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Who does Belgium rely on?

The largest supplier of Belgium in 2024 is the Netherlands, with 22% of what Belgium buys. Its share was 19% in 2019 and 17.8% in 1995. 264 of the 1,128 products Belgium buys for more than $1 million have a supplier selling more than 50% of what Belgium buys of that product; in 63, more than 75%. In those products, purchases from each one’s dominant supplier add up to 12.9% of what Belgium buys.

Summary

Largest supplier: Netherlands
22%
Concentration (HHI)
925
Products with a supplier above 50%
264
Products with a supplier above 75%
63

Concentration index (HHI): 925 out of 10,000; equivalent to splitting purchases among 11 suppliers of the same size

Trend

Trend in shares

Germany went from 19.1% to 13.3% of what Belgium buys

Share (%)

  • Netherlands 22%
  • Germany 13.3%
  • France 11.9%
  • United States 6%
  • Italy 4.5%

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearLargest supplierShare
1995Germany19.1%
1996Germany18.4%
1997Germany17.7%
1998Germany18.2%
1999Germany17.6%
2000Netherlands16.5%
2001Netherlands16.2%
2002Germany16.9%
2003Germany17.6%
2004Germany17.9%
2005Netherlands17.1%
2006Netherlands17.8%
2007Netherlands17.1%
2008Netherlands19.1%
2009Netherlands17.6%
2010Netherlands21.7%
2011Netherlands22.8%
2012Netherlands23.8%
2013Netherlands23.3%
2014Netherlands22.7%
2015Netherlands19.7%
2016Netherlands17.7%
2017Netherlands19.1%
2018Netherlands19.9%
2019Netherlands19%
2020Netherlands18.4%
2021Netherlands20.7%
2022Netherlands18.2%
2023Netherlands19.9%
2024Netherlands22%

Its suppliers

  1. Netherlands$85.4 billion · 22%
  2. Germany$51.5 billion · 13.3%
  3. France$46.1 billion · 11.9%
  4. United States$23.2 billion · 6%
  5. Italy$17.6 billion · 4.5%
  6. China$14.4 billion · 3.7%
  7. United Kingdom$11.9 billion · 3.1%
  8. Ireland$10.7 billion · 2.7%
  9. Spain$10.1 billion · 2.6%
  10. Switzerland$8.9 billion · 2.3%

Some of these goods may have been produced in another country: countries record origin in different ways.

Products with a dominant supplier

Of the 1,128 products Belgium buys for more than $1 million in 2024, these are the highest-value ones with a dominant supplier.

ProductSupplierShareSecondValue
Crude petroleumNetherlands97.8%over 75%United Kingdom · 0.53%$22.1 billion
Cameras and broadcast equipmentNetherlands71%China · 5.4%$3.5 billion
Bulk medicinesIreland75.9%over 75%United States · 18.9%$3.3 billion
ComputersNetherlands59.8%Germany · 13.6%$2.9 billion
Cocoa butterNetherlands59.7%Germany · 19.5%$1.5 billion
Pet and animal feedNetherlands59.7%France · 13.2%$1.3 billion
WineFrance50.8%Italy · 16.8%$1.2 billion
Fresh milk and creamNetherlands63.6%France · 20.1%$1.1 billion
WheatFrance61.9%Germany · 22.7%$939 million
Diesel enginesSweden77.7%over 75%France · 6.8%$924 million
Semi-finished steelRussia73.5%Vietnam · 6.7%$876 million
Other fresh fruit (berries, kiwi)New Zealand50.5%Netherlands · 26.3%$833 million
Fruit and vegetable juicesBrazil65.2%Netherlands · 11.6%$809 million
CoalAustralia59.3%United States · 21%$808 million
Sunflower, safflower and cottonseed oilNetherlands77.1%over 75%France · 13%$798 million
Poultry meatNetherlands52.3%France · 18.6%$696 million
FerroalloysNetherlands52.5%South Africa · 17.8%$675 million
PlatinumGermany69.5%Italy · 7.3%$639 million
Cargo and cruise shipsChina54.4%South Korea · 25%$597 million
Soybean meal and pelletsNetherlands76.4%over 75%Argentina · 11.3%$523 million
Cocoa pasteNetherlands54.3%Germany · 33%$510 million
Monitors and projectorsNetherlands52.3%France · 12.8%$501 million
Fragrance mixturesIreland57.7%France · 13.6%$484 million
Diodes, transistors and solar cellsChina53.3%Netherlands · 18.4%$466 million
HormonesUnited States69.3%Ireland · 18.1%$455 million

and 239 more

A product has a dominant supplier when a single country sells more than 50% of what is bought of it; we flag it separately above 75%.

