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How much of the Netherlands’ trade passes through the Strait of Dover?

In 2024, an estimated $399.1 billion of the Netherlands’ trade passed through the Strait of Dover, 62.1% of its seaborne trade. That is $150.9 billion of exports and $248.2 billion of imports. The partners with the most trade through it are China, the United States and Italy.

Summary

Estimated value
$399.1billion
Of its seaborne trade
62.1%
Exports
$150.9billion
Imports
$248.2billion

Trend

Estimated value per year

The Netherlands’ estimated trade through the Strait of Dover rose 19% between 2019 and 2024

Value in USD billions

  • Netherlands 399

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearEstimated valueOf its seaborne trade
1995$96.1 billion57.2%
1996$99.9 billion57.1%
1997$103.7 billion56.8%
1998$102.6 billion56.9%
1999$106 billion57.5%
2000$112.8 billion56.7%
2001$111.5 billion57%
2002$114.4 billion56.2%
2003$129.5 billion56.6%
2004$153.6 billion56.2%
2005$181.3 billion56.4%
2006$218.7 billion57.1%
2007$264.6 billion59%
2008$310.5 billion60.3%
2009$247.2 billion61.1%
2010$283.7 billion59%
2011$347.5 billion61.4%
2012$351.4 billion61.5%
2013$338.8 billion61.6%
2014$348.8 billion60.8%
2015$280.8 billion59.7%
2016$268 billion59.6%
2017$307.1 billion60.5%
2018$340.7 billion60%
2019$336 billion60.6%
2020$301 billion60.8%
2021$389.1 billion61.5%
2022$461.7 billion62.8%
2023$412.3 billion62%
2024$399.1 billion62.1%

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$49.2 billion · 12.3%
  2. Netherlands–United States$48.6 billion · 12.2%
  3. Netherlands–Italy$33 billion · 8.3%
  4. Netherlands–Spain$24.6 billion · 6.2%
  5. Netherlands–France$18.3 billion · 4.6%
  6. Netherlands–Brazil$13.2 billion · 3.3%
  7. Netherlands–Turkey$11.8 billion · 3%
  8. Netherlands–India$10 billion · 2.5%
  9. Netherlands–Ireland$7.4 billion · 1.9%
  10. Netherlands–Austria$7.2 billion · 1.8%

What crosses it

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

  1. Crude petroleum$39.5 billion · 9.9%
  2. Refined petroleum$36.3 billion · 9.1%
  3. Natural gas and LPG$9.6 billion · 2.4%
  4. Computer and office machine parts$8.5 billion · 2.1%
  5. Cars$5.7 billion · 1.4%
  6. Industrial fatty acids and oils$4.5 billion · 1.1%
  7. Cocoa beans$4.2 billion · 1.1%
  8. Transformers and power supplies$3.7 billion · 0.94%
  9. Other food preparations$3.2 billion · 0.8%
  10. Auto parts$3.1 billion · 0.79%

If it closes

  • China–Netherlands: +698 nautical miles, ≈ 2 days more at 14 knots, via the Strait of Malacca and Singapore; the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait; the Suez Canal; and the Strait of Gibraltar
  • Netherlands–United States: +156 nautical miles, less than half a day more at 14 knots
  • Italy–Netherlands: +703 nautical miles, ≈ 2 days more at 14 knots, via the Strait of Gibraltar
  • Spain–Netherlands: +752 nautical miles, ≈ 2 days more at 14 knots
  • France–Netherlands: +1,103 nautical miles, ≈ 3.5 days more at 14 knots

Estimated sailing detour, without costs, waiting or port capacity.

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