Country export capability

Belgium
export capability

A reported view of Belgium's export scale, destination network, sector breadth, trade history, and market-access context. Use the indicators together; no single measure describes export readiness on its own.

BEL1999-2024 coverage270 active partner marketsMacro trend resilient
Latest exports$371.1B2024 reported value
Latest imports$417.3B2024 reported value
Trade balance-$46.2BExports minus imports
Export growth-8.3%Latest year-on-year change
Active partners270Latest reported markets

Country export profile overview

Belgium export data in one research view

This profile brings together export performance, trade balance, destination markets, HS2 sectors, partner breadth, history, and market-access context for country export research.

Export scale and balance

Start with the latest reported trade position

In 2024, Belgium recorded $371.1B in exports and $417.3B in imports. The resulting -$46.2B trade balance gives the latest country-level position a clear context.

Exports changed -8.3% year on year and show a calculated -3.2% three-year CAGR. CAGR is an annualized comparison of reported values, not a forecast.

Markets and sectors

See where export value is concentrated

Netherlands received $55.7B in reported exports, representing 15% of the latest country total. Pharmaceutical products was the largest displayed HS2 export sector at $55.1B and 14.8% of exports.

The visible page highlights five leading destinations and five leading HS2 sectors, while the complete structured files retain every row supplied for this sample.

History and coverage

Read today's number against the long series

The country series covers 1999 through 2024, with 26 observed annual rows. That longer view helps separate a single-year movement from the broader export trend.

Partner counts, tariff context, concentration, exposure shares, and momentum are supporting indicators calculated from available trade observations. Missing values remain unavailable rather than estimated.

Economy and structure

The context around Belgium's export base

Macroeconomic and structural indicators add context to merchandise trade scale. They describe the country environment; they do not predict company performance or future exports.

GDP$671.4B2024 macro context
GDP per capita$56.6KCurrent-dollar GDP
Population11.9MReported population
Labor force5.1KReported labor force
Investment rate23.7%National investment rate
Savings rate24.9%National savings rate
Trade openness130.6%Exports + imports / GDP
Exports / GDP61.5%Merchandise exports / GDP
Secondary education92.2%Education context
Tertiary education32.7%Education context

Market signals

Where to look more closely next

Route-level risk and emerging-corridor signals for further research. These are calculated indicators, not forecasts.

Destination risk contextAll covered routes
Destination risk context for Belgium
DestinationAttentionAttention shareBelow peakApplied tariffPrimary reason
GermanyDEUCritical attention36.6%41.8%0%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
FranceFRACritical attention35.9%35.7%0%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
NetherlandsNLDWatch28.4%29.2%0%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
United KingdomGBRCritical attention30%38.9%0%Current trade remains materially below historical peaks
ItalyITAWatch22.4%24.8%0%Current trade remains materially below historical peaks
LuxembourgLUXCritical attention66.3%33.3%0%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
IndiaINDCritical attention64.5%56%53.2%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
JapanJPNCritical attention68.6%51.5%4%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
Switzerland, LiechtensteinCHECritical attention41.9%46.6%1.3%Current trade remains materially below historical peaks
USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSAWatch29.3%20.1%4.7%Volatile products account for the largest observed corridor exposure

Full route coverage is retained. High attention means the route deserves closer product and access review.

Market opportunity signals

Product-market combinations worth investigating

All returned rows use buyer demand, exporter position, and calculated addressable-value fields. They are research signals, not forecasts.

Addressable-value signalsAll returned rows
Market opportunity signals for Belgium
RankMarket and productBuyer importsAddressable 3-year valueCurrent shareDemand signal
1ChinaHS6 260111 · Iron ores and concentrates: non-agglomerated$111.0B$119.1B0%Declining -2.6%
2USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsHS6 270900 · Oils: petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals, crude$165.0B$115.5B0%Declining +1.1%
3ChinaHS6 270900 · Oils: petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals, crude$291.6B$98.7B0%Declining -6.7%
4ChinaHS6 854231 · Electronic integrated circuits: processors and controllers, whether or not combined with memories, converters, logic circuits, amplifiers, clock and timing circuits, or other circuits$158.0B$93.1B0%Growing +10.5%
5IndiaHS6 270900 · Oils: petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals, crude$130.1B$73.0B0%Declining -0.5%
6ChinaHS6 854232 · Electronic integrated circuits: memories$80.6B$65.7B0%Accelerating +20.6%
7ChinaHS6 710812 · Metals: gold, non-monetary, unwrought (but not powder)$80.8B$64.9B0%Accelerating +2.4%
8ChinaHS6 120190 · Soya beans: other than seed, whether or not broken$47.8B$62.4B0%Growing -13.5%

Addressable value is a calculated field. Validate product, buyer, tariff, and route conditions before commercial decisions.