Some of these goods may have been produced in another country: countries record origin in different ways.

Countries that sell more than 50% of some product; the darker, the higher the value of those products.

Selling: who it relies on

Largest customer: Netherlands
15.4%
Concentration (HHI)
792

Concentration index (HHI): 792 out of 10,000; equivalent to splitting sales among 13 customers of the same size

Trend in shares

Germany went from 19.8% to 13.5% of what Belgium sells

Share (%)

  • Netherlands 15.4%
  • France 14.8%
  • Germany 13.5%
  • United States 6.9%
  • Italy 6.7%

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearLargest customerShare
1995Germany19.8%
1996Germany19.1%
1997Germany17.8%
1998Germany17.8%
1999Germany15.8%
2000France14.8%
2001Germany16.7%
2002Germany15.7%
2003France15%
2004Germany14.8%
2005France15.7%
2006France16.1%
2007France16%
2008France16.8%
2009France16.7%
2010France15.6%
2011France15.2%
2012Netherlands14.5%
2013Germany14.2%
2014Germany14.2%
2015Netherlands14.1%
2016Netherlands13.7%
2017Netherlands14.6%
2018Netherlands14.5%
2019Netherlands14.6%
2020France16.2%
2021France17%
2022Germany18.9%
2023France15.7%
2024Netherlands15.4%

196 of the 1,091 products Belgium sells for more than $1 million have a customer buying more than 50% of what Belgium sells of that product; in 46, more than 75%. In those products, sales to each one’s dominant customer add up to 6.7% of what Belgium sells.

ProductCustomerShareSecondValue
Natural gas and LPGFrance59.6%Germany · 27.2%$22.5 billion
Coal tar oilsNetherlands53.6%Germany · 16.2%$1.6 billion
Cargo and cruise shipsNorway92.1%over 75%United Kingdom · 6.9%$1.2 billion
Poultry meatFrance52.1%Netherlands · 19%$1.1 billion
ComputersNetherlands69.7%Germany · 3.9%$1.1 billion
Ethyl alcohol (ethanol)France53.1%Netherlands · 15.8%$855 million
Crude petroleumNetherlands99.4%over 75%Qatar · 0.57%$805 million
Vehicle bodies and cabsNetherlands95.2%over 75%Morocco · 1.6%$756 million
Chemically modified fats and oilsNetherlands51.6%France · 27.1%$549 million
SilverGermany65.9%United States · 17%$486 million
Paintings and drawingsUnited States68.3%Hong Kong · 8.6%$481 million
BusesNetherlands56.3%France · 6.2%$364 million
ToysNetherlands56.3%France · 11%$333 million
AntibioticsItaly59%China · 26.5%$309 million
Zinc oreNetherlands91.6%over 75%France · 4.9%$308 million

and 181 more

Leaving out trade within the EU

Largest supplier outside the EU: United States
18.2%
Concentration (HHI) · Supplier
733
Largest customer outside the EU: United States
21.3%
Concentration (HHI) · Customer
805

489 of the 964 products Belgium buys from outside the EU for more than $1 million have a supplier selling more than 50% of what Belgium buys of that product; in 174, more than 75%. In those products, purchases from each one’s dominant supplier add up to 32.2% of what Belgium buys from outside the EU.

Who does the European Union rely on?

Concentration compared

The closest countries in the concentration ranking (HHI, highest first).

RankCountryHHI
144Dominica958
145Malaysia927
146Belgium925
147Suriname908
148Czechia889
149Albania887

Sources and method

Sources and licenses

Methodology

The data come from CEPII BACI (Etalab 2.0 licence), which reconciles what the exporting and the importing country report, in current USD, FOB. Data up to 2024.

Dependence is the share of a country’s imports (or exports) that each partner accounts for. It does not measure whether a product has a substitute or how much it would cost to change supplier.

The concentration index (HHI) adds up the square of each partner’s share, in percent: it runs from 0 to 10,000. Its equivalent is 10,000 ÷ HHI, the number of partners of the same size that would give that value.

Products are HS4 headings of the 1992 nomenclature (some combine different goods), with a floor of $1 million per product and country.

The EU is the 27 current members in every year; the United Kingdom is outside the EU throughout the series.

Re-exports: countries that act as redistribution hubs carry their notice and the figures are not corrected.