Trade between Poland and the Netherlands

Holland, officially since 2020 – the Netherlands. Despite the fact that territorially it is a small country with an area of 41,526 km2, which is approximately 1/8 the size of Poland, its economy is one of the most developed in the world.

Some data about the Netherlands

The population of the Netherlands is 17.987 million, making it the ninth most populous country in the European Union.

The gross domestic product (GDP) of the Netherlands exceeded USD 1.1 trillion in 2023, and the Netherlands ranks fourth in Europe per capita with USD 57.8 thousand.

The economy of the Netherlands is highly developed and open to new technologies, in which foreign trade and logistics play a key role and are closely related to the strategic location of the country.

The Kingdom of the Netherlands has invested heavily in universities in recent years. Seven of them are included in the Shanghai list of the 100 best universities in the world.

The Dutch are a very well-educated and extremely hard-working nation. Unofficially, the normal daily  amount of time spent working  is 12 hours.

Trade in goods Poland – Netherlands

Export of goods from Polish to the Netherlands

The illustration  below shows the gradual increase in Polish exports to the Kingdom of the Netherlands and its increased dynamics from 2022.

In 2023, Poland recorded a positive trade balance with the Netherlands, which amounted to EUR 1.923 billion.

Trade in goods with Poland – annual  [EUR million], source: GUS

The most frequently exported commodity groups from Poland with the largest share in total exports are: machinery and mechanical equipment (among them boilers ); electronic and electrical products (including  electrical equipment such as batteries, data processing equipment and various types of audio-visual equipment); vehicles and automotive parts; furniture and interior fittings; chemical products (including plastics and rubber products); agri-food products (including significant quantities of meat, mainly poultry, dairy products, bread and bakery products and tobacco products); steel and steel products.

The highest dynamics of export growth over the last five years was recorded in the following products:

• cereals (responding to the growing demand for high-quality agricultural products);
• locomotives, rail vehicles and parts thereof;
• Fats and oils of animal or vegetable origin (growing interest in healthy and organic food);
• clothing and  accessories;
• cast iron and steel;
• optical, photographic and medical instruments and apparatus (the increase in exports of these high-tech devices is a response to the needs of the medical and technological sector in the Netherlands);
• soap, surfactants, washing and cleaning products.

Goods imported from the Netherlands

The largest imports of goods from the Netherlands to Poland, in terms of value, in 2023 were, in order: mechanical and electrical machinery and equipment, non-rail vehicles and their parts and chemical products (significant amounts of chemicals, including processed petroleum oils, paints, medicines, essential oils, perfume preparations, soap and fertilizers).

Trade in services Poland – Netherlands

Polish exports of services to the Kingdom of the Netherlands are gradually growing, increasing dynamics, especially after 2017.

Trade in services with Poland – annual [EUR million], source: Eurostat, International Trade in Services

The positive balance of Polish exports of services to the Netherlands in 2022 reached almost EUR 2.953 billion.

According to Eurostat, International Trade in Services – Statistics Explained, in 2023 the Polish surplus decreased significantly, but the balance remained positive and amounted to EUR 1.2 billion.

Poland mainly exported :

• transport and logistics services (road, sea and freight forwarding services);
• IT and technology services (including software development, data management and IT outsourcing);
• financial services (accounting, tax advisory and financial management);
• engineering and architectural services (construction and engineering projects for Dutch companies);
• education and training services.

In 2023, the services exported from Poland to the Netherlands, which recorded the highest growth dynamics in terms of value as well as in terms of percentage, were:

• IT and technology services (export growth of these services was about 35%, driven by the growing demand for high-tech solutions in the Netherlands).
• transport and logistics services (exports of these services increased by around 28%, driven by increased logistics needs related to the growing trade between Poland and the Netherlands).
• Repair and maintenance services (services related to the repair and maintenance of ships and industrial machinery recorded an increase of around 24%, thanks to the competitiveness of Polish repair services on the Dutch market).
• Financial and accounting services (growth in this category was around 20%, driven by the growing demand for advisory and financial management services in the Netherlands).

Import of Dutch services to Poland

In 2023, the main services imported by Poland from the Netherlands are, in order: business, professional and technical services; transport services; financial services; telecommunications and IT services; research and development services; advertising and marketing services.

Source:

• Export Intelligence
• Central Statistical Office
• UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development)
• The Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC)
• Eurostat