Detailed export portfolioHS4 lines beneath the leading sectorsOpen the detailed four-digit export table for Belgium.
All HS4 export lines2024 ranking
Top HS4 export lines for Belgium
RankHS4Parent HS2 sectorExportsShareActive HS6
12710HS4 detail codeMineral fuels (27) ↗$31.3B8.4%5
23002HS4 detail codePharmaceutical products (30) ↗$29.4B7.9%8
33004HS4 detail codePharmaceutical products (30) ↗$23.8B6.4%12
48703HS4 detail codeVehicles (87) ↗$22.1B5.9%14
52711HS4 detail codeMineral fuels (27) ↗$11.2B3%7
67102HS4 detail codePrecious stones and metals (71) ↗$6.6B1.8%5
78708HS4 detail codeVehicles (87) ↗$5.1B1.4%14
81806HS4 detail codeCocoa and cocoa preparations (18) ↗$4.8B1.3%5
92004HS4 detail codePreparations of vegetables and fruit (20) ↗$4.2B1.1%2
103901HS4 detail codePlastics (39) ↗$3.7B1%5
118701HS4 detail codeVehicles (87) ↗$3.2B0.9%8
127219HS4 detail codeIron and steel (72) ↗$3.2B0.9%14

HS4 values are reported observations. The hierarchy is preserved; no missing descriptions are inferred.

The country export read

Belgium combines $371.1B in exports with a broad partner network.

In 2024, Belgium recorded $371.1B in reported exports and $417.3B in imports, producing a reported trade deficit of $46.2B. Exports changed -8.3% year on year and -3.2% annualized over three years. Pharmaceutical products (HS2 30) was the largest displayed export sector by value.

Destination network

Where Belgium exports move

All returned destination lanes ranked by latest reported export value. Share is calculated against the country total. Review sources ↗

Latest reported destination lanesAll returned · 2024
Leading export destinations for Belgium
RankDestinationLatest exportsShareYear-on-year3-year CAGR
1NetherlandsNLD$55.7B15%-6.2%-0.4%
2GermanyDEU$53.3B14.4%-13%-5.1%
3FranceFRA$49.8B13.4%-25.2%-9.1%
4USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA$27.9B7.5%+13.4%+7.7%
5ItalyITA$23.3B6.3%-3%+4.2%
6United KingdomGBR$19.5B5.2%-0%-10.9%
7SpainESP$11.2B3%+4.7%+2.6%
8PolandPOL$8.8B2.4%-0.5%+2.5%
9SwedenSWE$7.7B2.1%-7.1%+2.9%
10LuxembourgLUX$6.3B1.7%-9.5%-1.5%

Destination values are reported country-to-country observations. Full returned rows remain in the downloads.

Trade history

A long view of export scale

Latest twelve years from the 30-year reported country series. Context, not a forecast.

Reported exports by year

2013
$338.1B
2014
$341.9B
2015
$280.6B
2016
$285.1B
2017
$306.0B
2018
$337.5B
2019
$322.9B
2020
$312.1B
2021
$408.8B
2022
$471.1B
2023
$404.8B
2024
$371.1B

Partner network

Scale is only one part of export capability

Partner breadth, distance, agreements, and tariffs add context to reported exports.

FTA partner markets108Reported count
WTO partner markets169Reported count
EU partner markets28Reported count
Shared-border partners5Country context
Shared-language partners47Country context
Average partner distance6,657 kmCalculated average
Partners with FTA40%Calculated share
Applied tariff context0.1%Calculated average
MFN tariff context0.1%Calculated average
Tariff advantage+0.1 ppPreferential vs MFN

Exposure context

Signals to examine alongside export scale

Calculated or classified route and country context. Not predictions or recommendations.

Attention share35.2%

Covered value under attention

Critical share8.6%

Covered value marked critical

Below historical peak31.9%

Distance below route peaks

FTA-covered exports81.3%

Covered value with FTA context

Weighted tariff context0%

Export-weighted tariff

Macro contextMacro trend resilient

Primary attention driver: High trade volatility.

