From a continental perspective, about three-quarters of Dutch exports by value went to the rest of Europe, while about 10% went to importers in Asia. The Netherlands exported 5.4 percent to North American customers, of which 2.7 percent went to Africa. A smaller proportion went to Latin America, excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, and Oceania, led by Australia.
Given its population of 17.2 million people, the Netherlands' exports in 2018 totaled $723.3 billion, equivalent to about $42,100 per inhabitant of the Netherlands.
The following export product groups represent the highest dollar value of global shipments from the Netherlands in 2018. In addition, each export category is shown as a percentage of total Dutch exports.
I, Machinery including computers: $99.9 billion (13.8% of total exports)
II, Mineral fuels including oil: $97.2 billion (13.4%)
III, Electrical machinery, equipment: $94.3 billion (13%)
IV, Pharmaceuticals: $43.2 billion (6%)
V. Optical, technical, medical devices: $34.9 billion (4.8 percent)
vi, Vehicles: $29.5 billion (4.1 percent)
vii, Plastics, plastic products: $27.9 billion (3.9 percent)
viii, Organic chemicals: $25.1 billion (3.5 percent)
ix Iron and steel: $16.4 billion (2.3 percent)
ten other chemicals: $12.3 billion (1.7%)
The Netherlands' top ten exports accounted for nearly two-thirds (66.5%) of its total global shipments.
Electrical machinery and equipment was the fastest-growing of the top 10 export categories, up 89.2 percent from 2017 to 2018. The second highest growth in export sales was in the pharmaceuticals category, with an increase of 82.2 percent.
Shipments of Dutch fossil fuels, including oil, grew 78.3 percent, lagging behind organic chemicals sold in the Netherlands, which grew 49.6 percent.