28-3-2024 00:00
© CBS / Nikki van Toorn The Netherlands and Belgium are both major exporters of beer, frozen potato products (particularly fries) and chocolate. In addition, the Netherlands is also a major buyer of typical Belgian foodstuffs. Statistics Netherlands reports this following the publication of the Internationalization Monitor with Belgium as its theme.
The Netherlands is the European Union’s largest beer exporter (2.0 billion euros in 2023), closely followed by Belgium (1.7 billion euros). Belgium is the most important exporter of frozen potato products (3.4 billion euros) and the Netherlands second (1.6 billion euros). The largest chocolate exporter in the EU is not Belgium (second with 3.7 billion euros in exports) or the Netherlands (fourth with 2.5 billion euros) but Germany (5.8 billion euros).
“}),r?”map”==e.options.chart.type&&n?cbs.renderer.footNote=e.renderer.text(l,t,i,!0).css({fontSize:”7.5px”,fontFamily:v}).add():cbs.renderer.footNote=e.renderer.text(l,t,i+40,!0).css({width:e.chartWidth-t-cbs.renderer.itemMargin,fontSize:f,fontFamily:v}).add():cbs.renderer.footNote=e.renderer.text(l,t,i,!0).css({width:e.chartWidth-t-cbs.renderer.itemMargin}).add()}return o}; cbs.renderer[‘renderSource’] = function l(e,t,i){var o=e.options.settings.forPrint,n=”map”==e.options.chart.mapType,r=e.options.sources.prefix+” “+e.options.sources.text;o?”map”==e.options.chart.type&&n?cbs.renderer.source=e.renderer.text(r,t,i).css({fontSize:”7.5px”,fontFamily:v}).add():cbs.renderer.source=e.renderer.text(r,t,i+20).css({fontSize:f,fontFamily:v}).add():cbs.renderer.source=e.renderer.text(r,t,i).add()}; cbs.renderer[‘positionLegend’] = function d(e,t,i){var o=e.legend&&e.legend.group;return o&&e.legend.group.translate(t,i),o}; cbs.renderer[‘calculateMarginBottom’] = function h(e){if(e){var t=cbs.renderer.itemMargin,i=t,o=e.options.chart.type,n=e.options.chart.geoType,r=e.options.settings.forPrint;cbs.renderer.footNote&&(i+=Math.ceil(cbs.renderer.footNote.getBBox().height)+t),cbs.renderer.source&&(i+=Math.ceil(cbs.renderer.source.getBBox().height)+t);var a=e.legend&&e.legend.group;if(a&&(i+=Math.ceil(e.legend.group.getBBox().height)+t,”map”===o&&(“district”===n||”neighborhood”===n?i+=”mapbubble”===e.options.chart.mapType?10:18:i-=82),r&&(i+=2*t)),”map”!==o)if(“bar”===o){if(i+=e.yAxis[0].labelGroup.getBBox().height+(e.options.yAxis[0].tickLength||0)+t,cbs.renderer.yAxisTitle){var l=cbs.renderer.yAxisTitle?Math.ceil(cbs.renderer.yAxisTitle.getBBox().height)+t:0;i+=l} }else cbs.renderer.xAxisBg&&(i+=cbs.renderer.xAxisBg.getBBox().height+t);(“map”===o||e.options.chart.polar)&&(i+=cbs.renderer .logoHeight+t,r&&(i+=3*t)),i=Math.ceil(i);var s=i-(e.options.chart.marginBottom||0);(s1)&&e.update({ chart:{marginBottom:i}})}};})(); Download CSVThow tableTop-5 exporters in the EU, including quasi-transit, 2023BeerNetherlands1.99Belgium1.70Germany1.23Czech Republic0.35France0.34Frozen potato productsBelgium3.43Netherlands1.59France0.46Germany 0.27Poland0.21Chocolate and other
cocoa preparationsGermany5.79Belgium3.65Poland2.51Netherlands2.47Italy2.46Source: CBS, EurostatTop-5 exporters in the EU, including quasi-transit, 2023BeerNetherlands1.99Belgium1.70Germany1.23Czech Republic0.35France0.34Frozen potato productsBelgium3.43Netherlands1 .59France0.46Germany 0.27Poland0.21Chocolate and others
cocoa preparationsGermany5.79Belgium3.65Poland2.51Netherlands2.47Italy2.46Source: CBS, Eurostat
Most of the Dutch beer goes to the United States, while Belgian beer is primarily exported to France and the Netherlands. Belgian fries are common in the United Kingdom and France and Dutch fries are the most popular in the United Kingdom. Belgian chocolate is most popular in the Netherlands and Dutch chocolate in Germany.
Export value of Belgian fries exports more than doubled in two years
Since 2021, the Belgian export value of frozen potato products (of which approximately four fifths are fries) has more than doubled. This was because the quantity increased by 12 percent (partly due to new chip factories, also from Dutch companies) and export prices almost doubled. The quantity of frozen potato products that the Netherlands exported actually decreased by 5 percent during this period. Until 2018, the Netherlands had a greater export value than Belgium every year, but since then the gap with Belgium has increased. Belgian fries exports have definitely grown fastest to nearby countries, but faster in percentage terms to countries such as Saudi Arabia, Australia and South Africa.
Of all Dutch chocolate imports, 38 percent (459 million euros) comes from Belgium. More than a third (35 percent) also come from there in the vegetables and roots category (including potatoes and fries). In the case of alcoholic beverages, Belgium accounts for 19 percent of Dutch imports. By far the most important product in this category, with a share of 58 percent, is beer.
Of the total Dutch imports of food and drinks – a total of 44.6 billion euros in the first three quarters of 2023 – 7.0 billion euros (16 percent) came from Belgium. Only Germany is a larger supplier with 8.8 billion euros.
In the latest edition of the Internationalization Monitor, CBS highlights the Belgian economy and the focus is on the trade relationship between the Netherlands and Belgium. How are both countries doing in terms of innovation, digitalization and sustainability? The interconnectedness of both countries in global value chains is also discussed, as are the labor markets of and border commuting between the two countries.
