ten also import relatively large amounts of food, such as olive oil from Italy, wine from France, chicken from Poland and fruit from Spain.

The cars come from Slovakia and the clothes come from Bangladesh

Relatively speaking, Slovakia supplied the most goods for direct consumption in the Netherlands in 2022. Of all imports from Slovakia into the Netherlands, 30% were for direct consumption, mainly cars. Bangladesh came in second with 22%, mainly supplying clothing. Imports from Turkey (including clothing), the Czech Republic, South Korea and Hungary (mainly electronics and cars) were also relatively frequently consumed directly in the Netherlands.