The working-day-adjusted volume of Dutch goods exports increased 2.1% in July 2026 from a year earlier, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reported on 11 September. The annual increase in June had been 3.4%. CBS said companies exported more machinery in particular, while chemical products and transport equipment also contributed to the increase. The volume of goods imports rose 0.4% year on year, mainly because imports of machinery and electronic products increased. These are volume changes, not changes in the nominal euro value of trade.

The working-day adjustment seeks to reduce differences in the number of weekdays between the months being compared. It does not measure export value, prices or the country’s trade balance by itself. CBS’s annual rates compare July 2026 with July 2025. Exports had grown 3.4% year on year in June, so July’s 2.1% was still an increase, but at a slower annual pace. The difference between the rates is 1.3 percentage points; it does not mean total exports contracted.

CBS’s qualitative description identifies machinery as the leading contributor, with increases also in chemical products and transport equipment. The release does not give a separate exact percentage for each of those product groups in its headline account, so their contributions should not be converted into precise rates. The goods-trade measure excludes services. Some Dutch export flows also include re-exports of imported products, so an increase in export volume should not be interpreted as an equal expansion in domestic production.

CBS also said export conditions in September were less unfavourable than in July. The conditions indicators draw on developments in key foreign markets and the competitive position of Dutch producers. The statistical agency cautions that, although these indicators are linked to export activity, better conditions do not automatically bring faster export growth. The September conditions measure should not be treated as an observation for the same period as July’s realised trade volume.

Monthly goods volumes are a useful current indicator of activity in trade and production networks, but they do not give a complete picture of company profitability, export margins or net external demand. A 0.4% increase in import volume and a 2.1% rise in exports are not a balance calculation made with one product basket or common prices. Prices, product mix, re-exports and services trade require separate analysis. The release describes volume movements in July 2026; it is not a forecast.