Import of goods; use, consignment, product

CONTENTS 

1. General information
2. Definitions and explanation of symbols
3. Links to relevant tables and articles
4. Sources and methods
5. Further information 


1. GENERAL INFORMATION

This table shows the use of Dutch goods imports. The Netherlands imports a diverse array of goods. A portion of these imports undergoes minimal processing before being exported, the so-called imports for re-export. Another segment is directly intended for domestic consumption, labeled as imports for direct domestic expenditure. The remaining portion is designated for domestic production, which may ultimately be consumed within the Netherlands or exported. This latter category represents imports for intermediate use.
Imports are categorized by product group (CPA) and country of consignment. Only the fifty largest suppliers of Dutch goods imports from 2015 to 2022 are included in the table as countries of consignment.

Data available from: 2015. 

Status of the figures: 
The figures are provisional for 2015-2022. 

Changes as of 5 july 2024:
None, this is a newly published table.

When will new figures be published?
New figures are expected by the end of 2024.


2. DEFINITIONS AND EXPLANATION OF SYMBOLS 

Definitions: 
Imports of goods
Transactions in goods (sales, barter and gifts) from non-residents to residents (in the Netherlands). Imports of goods occurs when economic ownership of goods is passed from non-residents to residents. This applies irrespective of corresponding physical movements of goods across frontiers. An enterprise or institution is considered residential after it has been active in the Netherlands for at least one year. This applies irrespective of the question whether the enterprise or institute has foreign owners. Part of the imports are raw materials, semi-finished products, fuel and fixed assets. Furthermore, imports of goods may be re-exports: goods that were imported before being exported, after having received at most minor adaptations.

Import for intermediate consumption (intermediate imports):
The import of goods used as inputs in a production process, excluding fixed assets (capital goods). This includes goods that are processed into other products during the production process or are fully consumed. According to international agreements, a purchased good or hired service is not considered intermediate consumption but rather a fixed asset (investment) if it can be utilized in a production process for more than one year. 

Import for re-export:
Goods that become (temporarily) owned by a resident, and subsequently, without significant industrial processing taking place, are exported.

Direct import for domestic expenditure:
Imported goods intended for consumption, investment, and changes in inventories.

Change of ownership
The economic ownership of a good is transferred from a non-resident to a Dutch resident or vice versa.

Explanation of symbols:
Empty cell	: figure not applicable
. 		: figure is unknown, insufficiently reliable or confidential
*		: provisional figure
**		: revised provisional figure

Due to rounding, totals may not equal the sum of the underlying figures.


3. LINKS TO RELEVANT TABLES AND ARTICLES

Relevant tables:

Imports of goods and services by destination; National Accounts.

International trade in goods; change of ownership, key figures.

Relevant articles:

The figures in the tables on GDP, production, and expenditures differ from the figures in the tables on international trade due to differences in definitions, and because the emphasis in national accounts is on growth rates.

Additional information can be found in the Dossier Globalisation.


4. SOURCES AND METHODS

The figures in this table have been calculated using the method described in Lemmers & Wong (2019) and Aerts et al. (2022). The data source International Trade in Goods and the National Accounts data are combined to attribute both the country of consignment and the use to an import flow. The relevant research descriptions can be found here: 

National Accounts

International trade and transit trade; value and weight

Statistics of International trade in services

The gross export figures in this StatLine table diverge from the figures published by the International Trade in Goods and International Trade in Services statistics due to various differences in delineations, methods, concepts, and definitions. For instance, in the source statistics of International Trade in Goods, the crossing of goods across borders is paramount; only when goods have physically been in the Netherlands does this count as import and/or export. In the input-output tables of the national accounts, economic ownership of the goods takes precedence. Export here encompasses the delivery of goods by residents from the economic territory of the Netherlands to abroad. According to the principle of economic ownership, goods that have never crossed the border can also be considered part of imports and exports.
Relevant sources for the methodology include:
Lemmers, O., & Wong, K. F. (2019). Distinguishing Between Imports for Domestic Use and for Re-Exports: A Novel Method Illustrated for the Netherlands. National Institute Economic Review, 249(1), R59-R67. https://doi.org/10.1177/002795011924900115
Aerts, N., Bohn, T., Lemmers, O. & Wong, K.F. (2022). Linking micro-data to national input-output tables: by whom and from whom are which products imported and to what end? 28th IIOA Conference on Langkawi Island, Malaysia. https://www.iioa.org/conferences/28th/papers/files/4365.pdf


5. FURTHER INFORMATION

Infoservice

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