Momentum score-6.8

History-based indicator

Partner concentration776.9

Partner HHI

Product concentration117.8

Product HHI

Country attention level: Watch. Missing fields remain unavailable.

Complete country valuesOpen the full profile evidenceFull history, sectors, HS4, destinations, risk, opportunities, and source fields.

Profile fields

Year2,024
Country Iso3BEL
Exports Usd$371.1B
Imports Usd$417.3B
Trade Balance Usd-$46.2B
Yoy Exports Growth Pct-8.3%
Yoy Imports Growth Pct-8.6%
Exports Cagr 3y Pct-3.2%
Imports Cagr 3y Pct-0.7%
Export Partner Hhi776.9
Export Product Hhi117.8
Momentum Score-6.8
Risk Score4.5
Gdp Million Usd671,370.08 million USD
Gdp Per Capita Usd$56.6K
Population11,858,610
Labor Force5,114.9
Investment Rate Pct23.7%
Savings Rate Pct24.9%
Secondary Education Pct92.2%
Tertiary Education Pct32.7%
Total Factor Productivity2,536.3
Trade Openness Pct130.6%
Exports Gdp Pct61.5%
Num Active Partners270
Num Fta Partners108
Num Wto Partners169
Num Eu Partners28
Num Shared Border Partners5
Num Shared Language Partners47
Avg Partner Distance Km6,657 km
Avg Partner Gdp Million Usd533,678,518.33 million USD
Avg Partner Gdp Per Capita Usd$15.8
Avg Buyer Biz Entry DaysNot reported
Avg Buyer Biz Entry Cost PctNot reported
Pct Partners With Fta40
Pct Partners Shared Language17
Pct Partners Shared Border2
Avg Applied Tariff Pct0.1%
Avg Mfn Tariff Pct0.1%
Avg Preferential Tariff Pct0%
Tariff Advantage Pp+0.1 pp
Avg Distance All Partners Km6,630
Num Border Partners132
Num Colonial Partners66
Avg Substitution Elasticity-10.9
Pct Products High Elasticity76
Pct Products Low Elasticity3
Real Market Potential1,056,408.6
Foreign Market Potential65,137.2

Exposure fields

Country Iso3BEL
All History Lane Count65,518
Current Lane Count59,010
Critical Lane Count370
High Attention Lane Count7,560
High Volatility Lane Count25,409
Unrecovered Drawdown Lane Count34,004
Declining Demand Lane Count297
Concentrated Market Lane Count23,145
Access Friction Lane Count6,268
Buyer Macro Weakness Lane Count2,492
Monitored Exports Current Usd$357.6B
Attention Exports Usd$125.9B
Critical Exports Usd$30.9B
High Volatility Exports Usd$103.2B
Unrecovered Drawdown Exports Usd$101.6B
Non Fta Exports Usd$62.8B
Monitored Attention Share Pct35.2%
Monitored Critical Share Pct8.6%
Fta Covered Exports Share Pct81.3%
Export Weighted Volatility Cv0.8
Export Weighted Below Peak Pct31.9%
Export Weighted Distance Km2,010 km
Export Weighted Tariff Pct0%
Latest Data Year2,024
First Data Year1,999
Country Years Count26
Total Exports Latest Usd$371.1B
Total Imports Latest Usd$417.3B
Trade Balance Latest Usd-$46.2B
Exports Yoy Latest Pct-8.3%
Exports Cagr 3y Latest Pct-3.2%
Gdp Latest Million Usd671,370.08 million USD
Gdp Per Capita Latest Usd$56.6K
Population Latest11,858,610
Investment Rate Latest Pct23.7%
Savings Rate Latest Pct24.9%
Trade Openness Latest Pct130.6%
Exports Gdp Latest Pct61.5%
Active Partners Latest270
Fta Partners Latest108
Foreign Market Potential Latest65,137.2
Gdp 5y Cagr Pct4.6%
Gdp Per Capita 5y Cagr Pct3.9%
Population 5y Cagr Pct0.6%
Partner Hhi Latest776.9
Partner Top1 Share Latest Pct15%
Partner Top3 Share Latest Pct42.8%
Partner Hhi All Avg861.9
Partner Hhi All Max981.1
Product Hhi Latest117.8
Product Top1 Share Latest Pct5.6%
Product Top3 Share Latest Pct13.9%
Product Hhi All Avg102.1
Product Hhi All Max209.4
Total Exports Attention Share Pct33.9%
Total Exports Critical Share Pct8.3%
Attention LevelWatch
Primary Risk DriverHigh trade volatility
Macro Resilience LabelMacro trend resilient

