FX.co ★ Dutch Trade Surplus Narrows in March

In March 2025, the Netherlands experienced a reduction in its trade surplus, declining to EUR 12.45 billion from EUR 13.33 billion in the same month of the previous year. This shift was largely attributable to a 3.7% increase in imports, which reached EUR 59.15 billion. The rise in imports was driven by heightened acquisitions from both EU nations (up 3.3%) and non-EU countries (up 4%). Among the imported commodities, significant increases were noted in food and live animals (18%), raw materials (8.2%), and chemical products (14.1%). On the other hand, export growth was more subdued, rising by 1.7% to EUR 71.6 billion, with a marginal increase in sales to EU countries (0.9%) and a more robust rise to non-EU countries (3%). Export growth was particularly strong in sectors like food and live animals (11.4%), animal and vegetable oils (12.8%), and chemical products (10.4%). Overall, for the first quarter of the year, the trade surplus contracted to EUR 34.43 billion from EUR 36.45 billion during the same period last year.