International trade in services growing faster than trade in goods

In the second quarter of 2026, imports and exports of services were higher than in the same quarter of 2025. This was mainly because prices had risen. The Netherlands purchased €4.4 billion more in services from other countries than a year earlier.

Thirty-seven percent of this came from the United States. This was reported by Statistics Netherlands (Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek, CBS) in a new study on trade in 2026. Compared with the beginning of 2023, trade in services grew faster than trade in goods.

Business services and the use of intellectual property in particular became more important. When importing services, the Netherlands purchases services abroad. When exporting, the Netherlands sells services to other countries.

Trade in goods also grew in the second quarter of 2026. It reached its highest level since the beginning of 2023. This was mainly because oil became more expensive as a result of the conflict in the Middle East.

At the beginning of 2023, the value of trade in goods was lower and remained so for almost three years. Business services saw the largest increase. They were followed by fees for the use of intellectual property.

Some business services are broad in scope and do not fall precisely under consulting or research. The Netherlands imported €0.6 billion more in transport services. However, the Netherlands exported €0.4 billion less in transport services than last year.

Imports of telecommunications and computer services were €0.3 billion lower, but exports were €0.4 billion higher. The United States has become the Netherlands’ largest supplier of services. Of the additional €4.4 billion in service imports, €1.6 billion came from the United States.

The Netherlands also imported more services from Germany and the United Kingdom, €0.4 billion more from each country. Canada and Australia each supplied €0.4 billion more in services. Imports from Australia even grew by 85 percent.

Ireland was the only country to supply fewer services. Ireland recorded the strongest growth in service exports, accounting for 18 percent of the total increase. It was followed by the United States (14 percent) and the United Kingdom (12 percent).

Service exports are very important to the Dutch economy. In 2024, service exports accounted for 16.4 percent of the Netherlands’ gross domestic product. That was more than exports of goods produced in the Netherlands, which accounted for 13.9 percent of gross domestic product.

More money remains in the Netherlands for every euro of service exports than for every euro of goods exports. In 2024, each euro of service exports generated almost 65 euro cents for the Netherlands. For goods exports, the figure was 51 euro cents.

Overall, all exports combined accounted for 34.1 percent of the Netherlands’ gross domestic product in 2024.