Annual country history

YearExportsImportsTrade balanceExports YoYExports CAGR 3Y
1999$158.0B$156.7B$1.3BNot reportedNot reported
2000$164.9B$174.0B-$9.1B+4.4%Not reported
2001$167.6B$180.6B-$13.0B+1.7%Not reported
2002$182.9B$195.7B-$12.8B+9.1%+5%
2003$218.3B$229.4B-$11.1B+19.4%+9.8%
2004$260.8B$261.9B-$1.1B+19.5%+15.9%
2005$282.3B$299.3B-$17.0B+8.2%+15.6%
2006$312.8B$329.9B-$17.1B+10.8%+12.7%
2007$368.4B$375.3B-$6.8B+17.8%+12.2%
2008$403.1B$432.7B-$29.6B+9.4%+12.6%
2009$317.3B$330.3B-$13.0B-21.3%+0.5%
2010$286.7B$320.0B-$33.3B-9.6%-8%
2011$347.9B$380.3B-$32.3B+21.3%-4.8%
2012$324.3B$352.0B-$27.7B-6.8%+0.7%
2013$338.1B$360.1B-$22.0B+4.3%+5.7%
2014$341.9B$362.7B-$20.8B+1.1%-0.6%
2015$280.6B$299.5B-$18.9B-17.9%-4.7%
2016$285.1B$304.5B-$19.4B+1.6%-5.5%
2017$306.0B$328.7B-$22.7B+7.3%-3.6%
2018$337.5B$361.3B-$23.8B+10.3%+6.3%
2019$322.9B$345.6B-$22.7B-4.3%+4.2%
2020$312.1B$321.2B-$9.1B-3.4%+0.7%
2021$408.8B$426.0B-$17.3B+31%+6.6%
2022$471.1B$498.5B-$27.4B+15.2%+13.4%
2023$404.8B$456.6B-$51.8B-14.1%+9.1%
2024$371.1B$417.3B-$46.2B-8.3%-3.2%

Top export sectors

RankHS2SectorExportsShareExport partnersActive HS6
130Pharmaceutical products$55.1B14.8%18943
227Mineral fuels$48.2B13%17943
387Vehicles$35.3B9.5%19087
439Plastics$22.7B6.1%189129
584Machinery$22.3B6%194515
629Organic chemicals$15.1B4.1%172376
772Iron and steel$14.6B3.9%163167
885Electrical machinery$12.1B3.3%195262
971Precious stones and metals$12.0B3.2%15151
1038Miscellaneous chemical products$9.1B2.4%18290

Detailed HS4 export lines

RankHS4Parent HS2ExportsShareActive HS6
12710Mineral fuels (27)$31.3B8.4%5
23002Pharmaceutical products (30)$29.4B7.9%8
33004Pharmaceutical products (30)$23.8B6.4%12
48703Vehicles (87)$22.1B5.9%14
52711Mineral fuels (27)$11.2B3%7
67102Precious stones and metals (71)$6.6B1.8%5
78708Vehicles (87)$5.1B1.4%14
81806Cocoa and cocoa preparations (18)$4.8B1.3%5
92004Preparations of vegetables and fruit (20)$4.2B1.1%2
103901Plastics (39)$3.7B1%5
118701Vehicles (87)$3.2B0.9%8
127219Iron and steel (72)$3.2B0.9%14

Top export destinations

RankDestinationISO3ExportsShareYoYCAGR 3Y
1NetherlandsNLD$55.7B15%-6.2%-0.4%
2GermanyDEU$53.3B14.4%-13%-5.1%
3FranceFRA$49.8B13.4%-25.2%-9.1%
4USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA$27.9B7.5%+13.4%+7.7%
5ItalyITA$23.3B6.3%-3%+4.2%
6United KingdomGBR$19.5B5.2%-0%-10.9%
7SpainESP$11.2B3%+4.7%+2.6%
8PolandPOL$8.8B2.4%-0.5%+2.5%
9SwedenSWE$7.7B2.1%-7.1%+2.9%
10LuxembourgLUX$6.3B1.7%-9.5%-1.5%

