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How much of the Netherlands’ trade passes through the Cape of Good Hope?

In 2024, an estimated $105.1 billion of the Netherlands’ trade passed through the Cape of Good Hope, 16.4% of its seaborne trade. That is $20.7 billion of exports and $84.4 billion of imports. The partners with the most trade through it are China, India and Japan.

Summary

Estimated value
$105.1billion
Of its seaborne trade
16.4%
Exports
$20.7billion
Imports
$84.4billion

Trend

Estimated value per year

The Netherlands’ estimated trade through the Cape of Good Hope rose 3,778% between 2019 and 2024

Value in USD billions

  • Netherlands 105

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearEstimated valueOf its seaborne trade
1995$830 million0.5%
1996$910 million0.5%
1997$911 million0.5%
1998$962 million0.5%
1999$959 million0.5%
2000$991 million0.5%
2001$1.3 billion0.6%
2002$1.1 billion0.6%
2003$1.4 billion0.6%
2004$2.5 billion0.9%
2005$2.1 billion0.7%
2006$2.8 billion0.7%
2007$3.2 billion0.7%
2008$4.9 billion1%
2009$2.6 billion0.7%
2010$3.7 billion0.8%
2011$4.8 billion0.9%
2012$4.3 billion0.8%
2013$4.9 billion0.9%
2014$3.2 billion0.6%
2015$3.2 billion0.7%
2016$2.8 billion0.6%
2017$3.3 billion0.7%
2018$4 billion0.7%
2019$2.7 billion0.5%
2020$2.9 billion0.6%
2021$3.5 billion0.6%
2022$4.9 billion0.7%
2023$3.7 billion0.6%
2024$105.1 billion16.4%

Partners whose trade crosses it

Estimated value of its trade with each partner that crosses the chokepoint; the percentage is the share of all its trade through the chokepoint, not of the pair’s trade.

  1. Netherlands–China$41.8 billion · 39.8%
  2. Netherlands–India$8.5 billion · 8.1%
  3. Netherlands–Japan$4.8 billion · 4.6%
  4. Netherlands–Vietnam$4.8 billion · 4.5%
  5. Netherlands–South Korea$4 billion · 3.8%
  6. Netherlands–Iraq$3.8 billion · 3.6%
  7. Netherlands–Thailand$3.7 billion · 3.5%
  8. Netherlands–Malaysia$3.6 billion · 3.5%
  9. Netherlands–Indonesia$3.6 billion · 3.4%
  10. Netherlands–South Africa$3 billion · 2.9%

What crosses it

The products with the highest estimated value in 2024, with their share of the total through the chokepoint.

  1. Refined petroleum$9.2 billion · 8.8%
  2. Computer and office machine parts$5.6 billion · 5.4%
  3. Crude petroleum$3.8 billion · 3.6%
  4. Transformers and power supplies$1.9 billion · 1.8%
  5. Batteries$1.8 billion · 1.7%
  6. Diodes, transistors and solar cells$1.5 billion · 1.5%
  7. Malt extract and food mixes$1.5 billion · 1.4%
  8. Printers and printing machines$1.3 billion · 1.3%
  9. Industrial fatty acids and oils$1.3 billion · 1.2%
  10. Cars$1.2 billion · 1.2%

Reference ports

Rotterdam (100%)

Each port with the weight it receives from the country’s trade, based on where its GDP is generated and which coast is closest.

Other chokepoints it uses

Sources and method

Sources and licenses

Methodology

We estimate the value crossing each chokepoint from BACI trade that travels by sea according to our mode heuristic, split between each country’s ports by where its GDP is generated and which coast is closest, and routed over our own sea network. It is an estimate, not a count of ships. It covers 99.9% of seaborne trade. The approach follows Verschuur, Lumma and Hall (Nature Communications, 2025). Data up to 2024.

All maritime chokepoints