Destination risk context

RankDestinationAttentionAttention shareBelow peakApplied tariffPrimary reason
1Germany (DEU)Critical attention36.6%41.8%0%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
2France (FRA)Critical attention35.9%35.7%0%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
3Netherlands (NLD)Watch28.4%29.2%0%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
4United Kingdom (GBR)Critical attention30%38.9%0%Current trade remains materially below historical peaks
5Italy (ITA)Watch22.4%24.8%0%Current trade remains materially below historical peaks
6Luxembourg (LUX)Critical attention66.3%33.3%0%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
7India (IND)Critical attention64.5%56%53.2%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
8Japan (JPN)Critical attention68.6%51.5%4%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
9Switzerland, Liechtenstein (CHE)Critical attention41.9%46.6%1.3%Current trade remains materially below historical peaks
10USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands (USA)Watch29.3%20.1%4.7%Volatile products account for the largest observed corridor exposure

Emerging corridor signals

RankDestinationHS6SignalMarket importsCurrent shareStrength
1Australia (AUS)380861new$796.0K16.6%100
2Antigua and Barbuda (ATG)870530new$950.4K98.3%100
3Barbados (BRB)870410new$1.3M35%100
4Barbados (BRB)842951new$2.4M5.3%100
5Andorra (AND)845611new$120.8K84.7%100
6Brazil (BRA)880240new$1.4B0.2%100
7Brazil (BRA)841182new$88.0M1.2%100
8Burkina Faso (BFA)854330new$831.2K25.3%100
9Bolivia (BOL)841710new$1.7M19.8%100
10Bulgaria (BGR)271311new$31.7M0.8%100

Market opportunity signals

RankMarketHS6Buyer importsAddressable 3-year valueCurrent shareSignal
1China (CHN)260111$111.0B$119.1B0%Declining (-2.6%)
2USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands (USA)270900$165.0B$115.5B0%Declining (+1.1%)
3China (CHN)270900$291.6B$98.7B0%Declining (-6.7%)
4China (CHN)854231$158.0B$93.1B0%Growing (+10.5%)
5India (IND)270900$130.1B$73.0B0%Declining (-0.5%)
6China (CHN)854232$80.6B$65.7B0%Accelerating (+20.6%)
7China (CHN)710812$80.8B$64.9B0%Accelerating (+2.4%)
8China (CHN)120190$47.8B$62.4B0%Growing (-13.5%)

How to read this page

Separate reported scale from calculated context.

Reported exports, imports, trade balance, sector rows, destination rows, and annual history describe merchandise trade observations for the stated country and year.

CAGR, shares, concentration measures, tariff context, exposure shares, and momentum are calculated indicators built from the available observations. They help organize research but are not additional reported trade or forecasts.

Coverage runs from 1999 through 2024 for this profile. Missing values are shown as Not reported. Read the full methodology ↗

Reported observations

OECD BIMTS merchandise trade values are the primary series for this view.

Calculated indicators

Growth, share, HHI, tariff, and exposure fields are derived from available reported values.

Coverage limits

Unavailable values remain unavailable. No company sales, shipment records, or forecasts are implied.

Questions about this profile

Belgium export capability, in context

Short answers for readers comparing country export scale, partner breadth, and calculated trade indicators.

What does the Belgium export profile measure?

It combines reported exports, imports, history, destinations, HS2 sectors, partner context, and calculated indicators for Belgium.

What is the latest reported export value for Belgium?

Belgium recorded $371.1B in reported exports in 2024.

Which markets receive the most exports from Belgium?

Netherlands leads by reported export value at $55.7B in 2024. Five destination lanes are highlighted.

Which sectors lead Belgium's exports?

Pharmaceutical products leads by reported value at $55.1B. Five HS2 chapters are highlighted.

How many years of Belgium trade history are available?

This sample contains 26 observed annual rows covering 1999 through 2024. Missing observations are not estimated.

Are the growth and exposure values forecasts?

No. They are calculated or classified from reported observations, not forecasts or market-access guarantees.

Continue your research

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Data source

OECD trade statistics with CEPII context

OECD (2025), Balanced international merchandise trade statistics (BIMTS) - HS2017-6D, OECD Data Explorer (accessed on 2026-08-28). OECD BIMTS is the primary trade series for this view. Supporting bilateral trade context uses CEPII BACI bilateral trade flows (202601) under Etalab 2.0 Open Licence. Yugalinks presents derived views of reported observations and calculated indicators. Data terms: OECD Terms & Conditions.